Weekly Entertainment Guide — Philly Book Festival and oil paintings
WHYY’s Arts Calendar curator Robin Bloom sorts through hundreds of listings each week to find out what’s happening in the Delaware Valley. Here are her picks and listings.
Limited Editions: Joseph Holston Prints
The African American Museum in Philadelphia presents “Limited Editions: Joseph Holston Prints, 1974-2010, A Retrospective,” an exhibition showcasing 75 prints by renowned artist Joseph Holston. Pieces include colorful and expressive screen prints, black and white etchings and collagraphs, often depicting events throughout Holston’s life. Also highlighted are four copper plates, four color separation plates, and works from the series Color in Freedom: Journey along the Underground Railroad, telling the story of those who sought freedom from slavery through the Underground Railroad in four parts: “The Unknown World,” “Living in Bondage – Life on the Plantation,” “The Journey of Escape,” and “Color in Freedom.” On view through June 22 at 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia. Hours are 10am-5pm, Tuesday through Saturday, and 12-5pm, Sunday. Admission: adults $10, youth (4-12) $8, students w/ ID $8 and senior citizens $8.
Everything Changed, Then Changed Again
The Center for Emerging Visual Arts, in cooperation with Pittsburgh Filmmakers/Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, presents a unique exhibition featuring the black and white photographic works of Ivette Spradlin, “Everything Changed, Then Changed Again,” on view now through April 20. In the photographs, Spradlin showcases women, including herself, transitioning to a life in Pittsburgh and what it was like to build a community in a new home while adjusting to Pittsburgh’s “extraordinary and complex landscape,” at 237 S. 18th Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, 11am-5pm, Monday through Friday. Admission is free.
Small Oil Paintings at Philadelphia Sketch Club
The Philadelphia Sketch Club’s 149th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings, one of the longest-running exhibitions in the country, is open now through April 21, featuring over 150 works by established and emerging artists. The paintings, which can be no larger than 20 x 20, will be judged and will compete for awards such as best landscape, best still life, best portrait, best abstract and best work. Jurors include Myles Cavanaugh, Garth Herrick and Donna Usher. Reception Sunday, April 15, 2-4pm. Hours are 1-5pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free, 235 S. Camac Street, Philadelphia, PA.
Opening this weekend at The Print Center is “Emma Wilcox: Where it Falls,” an exhibit of the artist’s black and white photographs, including those of texts (made of household flour and paint) she wrote on rooftops throughout Newark, NJ, examining issues of environmental justice, land usage, eminent domain and the role of individual meaning in the creation of local history, through July 28, 1614 Latimer Street, Philadelphia. Opening reception is Friday, April 13, 5:30-7:30pm. Hours are 11am-6pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.
On display at Rodger LaPelle Galleries is the exhibit “Blues Moves,” featuring works by Tom Gardner, Linda Langhorst, and Martin Poole, a trio of painters depicting the blues in New Orleans, through April 29, 122 N. Third Street, Philadelphia.
Artist Exchange at Philadelphia’s City Hall
The Philadelphia Developmental Disabilities Corporation and the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy present “Artist Exchange,” an exhibition featuring collaborative art from both groups at Philadelphia’s City Hall, part of the “Art in City Hall” program, on view now through May 4, 5th floor, Broad Street, Philadelphia. Hours are 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday.
The Free Library of Philadelphia hosts the 6th annual Philadelphia Book Festival, April 16-21, featuring world-renowned writers including U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine, National Book Award winner Nikki Finney, Philadelphia Poet Laureate Sonia Sanchez (pictured), and more, including a First Person StorySlam, children’s activities and more, Parkway Central, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia.
Grounds for Sculpture, the 35 acre sculpture park and museum, hosts a “Day at the Fair,” Sunday, April 15, 11am-4pm rain or shine, with music, family activities and more on the site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds, Hamilton, NJ. Included with park admission $8-$12
Mt. Airy Kids’ Literary Festival
Big Blue Marble Bookstore hosts the 6th annual Mt. Airy Kids’ Literary Festival, April 13-15, with authors Amy Ignatow, Matt Phelan, Chris McDonnell, Zachariah OHora and more, including crafts, food and activities, 551 Carpenter Lane, Mt. Airy, Philadelphia. Free
An Ideal Husband at Playcrafters of Skippack
Oscar Wilde’s “An Ideal Husband,” directed by Margo O’Moore, takes to the stage at Playcrafters of Skippack April 19 through May 5 at The Barn, 2011 Store Road, Skippack, PA. Tickets $15
The End of the World – Burlesque Comedy!
B. Someday Productions and Walking Fish Burlesque presents “The End of the World – Burlesque Comedy!,” by Emily Courier and directed by Stan Heleva, April 18-22, Walking Fish Theatre, 2509 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia. Tickets $18.
Spring Awakening at Media Theatre
Media Theatre presents the Tony Award-winning musical “Spring Awakening,” April 18 through May 20, 104 East State Street, Media, PA. Tickets $27-$49
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia hosts its final concert of its season with a program of Schumann and Beethoven featuring Grammy Award-winning cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio and Dirk Brossé conducting, Sunday, April 15, 2:30pm and Monday, April 16, 7:30pm, Kimmel Center, Broad Street, Philadelphia, and Tuesday, April 17, 7:30pm, Temple University Performing Arts Center, North Broad Street, Philadelphia. Tickets $20-$81
The Grand presents concerts and events: David Sedaris, Monday, April 16, 8pm; Buddy Guy, Tuesday, April 17, 8pm; A Tribute to Bill Monroe featuring Peter Rowan, Tony Rice and The Travelin’, Wednesday, April 18, 8pm; Classic Albums Live Presents: The Beatles – Revolver/Rubber Soul, Saturday, April 21, 8pm; Adam & Anthony Live, Sunday, April 22, 7pm; Elizabeth Mitchell, Saturday, April 28, 3pm; Imagination Movers, Monday, April 30, 2pm; David Bromberg Big Band, Saturday, May 5, 8pm; 818 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE. Tickets $20-$55
INGLIS celebrates its 135th anniversary with the Philadelphia debut of singer/songwriter Justin Hines in concert, Thursday, April 19, 8pm, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. Tickets $25 theater seating – $100 table seating.
The Arts Council of Princeton kicks off a new series, “Sound Bites,” featuring local/regional musicians in a café setting, with award-winning singer/songwriter Avi Wisnia and his band performing original songs and inventive covers inspired by Brazilian bossa nova, Saturday, April 14, 8pm, The Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ. Tickets $5-$10
Other events and listings happening around the Delaware Valley:
Perkins Center for the Arts hosts family events: “Einstein and the Creative Mind,” April 13-21, a funny family musical by Imagination Creation Theatre, tickets $12 adults, $10 senior/student, $8 children ages 2-10; Family Concert Series The Beatles Abbey Road performed in its entirety by Conservatory faculty members, April 28, 7pm, tickets $10-12; 30 Irvin Avenue, Collingswood, NJ.
Students and alumni actors take to the stage for Rutgers-Camden’s production of Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 play “A Doll’s House,” directed by theatre professor Kenneth Elliott, this weekend through April 22 in the Gordon Theater, Third and Cooper Streets, Camden, NJ. A post-show discussion with historian Laurie Bernstein is Thursday, April 19. Tickets $10 general admission, $8 seniors and Rutgers employees, $5 students, free for Rutgers-Camden students.
The 4th Annual Philadelphia Dance Showcase is April 17-18, featuring some of the best artists now touring out of Philadelphia at Jeanne Ruddy Dance Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine Street, Philadelphia. Hosted by Dance/USA.
Philadelphia Chorus hosts a spring concert “Love Matters,” featuring Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Cotswold Romance with Melanie Sarakatsannis, soprano, and Matthew Pressley, tenor, and Libby Larsen’s Love Songs with Judith Large, pianist, as well as songs by Leonard Bernstein and Duke Ellington, under the direction of Raquel Garcia, Sunday, April 15, 4pm Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia. Tickets $20-$24
Mélomanie performs in concert on Saturday, April 14, 8pm at Grace Church, 900 Washington Street, Wilmington, DE and Sunday, April 15, 8pm, The University of Delaware, Gore Recital Hall, Newark, DE, featuring the World Premiere of Delaware composer Jennifer Margaret Barker’s Dumgoyne and more with guest artist Eve Friedman, flute. Tickets $15-$20
The Hootenanny Hoedown, a new dinner theatre review by John Monforto and Michael Ogborn, comes to the Performing Arts Complex of Delaware County, April 19-21, with Jeffrey Coon and Kristine Fraelich, 101 Plush Mill Road, Wallingford, PA. Tickets $15-$30
The Philadelphia Classical Guitar Festival kicks off Saturday, April 14, 7:30pm with Scott Tennant in concert, First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, 2125 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia and on Sunday, April 15, 10am-9pm including over 100 student recitals, vendors fair, workshops and more, Settlement Music School, 416 Queen Street, Philadelphia. Tickets $15-$100
Studio 34 presents JUXTaPOSE, a performance series curated by Jaamil Olawale Kosoko and produced by James Peniston, co-founder of Studio 34, with featured artists Meg Foley, Jessica Morgan, Marcel Foster, and more, Saturday, April 14, 7:30pm, Studio 34, 4522 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia. Tickets $9-$13
Arcadia University Theater presents “The Children’s Hour,” by Lillian Hellman, April 19-29, Spruance Fine Arts Complex, Glenside, PA. Tickets $12-$15, free for Arcadia students
“Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon: Vietnamese America Since 1975,” an exhibit showcasing the trials and tribulations of Vietnamese refugees settling in the US following the Vietnam War, is on view with text panels, artifacts and photographs of events such as overcrowded refugee camps across the Pacific Rim, the fall of Saigon, and the exodus of the “boat people” from Vietnam to the US, offering the rare opportunity to walk in their shoes and learn about their lives through June 1 at Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia.
A selection of Andy Warhol’s Polaroids and black and white 8-by-10-inch silver gelatin prints created during the 1970s and 1980s are the subject of a new exhibition at La Salle University Art Museum. “Andy Warhol: Portraiture and the Business of Art,” includes some of his most famous works of artists, stars, wealthy collectors, art dealers and more, on view through June 28, 19th Street and Olney Avenue, Philadelphia. Programming includes a “Curator’s Talk” by Klare Scarborough, Ph.D., on April 17, at 1 p.m. at 190 Holroyd Hall and a lecture about art collecting and the art market by Alexis McCarthy of Christie’s, on April 25, at 1 p.m. at 390 Holroyd Hall.
The Mercer Museum presents a compelling look at the “atomic age” of America with the exhibition “Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: Living with the Atomic Bomb, 1945-1965,” featuring artifacts, graphics, audio and video recordings dated from a time during which Americans lived with the constant fear of a worldwide atomic war, through May 25 at 84 S. Pine Street, Doylestown, PA. Admission: adults $10, seniors $9, youth (6-17) $6, members and children (5 and under) free.
The Rowan University Art Gallery grants a distinct look at themes surrounding the built environment in an exhibition titled “High/Low Density,” co-curated by Mark Campbell and Mary Salvante, through May 12. Featuring the work of eight artists, including Campbell, Anthony Angelicola, Kim Beck, Kara Crombie, David McQueen, Erin Murray, Peter Rose and Blaise Tobia, a key piece to the exhibit is “Conflation: Living Above The Store,” a three-dimensional “sculptural” model detailing the “separation of function” directive of many suburban zoning exercises, where social life is divided into residential, commercial, industrial and institutional entities instead of being compacted into one sole urban space, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ.
Onstage at Hedgerow Theatre is Shakespeare’s farce “The Comedy of Errors,” through April 29, directed by Jared Reed, 64 Rose Valley Road, Rose Valley, PA. Tickets $10-$28
Painted Bride Art Center celebrates Philadelphia Jazz Appreciation Day with Black Cat Brew, Friday, April 13, doors open 6pm for live music by Jason Fraticelli Quartet, live art by Gabe Tiberino, silent auction and more, followed by a Steve Bernstein performance at 9pm, to benefit the Bride’s programs and activities, 230 Vine Street, Philadelphia. Tickets $75 Black Cat Brew only, $100 Black Cat Brew and Steve Bernstein performance.
Union Transfer presents April concerts and events: Rob Delaney, Saturday, April 14, 8:30pm; Mayer Hawthorne and The Country and The Stepkids, Wednesday, April 18, 9pm; Washed Out and Memoryhouse, Thursday, April 19, 8:30pm; Fountains of Wayne and James Iha, Friday, April 20, 8:30pm; Trampled by Turtles and These United States, Saturday, April 21, 9pm; 1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia. Tickets $14-$30
The Moonstone Arts Center hosts a concert with Atlanta cello.guitar.fusion duo Montana Skies, Wednesday, April 18, 7pm, 110A S. 13th Street, Philadelphia. Tickets $10
The gospel-infused musical “Crowns” takes to the stage at Delaware Theatre Company, by Regina Taylor, from the acclaimed book by photographer Michael Cunningham and journalist Craig Marberry, directed by Kevin Ramsey, through April 29 at 200 Water Street, Wilmington, DE. For audiences 13 and up. Tickets $35-$49
The Crossroads Theatre Company presents “The Last Five Years,” written and composed by Jason Robert Brown, directed by Leah C. Gardiner, through April 29, 7 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ. Tickets $40-$50
Onstage at Theatre Horizon is “How I Learned to Drive,” by Paula Vogel, directed by Kathryn MacMillan, through April 29, Centre Theatre, 208 DeKalb St, Norristown, PA. Tickets $21-$29
To submit an event to be considered for the Weekly Entertainment Guide email Robin Bloom at artscalendar@whyy.org.
Pamela Seaton contributed reporting to this week’s guide.
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