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Cider Sparkles at Fairmount Park’s 3rd Annual CiderFest in Philadelphia, PA
Event signage hangs from fence posts at Cedar Grove. Photos, story by Sharon Kozden “It was a beautiful bright autumn day, with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it.” – Diana Gabaldon It really was a day such as described in the above quote … uncannily so if you happened to be attending the third annual CiderFest at the Historic Houses of Fairmount Park. Having written about and photographed the inaugural event in 2017, I had missed 2018’s iteration but was glad to be back spending my Saturday afternoon between the hours of noon and 5 p.m. surrounded by folks ranging in interest level…
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Opera Philadelphia Paints La Bohème Love Story at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia
Words on the street, blowin’ in the wind. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden (performance photos courtesy of Steven Pisano for Opera Philadelphia) “I have so many things that I want to say to you Or just one, but it’s as big as the sea As deep and infinite as the sea … You are my love and my whole life!” – La bohème, Act IV finale I can’t be the only one who has noticed that Opera Philadelphia‘s presence has been pervading the Philly scene. Locations, locations, locations … all teeming with operatic events and productions. There they were at the Academy of Music during late April and early May,…
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Tune Into the Sounds of the Season at Fairmount Park’s Historic Houses
“Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart … filled it, too, with melody that would last forever.” – Bess Streeter Aldrich Story, photos by Sharon Kozden They came. They toured. They listened. On December 2, in what was part of a 16-day seasonal presentation called A Very Philly Christmas, Fairmount Park’s Historic Houses came alive with the sounds of music during The Sounds of the Season. Philadelphia was well represented by its diverse musical culture and community, which included Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, Choral Arts Philadelphia, Clef Club of Jazz, Opera Philadelphia and PlayOnPhilly.…
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Philly Art Museum Presents Landmark Exhibition on the Watercolor Movement in American Art
Story, photos by Lou Perri The Philadelphia Museum of Art presents the most comprehensive loan exhibition in over 40 years devoted to the most important chapter in the history of watercolor painting in this country. American Watercolor in the Age of Homer and Sargent will bring together more than 170 works—many of them acknowledged masterpieces of this difficult, yet rewarding medium—drawn from public and private collections throughout the country. Tracing the development of the watercolor movement from its passionate embrace by a small, but dedicated group of painters in the 1860’s to the flowering of Modernism, this sweeping survey will examine the remarkable transformation of the medium that occurred in the…
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Art Museum’s Refreshed South Asian Galleries Open to Public
Story, photos by Lou Perri The Philadelphia Museum of Art is reopening the South Asian galleries after a major two year renovation and reinstallation period of its masterpieces. The Temple Hall, the centerpiece of the collection, has been completely reinterpreted. Donated in 1919 by the family of Adeline Pepper Gibson of Philadelphia, the Temple Hall has been a puzzle to scholars until now. Curators have solved the mystery and will share the details with members of Gibson’s family present. The new installation presents one of the most important collections of South Asian art in a new light. Ten galleries are redesigned and reconfigured to present masterpieces spanning 2,000 years of…
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Embracing the Contemporary: The Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Collection
Photos, story by Lou Perri Embracing the Contemporary exhibition celebrates one of the nation’s leading collections of contemporary art. Assembled by Philadelphians Keith and Katherine Sachs, this collection features some of the most prominent European and American artists of the past 50 years. Many of the works have been generously donated or pledged as promised gifts to the museum, marking a pivotal moment for the city as a premier destination for contemporary art. From sculpture and painting to large-scale photography and video art, this exhibition presents a selection of works from the Sachs Collection. In addition to a concentration of works by American artists Robert Gober, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, and…
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Museum’s Art Splash Opens in Unison with Creative Africa Exhibit
Photos, story by Lou Perri Returning for its fourth year, Art Splash, the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s popular summer family program, opened on July 1 in conjunction with Creative Africa, a season of five exhibitions of African art, both historic and contemporary, currently on view in the Perelman Building. Spanning 10 weeks, Art Splash offers a dynamic set of programs focused on engaging families, including gallery explorations, hands-on workshops, guided tours, performances and family festivals. A special family friendly menu offered in the Perelman Café and a complimentary shuttle to bring visitors to and from the main building will be available through Labor Day, offering visitors of all ages a memorable…
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As the Only East Coast Venue, International Pop Blasts Into Philly
Photos, story by Lou Perri The Philadelphia Museum of Art presents International Pop, a groundbreaking survey of this important movement that explores Pop Art as a global phenomenon that was shaped by artists working in many different countries throughout the world. The exhibition features paintings, sculpture, assemblage, installation, printmaking, and film by 80 artists, drawn from public and private collections around the world, and offers an intriguing new look at a subject that is familiar. Viewing Pop Art through a much wider lens that amplifies a history commonly associated with major American figures like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, it is sure to delight audiences and broaden their understanding of one…
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Go Back to Old Hollywood Glam Decadence with Cescaphe Event Group and Diner En Blanc at Water Works
Story by Cassie Hepler, photos by Cassie Hepler and David Houck There’s one common theme about New Year’s Eve in any city. You can usually expect some sort of douchebag-filled party full of ‘bros who think grabbing girls body parts is socially acceptable somehow and want to rumble by the end of the night. Thankfully, we stumbled upon this gem thanks to an amazing Philadelphia artist, Inna Race, who invited us and peaked our interest instantly. Granted, there were just a couple of other events that sounded pretty awesome in the city too but Old Hollywood style with complimentary valet parking and coat check? We were sold! Plus we recognized one…
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Philadelphia Museum of Art Offers Festive Holiday Programs, Chef Classes, Choral Groups and More
Story, photos by Lou Perri In the weeks ahead, the Philadelphia Museum of Art programs will range from daily art-making workshops, live cooking demonstrations and caroling to trolley tours of the historic houses of Fairmount Park including live entertainment by colorful characters from Charles Dickens’s celebrated “A Christmas Carol”. A Fairmount Christmas Carol, according to Justina Barrett, site manager for historic houses, visitors will encounter Charles Dickens’s Mr. Fezziwig, Mrs. Cratchit, and Scrooge himself at Mount Pleasant, Cedar Grove, and Lemon Hill on Friday, Dec. 18. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., tours depart from the museum every 30 minutes. The last tour is at 7:30 p.m. and tours are 90 minutes. Reservations…