Fast and loose: that’s how the Sloppy Film Fest wants your flicks, West Philly artists.

Organized by Project Arts Executive Director Rich Wexler, Val Sowell, and Jessica Marcus, the 2013 Sloppy Film Fest is currently accepting short film submissions until October 27. The “quick and dirty” homemade flicks can be about any subject, a new or old project, and should be experimental. The suggestion length for the flicks is five minutes and should not surpass 10 minutes (although longer shorts may be reconsidered). “The idea is to promote DIY filmmaking,” Wexler said of Sloppy Film Fest, which has been held on and off for the last 15 years.

Since kids are welcomed at the Project Arts-sponsored DIY movie carnival, artists should be able to rate their films appropriately using PG, PG 13 and XXX ratings, so organizers can show the legitimately dirty films towards the end. Films in DVD, VHS, and online formats will be accepted.

All submissions sent before the October 27 deadline will be reviewed, with those selected notified via email if they’re to show during the free 2013 Sloppy Film Festival taking place November 8 from 10:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. at Dahlak Paradise, 4706 Baltimore Avenue. Compensation, however, is not being offered for submissions, and some registered films may not be shown during the event.

In the meantime, make sure to stop by The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, on Friday, October 4 for a special double screening of Alan Menkin’s Little Shop of Horrors (Director’s Cut) to benefit Project Arts’ upcoming production of “Avenue Q School Edition”. Sponsored by The Rotunda and Touch Me Philly, the screenings will take place at 7 p.m., featuring a talk by local puppeteer Steve Abrams, who worked on Little Shop; and 9:30 p.m., with special guests Cadavera and Stabigall of Touch Me Philly Productions LLC leading the sing-a-long and interactive portions of the screening, and featuring music by Suggestical Musical Improv. The suggestion donation is $5 to $20 to attend.

To submit your sloppy film, visit this page. For questions, email: sloppyfilmfest@gmail.com.

–Annamarya Scaccia

The Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation (TEC-CDC) and The Walnut Hill Community Association are inviting neighbors to participate in the celebration of Park(ing) Day and Grand Opening of the new community park near 46th and Market this Friday (Sept. 20). The new park at the Walnut Hill community farm will extend into the street along the 4600 block of Market, with food, music, pumpkin carving, and tours of the farm and garden. Community members are welcome to stop by between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to have fun and show their support. The ribbon cutting is at 10 a.m.

The park, named “Max Paul Park” (local businessman Brad Paul partnered with TEC-CDC to complete this project and dedicated it to his father, Max Paul), is meant to “capture the importance of creating safe, beautiful and dynamic spaces for community residents to enjoy. ”

Park(ing) Day has become an annual tradition where parking spaces across the city and country are taken over for a day for use as public park space. The event celebrates parks and other public spaces in cities, and raises awareness of the need for more pedestrian-friendly spaces in our urban areas. The number of parks throughout Philadelphia increases dramatically each year on the second Friday in September, when activists, artists, architects, and other citizens transform metered parking spaces into temporary public parks. You can read more about this event and check out other locations for such parks on the Park(ing) Day website (some other West Philly locations include: near People’s Emergency Center at 40th and Lancaster, CityLights Network at 58th and Woodland, and 34th and Walnut).

Hawthorne Hall. Photo via Hiddencityphila.org.

West Philly neighbors and friends have a great opportunity to learn more about the Powelton and Garden Court neighborhoods and their hidden architectural gems at a series of neighborhood walking tours that begin on Saturday, Sept 21. Here’s more details:

• Two Powelton Village tours, organized by Hidden City, will take place on Saturday (Sept 21). Each event will start with a tour of Hawthorne Hall, home to a remarkable installation created for the 2013 Hidden City Festival. Then participants will get a chance to check out the Divine Tracy once owned by Father Divine’s Peace Mission Movement, the Hotel Powelton (Albert Barnes’s first factory), the Cloister, a gorgeous church converted to apartments, and more.

The tours will be led by Rachel Hildebrandt, a writer for the Hidden City Daily, who has an MA in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and now works at Partners for Sacred Places, and Caroline Acheatel, who is also of Partners for Sacred Places.

The tour hours are: 1:00 p.m.  –  2:30 p.m. and 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. and the starting point is Hawthorne Hall, 3849 Lancaster Ave. Tickets are $20 ($15 for members) and spots can be reserved here (Tour I) and here (Tour II).

• Also beginning Saturday, Sept 21, there will be a few chances to explore the Garden Court neighborhood. “Farm to Ford” is the name of this historical walking tour. Organized by Garden Court Community Association, it is scheduled for Sept 21, Oct 5, 12 and 19 (all Saturdays).

During this tour you will learn the history of the neighborhood from its rural beginnings to today. You will also find out which children’s author made her livelihood here and discover a “secret” garden typically closed to visitors.

The tours will run from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. and the starting point is in the courtyard of the Lea Elementary School, on 47th, between Spruce and Locust Streets. Tickets are only $5 (only cash accepted) and the organizers would appreciate if you RSVP at: GCCAtour@gmail.com. More information is available on the event’s Facebook page.

UC Green volunteers at The Woodlands.

UC Green, a nonprofit organization that with the help of volunteers (over 2,000 people annually) plants trees and cleans and maintains public gardens and open spaces in West Philly neighborhoods, is celebrating 15 years of service to the community this month. To mark the anniversary, UC Green will hold a cocktail reception and a fundraiser, called “The Harvest Moon Social,” on Thursday, Sept. 26 at the Hamilton Mansion in Woodlands cemetery (40th & Woodland). The food will be served by Harvest Restaurant which specializes in a high quality, farm fresh menu with ingredients supplied by local farmers. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased through Facebook.

UC Green’s mission is to empower volunteer environmental stewardship in West Philly communities through partnerships and education. Their programs include the summer pruning club of active volunteers that have pruned street trees for 10 years, which greatly increased their chances of survival in tough urban environments. In addition, the UC Green Corps of local, underserved youth has just completed its seventh year of service. Their latest project was the renewal of street trees and pits on 40th and Market Streets.

For more information about UC Green and its work, visit: http://www.ucgreen.org/

Contact sheet of “Everyone is Photogenic” Test Run / Photos by JJ Tiziou.

Stand in line at your local pharmacy and you’ll see the message loud and clear: your beauty is only worth the skin you’re in. It’s a message displayed between the lines of bright and bold typography—insistent typeface meant to catch your attention.

The messages we receive about how beauty’s defined—and what defines it—are a daily part of our lives. The way we regard ourselves is evidence of that.

But for West Philly photographer Jacques-Jean “JJ” Tiziou, there’s another epistle that should be shared—one that, if held with the same earnestness as it envisages, could dismantle superficial beauty standards.

That message? “Everyone is photogenic.”  Continue Reading

Here’s a recap of what’s happening in the hoods this weekend, Thursday, Sept 12 – Sunday, Sept 15. Do you know of more events and want to share them with your neighbors? Please add them in the comments below or submit them for the Events Calendar.

Click to enlarge.

Thursday

• Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll – Along Baltimore Avenue between 43rd and 51st Streets. 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Come to Baltimore Avenue rain or shine to enjoy $1 deals from over 30 local businesses. There will also be music, entertainment and activities for the little ones. Read more about this event here. Also, check out the flyer.
• Weed Dating – Mill Creek Farm, 49th & Brown. 6:30 p.m. The Mill Creek Farm is hosting a mixer/fundraiser on Thursday called “weed dating”! Admission: $12. More info here.

Friday

• 2013 Fringe Arts Festival continues with three performances of the musical “Jennifer the Unspecial: Time Travel, Love Potions, and 8th Grade” staged in Penn Museum’s Sphinx Gallery (3260 South St): Friday at 7:00 pm, Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m. Admission: $15. More info on this and other Fringe Arts events and performances, click here.
• LOOK. SEE. HEAR: the glass works of 2012-2013 resident artist Celestine Wilson Hughes. Opening reception – AIR Gallery, 4007 Chestnut St., 1st Floor, 6 – 9 p.m. This is the final exhibition of work by a 2012-2013 resident artist. General public, friends, family, supporters, and past residents are welcome. http://40streetair.blogspot.com/
  
• Patriciu Mateescu: Unbearable Craziness of Onions. Opening reception – Art on the Avenue Gallery, 3808 Lancaster Ave. 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. This is a solo ceramic sculpture and drawing exhibition, featuring the most recent works of this noteworthy international artist. The event is part of the Second Fridays on Lancaster Avenue (Facebook page) series. The exhibit runs from September 14 to October 5. http://www.artonave.org/
• Free movie in Clark Park, 43rd & Chester. 7:30 p.m. 5 Broken Windows, shown by Philadelphia International Action Center concludes its summer film series. It’s a documentary about a Palestinian videographer who starts documenting Israeli land grabs around his village. Continue Reading