Fall Guide: What’s coming up in visual art
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Alex Da Corte, Jayson Musson, Streets Dept, Joy Feasley, Paul Swenbeck and more.
Home School
Upstart arts org The St. Claire offers a variety of re-imagined higher education art courses; topics include dance, poetry, drawing and the chance to re-stage an episode of MTV’s The Real World using social media.
- Every other Tuesday through Dec. 2, various locations, the-st-claire.com.
Alex Da Corte and Jayson Musson: Easternsports
Two artists with Philly ties combine their talents to create a four-channel, multilingual soap opera presented as an in-the-round video installation. Organized by assistant curator Kate Kraczon, the telenovela is billed as an update of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town that’s equal parts Peter Greenaway and Jim Henson, David Lynch and Duck Amuck.
- Sept. 19–Dec. 28, Institute of Contemporary Art, 118 S. 36th St., icaphila.org.
The Lost Garden
Drawing upon the Victorian language of sentimental hairwork, interdisciplinary artist Martha McDonald creates a site-specific installation of knitted botanicals under bell jars to conjure the past of The Woodlands Cemetery. McDonald will add to the haunting atmosphere during several performances by singing Appalachian folk songs about longing and loss while wearing full Victorian mourning dress.
- Sept. 26-Oct. 5, The Woodlands, 4000 Woodland Ave., woodlandsphila.org.
Street Art Walks
Conrad Benner of the Streets Dept blog will lead a new series of graffiti-viewing tours as a direct response to the TEDxPhilly walks he hosted last spring which sold out in less than 24 hours.
- Late October through November, more info at streetsdept.com.
Joy Feasley and Paul Swenbeck: A Hatchet to Kill Old Ugly
Esteemed Philadelphia artists/husband-and-wife team Feasley and Swenbeck are creating an installation inspired by Shaker spirit drawings and magic. The three-part exhibition derives its title from a Shaker name for the devil “Old Ugly” seen in spirit drawings, which the Shakers created to describe symbols seen in visions.
- Oct. 2-Jan. 4, Fabric Workshop and Museum, 1214 Arch St., fabricworkshopandmuseum.org.
Clarke’s Third Law
How about some more Paul Swenbeck? The recent Visual Arts Pew Fellowship winner takes his turn as curator at Space1026 with an exhibition that explores the intersection of science fiction and magic and includes the work of artists Ahmed Salvatore, Clint Takeda and Scott Cassidy.
- November, Space 1026, 1026 Arch St., space1026.com.
The Big Bang Project
Ezra Masch’s The Big Bang Project creates a feedback loop in which drummers both create a light show and respond to it. Contact microphones on the drums are wired to custom mixers that divide the audio into multiple ranges of volume.
- Early December, Crane Arts, 1400 N. American St., cranearts.com.
