September 2009
Tootsie Pops. Tootsie Rolls. Jolly Ranchers. Razzles. You name it. As a kid, I found nothing more exhilarating than staring at shelves of penny candy at my local sweets shop. Generally, I’m glad that most things from my childhood have gone out of style, like 80’s hair and bands like “WHAM!,” but penny candy is the clear exception. Maybe that’s why Andrew’s story in the August StorySlam was such a success. Listening to him brought me back to a time in my life when I would have traded my little sister for some Sour Patch Kids. His story maps out the highs and lows faced by a little kid with a plan and a penchant for candy. It’s no wonder he was the audience favorite for the theme “High Point” in the August StorySlam. Take a look.
You’ve probably heard of Love Letter by now, 50 murals (criptic love notes) along the elevated train route in West Philadelphia. Artist Steve Powers talked about his earlier work in his presentation at our Salon last week…check it out!
Check out Sunday’s New York Times op-ed piece by Kenneth Hartman: The Recession Behind Bars. It’s an interesting take on how the recession has affected prison life, from food to clothing. Kenneth will be presenting Life Without Parole, a taped reading from his memoir
FREE
In early October, ten artists each spent one day in a transparent cube in Philadelphia’s Love Park, recording their experiences and creating new work based on their interactions with passersby. This exhibition features selections of work resulting from this unique experiment.
FREE
Multimedia Exhibition
Shelter. What does it mean to each of us? Is it a place or a state of mind where we feel nurtured and protected? At what point does it become home?
In this multi-media exhibition, fourteen Philadelphia artists consider these questions through drawing, painting, photography, video, and installation created in collaboration with ten Philadelphia homeowners whose houses were renovated by Rebuilding Together Philadelphia. RTP volunteers help prevent homelessness by making repairs to preserve homeownership and revitalize low-income communities.
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Story portraits by Daniel Heyman, a recent Pew Fellowship recipient. Heyman spent time talking with formerly homeless vets, and created portraits that incorporate words from their conversation.
Painting by Joan Wadleigh Curran, who recently won a grant from the Independence Foundation. Joan collaborated with Juanita, who maintains an urban garden replete with cacti. Her paintings express the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
An installation by Ricardo Rivera, from the klip collective, who filmed the love story of bed-ridden Gloria and her devoted husband Richard. The video will be projected onto a hospital bed installed in the gallery.
Photographer, filmmaker, and curator Marianne Bernstein has worked for the Yale University Art Gallery, Yale Repertory Theatre, Sesame Street, and Maysles Films and curated numerous exhibitions. Her photographs have been published in Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly, and Tatler, and have been exhibited nationally. Her award- winning documentary, From Philadelphia to the Front traveled to fifteen festivals worldwide. Tatted, her new book featuring photographs of Philadelphia’s renowned tattoo culture, will be released this Fall, 2009.
You’ve probably heard of Love Letter by now, 50 murals (criptic love notes) along the elevated train route in West Philadelphia. Artist Steve Powers talked about his earlier work in his presentation at our Salon last week…check it out!
Salon du Festival – Thursday, November 5
6-8 pm
Presentations by select memoir and documentary artists
In advance: $12 (First Person Arts members) / $15 (general public) – $15/$20 after 10/25
First Person Arts presents an evening of performances by four of the best emerging artists in the memoir and documentary arts, along with the winners of the “In These Hard Times” national competition!
Grand Slam – Saturday, November 7
9-11 pm
Performance
In advance: $12 (First Person Arts members) / $15 (general public) – $15/$20 after 10/25
Winners of First Person’s much-adored, monthly StorySlams bring their best stories to the stage for the championship round. Be there as these top-notch raconteurs battle it out for the title of “Best Story Teller in Philadelphia”.
Hosted by Victor Fiorillo, Arts & Entertainment Editor at Philadelphia Magazine.
Advance purchase recommended; this event is expected to sell out.
Shelter Opening Reception –
Friday, November 6
5-7 pm
FREE
Reception, exhibition, presentation
Our First Friday reception introduces the work of the 14 artists and ten families who collaborated to create Shelter. After Rebuilding Together Philadelphia helped the families restore their homes, the artists documented the stories of the lives within those walls. Meet the artists and the families and learn what shelter means to each of them. Artist Damon Reaves will perform a new work combining that combines audio and physical action. The performance and his drawings reflect conversations about race and identity that he had with the collaborating homeowner, interpreting shelter as “feeling at home in one’s skin” with both its protection and restrictions.
Exhibition runs through December 31
Obsolete and Whining – Saturday, November 7
5:30-6:30 pm
Presentation, film screening, book signing
FREE
Payphones. Rolodexes. Cursive writing. The dustbin of modern history is overflowing with “once-common things passing us by.” Anna Jane Grossman joins us at the Festival to reminisce about the good old ways, documented in her quirky new encyclopedia, Obsolete. She shares program with Cecilia Smith, who screens her short documentary “The Art of Fine Whining” – about the Philadelphia Complaint Choir that premiered at 2008 Festival and lives on in cyberspace.
L.W.O.P. (Life Without Parole) – Sunday, November 8
2:-3:00PM
Film screening and Q&A (Philadelphia premiere)
FREE
In 1980, Kenneth E. Hartman was sentenced to life in prison for a brutal murder he committed at age 19. His violent behavior persisted for years behind bars until he eventually he transformed himself into to a student of philosophy, a reader of books, a self-taught authority on prison law, and became a husband and a father. He is now a writer and activist, devoted to the moral and practical necessity of reforming the American correctional system. Join us for a videotaped reading by Mr. Hartman from his memoir, Mother California, followed by a Q&A, phoned in live from the California State Prison in LA.
Speakeasy Opening Night Reception – Wednesday, November 4
Open bar, snacks, appearances by Festival Artists
Free for members, $20 general public at door
In the spirit of the 1930’s, First Person Arts recreates the electric atmosphere of the prohibition speakeasy. From Wednesday through Saturday, from 5-9pm, the Festival Speakeasy will host an open bar and snacks free for our members in your own private lounge, where you can meet and mingle and share a drink with First Person Arts staff and Festival artists. This special opening-night party features Tub Gin drinks and a delicious spread from Tria Café. The Speakeasy will be opening Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights FREE for members!
