PHILADELPHIA — The Rosenbach Museum & Library will present There’s a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak from May 6, 2008 through April 30, 2009. This major retrospective of over 130 pieces pulled from the museum’s vast Maurice Sendak collection – the largest collection of “Sendakiana” in the world – will feature original artwork, rare sketches, never-before seen working materials and interview footage. The exhibition will draw on a total of over 300 objects, with new works on display every four months, providing a unique experience with each set of illustrations. Sendak, famed author and illustrator of Where the Wild Things […]
THE EARLY WORD: The Elephant And The Dove
Hayden Herrera Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Sacred Monsters Wednesday, February 13, 8:00 p.m., Series B The Free Library $14 General Admission, $7 Students Renowned art historian Hayden Herrera’s influential 1983 biography, Frida, helped establish the Mexican artist’s reputation in America and was used as source material for the acclaimed 2002 film of the same name. Herrera’s presentation at the Free Library will occur in conjunction with the arrival of a new Frida Kahlo exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which Herrera curated. Her talk and slideshow will focus on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s relationship as revealed. MORE […]
ARTSY: Steal This Blog
BY TIFFANY YOON We all know the old saw about Robin Hood stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Which is noble and all, but quite frankly risky — the rich HATE when you steal from them and tend to press charges — and a lot of work. Wouldn’t it be so much easier, not to mention downright Republican, to steal from the poor instead and, well, just keep it for yourself? And who is poorer than a bunch of starving artists? And get this: These starving artists actually WANT you to steal their shit. Starting today, the […]
THE SADDEST ANIMATED GIF IN THE WORLD
By ONESOUND
ART BREAK: The Garden Of Earthly Delights
Let’s just take a break from the suck for a moment and ponder what might have been. Hat tip to reader Hieronymus Bosch for sending in this swell doodle.
WORTH REPEATING: She’s Gotta Have It
As an artist and woman growing up in the West, one of the towers that fell on 9-11 was my view of what it meant to view and create art. After the cascade of news stories that brought front and center how my sisters throughout the world live in what I consider to be oppressive misogynistic cultures, I thought deeply about what it must be like where there is no visual representational art, where women are covered from head to toe and not allowed to be seen let alone depicted in any form, where billboards also have the female entirely […]
THE EARLY WORD: About A Girl
Closing Requiem Concert: Igni Natura Renovatur Integra The Artistic Legacy of Jennifer Bates On Saturday, December 1, 2007, six esteemed Philadelphia musicians will gather at Germ Books and Gallery to ritually close the current art show of our founder, the late Jennifer Bates. At approximately 3PM, David E. Williams — Germ’s owner and Bates’ widower — will open the performance on synthesizer with a plaintive melody from one of Jennifer’s own compositions. From there, the other musicians will join in an improvised performance of electronic drones, noises and other psychonautic sounds that evoke Jennifer’s spirit on the day before many […]
NEWS CLUES: It’s Like Adderall For Your Eyeballs
FBI SEZ: Blackwater Guards Massacred 14 Unarmed Iraqi Civilians WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 — Federal agents investigating the Sept. 16 episode in which Blackwater security personnel shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians have found that at least 14 of the shootings were unjustified and violated deadly-force rules in effect for security contractors in Iraq, according to civilian and military officials briefed on the case. The F.B.I. investigation into the shootings in Baghdad is still under way, but the findings, which indicate that the company’s employees recklessly used lethal force, are already under review by the Justice Department. Prosecutors have yet to […]
ARTSY: Ra, Ra, Ra Your Boat
BY DAN “ARTSY” BUSKIRK A truly successful artist wisely figures out how to incorporate their art organically into his life. If Irish installation artist Brian Kennedy is going to keep his insane schedule, traveling the five continents to mount his installations, why shouldn’t his subject be travel itself? Most recently his travels have brought him to Philadelphia, where his piece “Passage” had its unveiling tonight at the Icebox Gallery at the Crane Art Building. Kennedy is known for his large-scale installations specifically designed for their presentation spaces, but with The Icebox’s massive size — we’re talking 5,000 square ft. — […]
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS: Day Of The Dead
…is today. So cheer up! On the 31st of October, families create an ofrenda in their homes. Essentially an altar, the ofrenda is anoffering of love and respect for the souls of loved ones. Various traditions include placement of photos of the deceased, bread known as Pan de Muerte (Bread of the Dead), water, and other food items they might have enjoyed in life. Ofrenda have also been known to include clothing, and personal grooming items for the souls to freshen up with following their journey from the afterlife. There is always an abundance of flowers, known as cempasúchil, valued […]
FRINGE: Q&A With ‘The Man Without Any Will’
“Starting at City Hall at 9:00 AM, I will wander around Philadelphia for eight hours. Everything after the initial starting spot is undetermined, as I will use a Magic 8-Ball to make all my decisions during that time period. Essentially, I will give up my free will.” — Chad Wanzek, aka The Man Without Any Will * Over the course of four days Wanzek abandoned his free will and put all decisions in the hands of a Magic 8 Ball as he wandered around Philadelphia. On his first day, the ball was kind, and led Wanzek to Reading Terminal’s Little […]