The University City District has announced the return of their signature and super popular summer events – the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll, University City Dining Days, 40th Street Summer Concert Series, and Movies in Clark Park.

Only one Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll has been scheduled for this summer – Thursday, Sept. 8, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. As always, local businesses will present $1 bargains from 43rd to 52nd Street. And there will be some new businesses participating in the event this summer. Stay tuned for more information.

                              Photo courtesy UCD

University City Dining Days will run from Thursday, July 14 to Sunday, July 24. Now in its 12th year, Dining Days is a 3 courses, 3 prices promotion at some of University City’s most popular dining destinations, from exceptional craft beer bars to celebrity chef restaurants to cozy BYOBs. This event is also a great opportunity to explore the diverse international cuisine in the area, including Indian, Ethiopian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, and more. For more information, check out: www.ucdiningdays.com.  Continue Reading

Work by Tegan Bellitta is currently on display at Gush Gallery at Jinxed (4521 Baltimore Ave.)

Artists Stephanie Slate and Sarah Thielke, co-founders of Gush Gallery, which had to close its location on the 5000 block of Baltimore Ave. last summer due to sustainability issues, are sending some great news: the gallery is very much alive and kicking at a new location in West Philly, also on Baltimore Avenue. Here’s what Stephanie wrote us in an email:

     Sarah Thielke and Stephanie Slate

“Gush Gallery (formerly at 5015 Baltimore Ave) has now teamed up with Jinxed on 4521 Baltimore Ave. Mike, the owner, has graciously offered us to take over the large brick wall in the new location. We have successfully curated two gallery shows from the new space, and have just confirmed upcoming shows with more local artists. We are VERY excited…”

The women have scheduled to have one solo or group show each month. They kicked things off in March with shows by Kate Harrold and Syd Torchio. Currently, Tegan Bellitta’s work is on display, and here is the gallery’s schedule through December, 2016:  Continue Reading

The annual Spruce Hill May Fair will be held on Saturday, May 7 in Clark Park. In addition to live music, food, book and plant sales, a raffle, and activities for kids, local artisans and craftspeople will showcase their creations and offer the public an opportunity to purchase their unique handcrafted wares. There will also be booths set up with information about local groups and causes seeking public support.

The Spruce Hill Community Association is hosting the event and is offering vending spots for interested individuals or organizations. Especially welcome are artists and crafters from West Philadelphia who would like to offer their works for sale, as well as any group or organization wanting to promote itself or a cause, event, or activity.  Continue Reading

Prisoner’s Song, a powerful performance created by composer Gelsey Bell and visual artist Erik Ruin about the prison experience will be presented at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.) on Friday, March 18, 8-10 p.m.. The presentation is a fusion of art and activism and will give the audience the chance to speak to formerly incarcerated men who lent their stories to beautiful music and huge wall projections.

Performance photo by Michael Yu.

Using shadow puppets and projections alongside a variety of musical idioms, the piece draws on historic ballads, poetry, audio interviews with people who have spent time in prison, and other primary sources to create a fragmentary encounter with the states of mind and heart prison engenders.

The event is working with Reconstruction, Inc., whose mission is to effect social change by forging individuals that were formerly incarcerated into an organized community of leaders working together to transform the criminal justice system, their communities and themselves.

The performance will be followed by a brief talk-back with the artists and various contributors to the project, including Hakim Ali and William Goldsby of Reconstruction, Inc., LuQman Abdullah and Emily Abendroth.

Admission is free, but an optional donation will be accepted at the door for Reconstruction, Inc.

New clay studio is opening this spring at 711 S. 50th Street (photo from Black Hound Clay Studio’s Facebook page).

A new clay studio and co-working space for artists is coming this spring to Cedar Park. West Philly resident and artist Bethany Rusen will open Black Hound Clay Studio later this spring at 711 S. 50th Street, just around the corner from Dock Street Brewery.

Renovations on the space are currently underway. To help cover start-up costs and other expenses, a raffle fundraiser will take place on Saturday, March 12 at Art Star Gallery and Boutique. Rusen says that quite a few West Philly artists and businesses have already donated items, including Dock Street, Talking Headz Salon, and Satellite Cafe.

Rusen is excited about the new studio, which is a “huge open space with 15 foot ceilings.”

Once opened, the studio will offer a co-working space for ceramic artists for a low monthly fee. Those who are interested in the space can email Rusen at Bethany@blackhoundclay.com to be put on the waiting list. The tentative plan also includes pottery classes starting in Fall 2016.  Continue Reading

Shakespeare in Clark Park (SCP), the immensely popular annual outdoor theater event, will return in July to the park’s “Bowl” near 45th and Chester. The company recently announced its new production for the Summer 2016 season and provided some other interesting details. The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy, is set to run July 27 – 31 and will bring together Philadelphia’s finest actors.

The show is directed by Kathryn MacMillan, a Philadelphia-based theater director who has earned a reputation for directing classical and contemporary works with freshness and clarity and shaping great acting ensembles. She has directed over 25 productions in the Philadelphia area and is currently working on the development of a world premiere musical.  Continue Reading