September 2013

Oyster, Conception to Consumption

Art of Food — Produced by Monica Rogozinski

This month, Art of Food explores the small but burgeoning community of oyster farmers on the Delaware Bay in Cape May, New Jersey. Rutgers University runs research labs that have been working since the oyster industry collapse in the 1950s to produce a faster growing, disease-resistant oyster. These labs provide the oyster seeds to local NJ oyster farmers, who in turn provide fresh, high quality oysters for local restaurants in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Thanks to these efforts, Philadelphia restaurants like Oyster House now serve local oysters, grown using sustainable aquaculture methods: farm to table, conception to consumption.

In this segment of Art of Food we feature several key players in the oyster farm to table movement. Betsy Haskin honors her late father Harold Haskin the pioneering director of Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory of Rutgers University, by caring for her oysters on a premium level. Brian Harman is the Aquaculture Manager at Cape May Salt Oysters, the largest oyster farm in the region and is helping get their oysters into a larger market. And David Bushek, current director at the Rutgers lab helps support the local farms with research and close monitoring of oyster production.

ExperienceDesign!

Art of Life — Produced by Karen Smyles

Through the breadth of events, DesignPhiladelphia showcases the role that design has played historically in this region, and celebrates Philadelphia’s contemporary significance as a center for creative advancement.

DesignPhiladelphia brings together individuals and organizations from across the design spectrum, building valuable community relationships. Year-round programming has included a lecture series on innovation, temporary pop-up shops, competitions, panel discussions for the creative and curious community, special events, and more.

For the past nine years, DesignPhiladelphia has produced a nationally recognized, open participation Festival. Like all DesignPhiladelphia programming, the Festival offers a view into Philadelphia’s creative industries at work. During the Festival, over 100 events take place city-wide with more than 400 participating designers. A vast majority of Festival events are free and all are open to the public. Programming is a dynamic mix of open studios, exhibitions, lectures, runway shows, tours, workshops, and the like, that take place in boutiques, galleries, museums, universities, warehouses, and city streets.

The DesignPhiladelphia initiative unites the creative disciplines – from architecture to interior design, fashion to product design, multi-media to graphic design – reinforcing the message that Philadelphia is a rich resource for creativity, innovation and cultural vibrancy.

The 2013 DesignPhiladelphia Festival will be held October 10th thru the 18th and Friday Arts had the opportunity to speak with Founding Director Hilary Jay, an array of designers who participated in 2012, and a group of designers who have a very special design project coming to our city real soon!

The Dudley Spencer House

Art — Produced by Michael O’Reilly

Delaware’s only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home was on the market for the first time ever in 2013. Known as The Dudley Spencer House, the sale on this historic gem was pending at the time this segment was being finished, after the death of Dr. Spencer – the builder and only owner of the residence. Designed in 1956, the home features a hemicycle – or semicircular – design, with curvilinear walls constructed of irregularly coursed field stone. Set on six wooded acres near a running creek, the home takes advantage of its peaceful setting with terraced outdoor spaces. Inside, the residence boasts many signature Wright design elements: built-in furniture, clerestory windows and beautiful woodwork. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the home was one of Wright’s last commissions. The famed architect died in 1959. In this segment, we talk with Pat Ferrarro, who grew up in the house, the only child of Dr. and Mrs Spencer. A measured view of the house and Wright’s career is given by David DeLong, a University of Pennsylvania professor and internationally-renowned scholar on Wright, as we take a long look inside and outside the house and its environs.