Women’s History Month celebrations, artisans at the Pier, and a premiere at the Barnes in this week’s ‘Things to Do’

March is Women’s History Month and there are multiple exhibits, talks and tours that celebrate women who’ve made history in the Delaware Valley and beyond.

Yaba Blay – One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race

Speaker, scholar and activist Dr. Yaba Blay, who earned her master’s and Ph.D. at Temple University, just released her new book “One Drop” which focuses on colorism, race, and identity as it explores what it really means to be Black. She will be in conversation with Princeton professor and author Imani Perry to talk about the issues raised by the book and the nation’s racial reckoning. You can purchase the book with a signed book plate via Uncle Bobbie’s bookstore. (Although currently backordered online, it is available in the store.)

• What: Virtual talk
• Where: Online, via Free Library of Philadelphia
• When: Thursday, March 4, 7:30 p.m.
• How Much: Free

Queens, Warriors and Archaeologists: Women of the Penn Museum

The Penn Museum is hosting an event paying homage to the women who’ve graced the institution over time. Not only have women been vital parts in the museum’s exhibits, but they’ve also been a part of the archaeology and anthropology teams whose work has revealed more of their contributions. While enjoying the program, the museum encourages you to order from one of these local women-owned restaurants and eateries including Franny Lou’s Porch, Dock Street Brewery, Hip City Veg, Jet Wine Bar, Booker’s Restaurant, Jezebel’s Argentine Café and Bakery, Triple Bottom Brewing, French Toast Bites or one of your choice here, here and here.

• What: Virtual talk
• Where: Online, via Penn Museum
• When: Friday, March 5, 7:30 p.m.
• How Much: $10

“I Am an American!” – The Authorship and Activism of Alice Dunbar-Nelson

Alice Dunbar-Nelson was a pioneering Black scholar, activist, suffragist, and poet among other things, who overcame domestic violence and spent her life fighting for the empowerment of Black women. Once in an abusive marriage to fellow poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, she lived her later years in Delaware and Philadelphia where she was an educator, speaker, and journalist who played an active role in advancing racial justice. During Women’s History Month, the Rosenbach Museum is celebrating her life via a virtual exhibit.

• What: Virtual exhibit
• Where: Online, via the Rosenbach Museum
• When: On-demand
• How Much: Free

Beyond the Bell Tours: Badass Women’s History Tour

“Well-behaved women seldom make history” is a famous quote by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. (Though famously taken out of context, Ulrich embraced its altered meaning and ultimately wrote a book of the same title.) That would be the takeaway of the Badass Women’s History Tour available via Beyond the Bell Tours. The walking tours, at the moment available for groups of five or more only, tells the story of Philly female badassery via the lives of Ona Judge, Hannah Callowhill Penn, and Nizah Morris, who advocated for the rights of gender-variant sex workers and who died under questionable circumstances in 2002.

• What: Walking tour
• Where: By reservation via Beyond the Bell Tours
• When: Ongoing, 11 a.m., Monday – Sunday
• How Much: $200 up to five people, group bookings only

2021 Artists and Artisans Market

The Cherry Street Pier’s 2021 Artists and Artisans Market returns Friday. The indoor and outdoor marketplace brings artists and makers in varied disciplines to the market to showcase their one-of-a-kind wares. Women-owned businesses at the market this week include Emaye Design, The Random Tea Room, and Baby Got Good.

• What: Artist’s marketplace
• Where: Cherry Street Pier 121 N. Christopher Columbus Blvd.
• When: Friday, March 5, 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. and every first Friday and third Saturday through November
• How Much: Free admission, pay as you go

Soutine / de Kooning: Conversations in Paint 

Curated by Simonetta Fraquetti, the exhibit of 45 paintings by Chaïm Soutine and Willem de Kooning will make its world premiere at the Barnes, the only museum that will host the exhibit in the U.S. In partnership with the Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie

in Paris where it heads next, it will explore the relationship between Soutine’s work and de Kooning’s. Dr. Albert C. Barnes, who created the Barnes Foundation was an early supporter of French/Russian painter Soutine, once buying dozens of his paintings on one trip to Paris.

• What: Museum exhibit premiere
• Where: Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. (There is a virtual tour option and several related online classes)
• When: Sunday, March 7 – Saturday, Aug. 8, Friday – Monday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• How Much: $5 – $25, free with advance registration on Sunday, March 7 on PECO First Sunday Family Day only.

Virtual Art is Tasty: Women’s History Month

American abstract artist Pat Steir’s renowned painting “Little Red Waterfall” is the subject of a lunchtime virtual discussion hosted by the Delaware Art Museum. The New York City-based artist is one of the few women whose work commands seven-figure prices. At 82, she continues to be one of the preeminent female artists in the world. A documentary, “Pat Steir: Artist,” was released about her life and work last year. “Little Red Waterfall” is part of her “Waterfall” series that Steir started in the ‘80s.

• What: Virtual talk
• Where: Online, via Delaware Art Museum
• When: Friday, March 5, noon – 1 p.m.
• How Much: $7

Henry Ossawa Tanner

Germantown’s Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion is itself full of history, so why not continue their virtual talks that expand on significant figures of the city’s vibrant past? Painter Henry Ossawa Tanner is the topic on Saturday, March 6 at 1 p.m. Dr. Anna O. Marley will provide more information on the storied African American artist’s time studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the religious faith that inspired his work.

• What: Virtual talk
• Where: Online, via Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion
• When: Saturday, March 6, 1 p.m.
• How Much: $6

Keep checking with Things To Do as we continue to provide our picks for entertainment during the industry’s COVID-19 recovery. Please consult our coronavirus updates to keep up with the latest information regionally.