The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, October 7-14

This weekend, Rebecca Haff Lowry, a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, will hold a special poetry reading—a good way to honor Indigenous Peoples Day, which lands on October 12 this year. Kean University hosts ReelAbilities, a film festival centering filmmakers with disabilities and their stories. Plus, Moore College of Art presents Michelle Angela Ortiz: Stories of Us, a deeply personal show by an alumna (2000) exploring identity and belonging, while Philadelphia Sculptors launches a thought-provoking exhibition around freedom. There is also a festival to buy homemade goodies as we nestle into fall.

ReelAbilities Film Festival
October 8-October 10, 2026
$7 per screening
1000 Morris Avenue in Union, NJ
Available in person or via stream

This three-day festival shines a spotlight on six films by and about people with disabilities. It is considered one of the nation’s largest festivals dedicated to disability stories and talent, featuring stories that challenge stereotypes, promote inclusivity, and foster more meaningful conversations about disability in this day and age. People are welcome to watch the films at Kean University or stream from home, just be sure to get your tickets beforehand.

Stories of Us and POST kick-off

Michelle Angela Ortiz: Stories of Us
The Galleries at Moore College of Art
1916 Race Street, Philadelphia
Exhibition opens with a reception on Oct. 10 2026 and runs through January 16, 2026

Storytelling is integral in my world, and personal life. So is the multi-hyphenate identity I straddle, which Michelle Angela Ortiz does as well with her Puerto Rican and Colombian heritage. I was drawn to Moore alumna Ortiz’s first comprehensive solo exhibition that showcases some of her socially engaged works spanning her 25-year career. Some of what we will see are never-before-seen processes such as handwritten letters, and paintings that contextualize the thinking behind her murals, public projects, paintings, and select archives. Bringing to the fore history and powerful interpretive works about identity, displacement, and belonging, this show sparks dialogue and lets people into the artist’s world. There is an opening reception on October 10, 2026, with the exhibition running through January 16, 2026.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours Kick-Off
October 10-11, 2026, noon-6pm
CFEVA at the Science Center, 3600 Market Street, Philadelphia

Philly’s Open Studio Tours West of Broad returns to Market Street giving Philadelphians a chance to step inside real artists’ studios for a glance at how they work. This free event is self-guided, but the organizers have included a map online. Just click through, find your artist and go on an art-forward adventure. Although the tours are free, you can support them and programming by donating here.

A festival, a reading, and freedom

Chestnut Hill’s Fall for the Arts Festival
October 11, 2026, 11am-5pm
8000-8600 blocks of Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia

One of Chestnut Hill’s largest annual festivals is back after being postponed for bad weather. The event brings in 300 vendors, musicians and artists to Germantown Avenue. Seven blocks are closed to cars for the day. The festival is family-friendly, interactive, and has a little bit of something for everyone.

Poetry reading with Rebecca Haff Lowry
October 11, 2026, 2-3pm
Cost: $9 Adult/$7 Senior/$5 Child. Pennsbury Manor members get in free.
400 Pennsbury Memorial Road, Morrisville, PA

Just a day before Indigenous People’s Day, Rebecca Haff Lowery, a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, a federally recognized band of Lenape, presents a special reading of her poem in concert with her Pennsbury exhibit of “The Cape of a Matriarch.” The event brings together her writings and handcrafted turkey-feather cloak inspired by 18th century matriarchs.

Re:FORM — Who Or What Shapes Freedom?
3808 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia
Exhibition runs through October 30, 2026
Interactive ice sculpture demo with Roger Wing on Saturday, October 10, 20206 at 12:30pm

Philadelphia Sculptors presents Re:FORM, part of the nationwide arts movement Fall of Freedom. The group artist project focuses on localizing questions around how freedom is shaped or how to defend freedom, and concerns about the freedom of expression. These are questions that as a journalist keep me up at night. The exhibition gives a platform to Philly-area artists to speak out against national issues such as censorship and authoritarianism, bringing viewers in to grapple their own questions around the topic.

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