Features

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Small but evocative sculpture of wire and found objects. It could be a jaunty, portly humanish figure, or maybe a human heart

Jayson Musson: His History of Art and the Philadelphia Wireman are worth exploring together

Art history as human history

Jayson Musson launches His History of Art at the Fabric Workshop and Museum while the anonymous Philadelphia Wireman’s work appears at Fleisher/Ollman Gallery. Emily Brewton Schilling suggests visiting both.
Emily Schilling

Emily Schilling

Features 6 minute read
Jim Bear sits behind a desk with a monitor, speakers, and microphones. He is smiling and talking to someone out of frame.

Philly’s Germantown neighborhood remembers Jim Bear, the founder of G-Town Radio

Passion without ego

Jim Bear, a hardworking advocate for the power of accessible local media, passed away in March. His G-Town radio colleagues speak with Anndee Hochman about his legacy.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Features 5 minute read
A large crowd of summertime protestors, holding a We Demand Change banner, walk on 9th Street past the Walnut Street Theatre.

Many months later, how has the Walnut Street Theatre answered a community rallying for equity?

“Is there a place for me?”

Last summer, many in the Philly theater community began protesting unjust conditions that Walnut Street Theatre workers said they experienced on and offstage. Wendy Rosenfield asks whether the theater has addressed those concerns.
Wendy Rosenfield

Wendy Rosenfield

Features 8 minute read
Dancer Joe Gonzalez dances outdoors, summertime trees behind him. He leaps so high he seems to be flying, arms & legs poised

Philadelphia’s Black male ballet dancers share their journeys to the stage—and what the future may hold

Where do dancers discover themselves?

Following a panel discussion featuring Black alumni of the Philadelphia Ballet, Camille Bacon-Smith asked other Philly-connected Black male ballet dancers how they got into the field, what they see now, and what the future holds.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Features 6 minute read
A movie theater in the middle of a small town street, shops on the block. Hiway is spelled out on the theater billboard

The best independent movie theaters in Philadelphia

Living in a cinema's paradise

KC Wingert rounds up the best independent theaters in the city while considering their history, their future, and their lasting impact on Philadelphia's film and arthouse culture.
KC Wingert

KC Wingert

Features 6 minute read
A group of women dancers in (mostly) white dresses pose in uniform on stage.

Philadelphia Ballet presents George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker

The corps de ballet, breathing as one

Camille Bacon-Smith talks with dancers from the Philadelphia Ballet on their latest production of The Nutcracker and the variety of challenges the classic show still presents for its performers.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Features 5 minute read
A street corner with a store front and Victorian rowhomes underneath a partly cloudy sky in Swarthmore.

Racism and my nice small town newspaper

Stuck in the genteel

A local news outlet in Swarthmore shows us how not to cover a community and the dangers of appealing to a section of an audience that dances around its own racism. Amy Beth Sisson considers.
Amy Beth Sisson

Amy Beth Sisson

Features 5 minute read
Outside, toy dinos sit atop a CD on a can of tuna, with tea cups. Signs read: Climate change is real; Vote to save the earth

Decades after childhood, is it too late to learn how to play?

Are we having fun yet?

Anndee Hochman considers her decades-long journey of finding what it means to play, integrating play into life, and the life lessons learned from a year of "fun" prompts from friends.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Features 5 minute read
A gallery view. 18th-century paintings of Absalom Jones at left & George Washington at right. They’re the same size & shape

Delaware Art Museum reimagines its permanent collection for a new era

Same art, new eyes

After years of preparation and community engagement, the Delaware Art Museum debuts a new vision for its world-class permanent collection. Gail Obenreder visits.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Features 6 minute read
Christopher Bursk, a white man w/ white hair, speaks at a college lectern with arms outstretched, to a crowd seated in front

Remembering Bucks County poet, teacher, and activist Christopher Bursk

A unique legacy of learning

After decades of mentorship to local writing communities, including incarcerated writers, Bucks County poet, teacher, and activist Christopher Bursk never stopped learning or fighting for justice. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer explores his legacy.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Features 5 minute read