August is well underway, but that doesn’t mean the balmy summer heat has abandoned Philadelphia just yet. Fortunately for Philly, the city has more public pools per capita than any other city in the country–although that doesn’t mean they are all living up to their potential. To reinvigorate the swimming holes in the city, urban […]
Article · August 17, 2015 by Chip Schwartz
Photo: Aerial performance by Alie Vidich and Evan Hoffman at Invisible River 2013. Photo courtesy of Invisible River. On the banks and surface of Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River on Aug. 29, the flowing water will come to life with the movement of dancers, boats, musicians and more. This date marks the third iteration of Invisible River, […]
Article · August 14, 2015 by Chip Schwartz
Photo: Francesca Pfister, “Cardboard Bails, South Philadelphia.” Representing more than 80 different artists working in photographic media, the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, a Knight Foundation grantee, provides a multitude of perspectives and methods in its sixth annual Contemporary Photography Competition & Exhibition. This juried show contains some heavily edited images, documentary photographs, architectural examinations, portraiture, […]
Article · July 31, 2015 by Chip Schwartz
From July 30 through Aug. 2, Philadelphia will host the fourth annual BlackStar Film Festival. Presented by Knight Foundation, the festival will be held at a number of venues throughout the city including International House, the Institute of Contemporary Art and World Cafe Live. Consisting of more than 60 films from four continents, the festival […]
Article · July 23, 2015 by Chip Schwartz
Like many others, Zac Beaver is a working artist. He spends his days on construction sites, from which he often salvages the old windows that serve as surfaces for his paintings. On display at New Boon(e) in a solo exhibition called “Awake in the High,” a collection of these wily, reverse acrylic paintings on glass demonstrates […]
Article · May 5, 2015 by Chip Schwartz
There is something striking about the sparse landscapes of Northern and Western Pennsylvania. Rolling hills and stands of trees populate the wide expanses of open space, foreign enough to us Southeasterners that it’s hard to believe it is the same state. But there is something else that sets these locations apart, and it’s a much […]
Article · May 1, 2015 by Chip Schwartz
April, in addition to being the start of beautiful spring weather in Philadelphia, is also the inaugural month for the latest collective featuring work by emerging artists: AUTOMAT. In order to kick off this creative journey, the space is showcasing work by member artists in a debut exhibition entitled “Hello, My Name is AUTOMAT.” The […]
Article · April 24, 2015 by Chip Schwartz
It’s safe to say that in 2015, practically anyone reading this article uses some sort of mobile device on a daily basis. Whether we are texting, calling, getting directions, updating social media or checking the weather, these tools have become such integral fixtures in so many of our activities that it’s hard to imagine a world […]
Article · April 8, 2015 by Chip Schwartz
As soon as Solomon Jones reaches the podium, he begins reciting the lines of a poem he wrote back in 2005. He poses a question, both to the audience in attendance as well as anyone willing to confront the issue: “Why can’t Johnny read?” Is it the neighborhood he grew up in? The school he […]
Article · May 24, 2012 by Chip Schwartz