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CultureFest!, art and gardens, and reopening Indy Hall
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, January 29-February 4, 2026
Kyle V. Hiller
The snowy aftermath of Sunday’s blizzard continues to linger, and with no relief in sight, I caution folks as you consider your weekend plans! Be sure to double check that events are still on, and by all means, please be careful out there. Support the art and the artists however you can, even if it means making a donation or attending a show later instead of making a treacherous trek to events.
With that said, there still seems to be plenty of interesting events happening out there. Penn Museum’s CultureFest! celebrates the Year of the Horse; a short film and album release party pops up on Broad Street; and a pair of new exhibitions open up at the Da Vinci Art Alliance.
Be safe, Philly!
Collecting the New Irascibles: Art in the 1980s
January 28-April 12, 2026
Arthur Ross Gallery, 220 South 34th Street
This exhibition features works from the 1980s art scene of East Village, bringing together a wide variety of artists. Opening reception is on Friday, January 30, 5-7pm.
People Talking: On Art and Gardens
Thursday, January 29, 3:30pm-6:30pm
Calder Gardens, 2100 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
A two-part program composed of a screening of Five Season: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf with the film’s director. Five Seasons is an immersive and meditative documentary that reveals how the revolutionary landscape designer Piet Oudolf “upends our conventional notions of nature, public space, and, ultimately, beauty itself.” The screening is part of Calder Gardens’ Pictures in Motion series, which presents works like experimental cinema, artist films, and documentaries that reflect Calder Gardens’ focus on showing how artists use motion, time, and sound to expand contemporary visual practice.
Reopening of Independence Hall
January 29-February 1
Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market Street
The Historic District celebrates the official reopening of Independence Hall, starting at the Visitor Center in addition to Independence National Historical Park. Giveaways to the first 250 guests, signing the Declaration Philly 2026 scroll, free patriotic swag, and much more are in line for the celebration.
45th Annual CultureFest!
Saturday, January 31, 10am-4pm
Penn Museum, 3260 South Street
CultureFest! returns to the Penn Museum with an afternoon celebrating the Year of the Horse. Live traditional and contemporary dance performances, storytelling, art-making, educational workshops, Tai Chi, and a marketplace are set for the family-friendly event.
Cumulative Threads and Hallucinations & Transformations
January 31-February 22
Da Vinci Art Alliance, 704 Catharine Street
DVAA reopens this month, and the first of the year’s programming is slated to open this weekend. Cumulative Threads is DVAA’s showcase for their 2025 residency, which was created to support underrepresented artists from a diverse range of backgrounds, ages, and experience levels. Artists were given one month of 24/7 studio access and worked from there, with support from staff and other development opportunities.
Running on the other side is Hallucinations & Transformations, a group exhibition that explores what epiphanies can emerge from your nearest hallucination. It asks “what happens when we shift perspective and question the world we see?”, bringing together wide-ranging media including painting, wood art, and even nail polish.
The opening reception for both exhibitions is on Saturday, January 31 from 5-7pm.
Soundtrack to the Space Between Attack and Decay
January 31, 7pm
Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street
A record release and film screening dual event celebrates Philadelphia guitarist Emily Robb’s Soundtrack to the Space Between Attack and Decay, which features original music and original sound design for the short film of the same name.
Featured image: Philly guitarist Emily Robb’s new album release also showcases a short film screening this weekend. (Photo by Richie Charles.)
Image description: Low angle shot of a woman in a chair wearing sunglasses, a Bob Dylan shirt, checkered pants. A black guitar in her left hand.
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