Scribe Video Center (4212 Chestnut Street 3rd Floor) presents a special Storyville screening of short films about Arab and Muslim communities in the U.S. tonight at 7 p.m. The films Arab American Road Movie (2005, 14 min), Tales from Arab Detroit (1995, 45 min), I, Too, Sing America and 9-11 Moments (2002) are produced by Detroit-based filmmaker Joan Mandell who will be at the screening in person.

Tickets are $5 for general public, free for Scribe members, Muslim Voices participants and Al Bustan Seeds of Culture staff, students and members.

Mandell will also present a workshop on oral history tomorrow, July 9, at 11 a.m. You can register online here or by calling 215-222-4201. Tickets for this event are $20 for general public, $10 for Scribe members and free for Muslim Voices participants.

To read more about both events click here.
 

Mariposa Food Co-op has moved to a new stage of its expansion project – the new store renovation – which is scheduled to finish in October. One of the benefits of the expansion is that over the next few months Mariposa will be hiring for additional, permanent staff positions. 8-10 new jobs are supposed to open.

The first position is a Member Coordinator, as their membership numbers approach 1,000. Mariposa began accepting applications for this position last week.

Mariposa is looking for a person with great interpersonal skills, someone who will develop and refine methods and practices for their entire member program.

The job will average 30 hours per week, primarily daytime hours with some weekend/evening hours. For the full job description and information on how to apply go here. Deadline for application is July 13, 2011.

For this and future position announcements visit this page.

West Philly residents Clare Hyre and Rania Campbell-Cobb want to build an organic rooftop farm on a warehouse in Southwest Philly. This would be a first in Philly and they need a little help.

The two accomplished farmers hope to use Cloud 9 Urban Rooftop Farm (Facebook link) to research urban farming best practices, educate folks on the benefits of rooftop farms and, of course, supply more fresh, locally grown food to West Philly. Read a lot more about the project here.

There are two ways you can help. Clare and Rania have started an online fundraising campaign to raise $5,000 to help cover the start-up costs. They are well over halfway there and need to raise the rest by month’s end. They also have some cool gifts for contributing. Go here to check it out.

Second, they are hosting a benefit BBQ tomorrow (Facebook link) at 4909 Warrington Ave. $7 gets you into the door and a plate of good food.

They hope to start building infrastructure this fall and start farming in the spring.

Erik Ruin, the current 40th Street Artist-in-Resident, invites neighbors to the opening of his new exhibition tonight, from 7 to 9 p.m., at a temporary storefront gallery at 4212 Chestnut Street (below the Scribe Video Center).

The exhibition, titled “Staring at the Cracks,” features a combination of prints, projections and sound to tell stories of solitary confinement. Ruin managed to construct a unique environment to share the emotions and experiences of formerly incarcerated people.

Some rooms are populated with wall-size print installations, other rooms – by shadow-puppet and video projections by Ruin and award-winning Toronto filmmaker Brett Story.

Along with the installations speakers throughout the space will play snippets of audio interviews with men and women describing their experiences in solitary confinement. Finally, innovative klezmer and jazz trombonist Dan Blacksberg will play a unique and haunting bed of sound to enhance the dramatic atmosphere.

The exhibition will run until July 23 and will be the last in a series of exhibitions presented by Ruin as a 40th Street Artist-in-Resident. On July 23, Ruin will be bidding farewell with an all-day studio sale, live music, and closing reception (3 p.m.  to 11 p.m.).

To read more about the 40th Street Artist-in-Residence program click here.

 
In case you haven’t already heard … tonight is the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll in West Philly. This thing (as the lines at participating shops and restaurants last month showed) has gotten big. People are coming from around the city.  Our insider advice? Get there early. It starts at 5:30 p.m.

Here’s a story from 6ABC last night:

The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) has sent a letter to Superintendent Arlene Ackerman and Penn President Amy Gutmann to draw attention to the enrollment cap at the Penn Alexander School (4209 Spruce St.).

SHCA board members agreed last month to draft a response to the enrollment cap that would demand that children who live within the school’s boundaries be admitted to the school. The thrust of the letter includes that request. It reads:

“Any child living in the catchment area has the right to attend Penn Alexander and should have that right guaranteed from first grade through eighth grade.”

See a copy of the letter below.

 
Penn Alexander letter