Art is everywhere in Philadelphia. For instance there’s the Mural Arts Project that decorates buildings on practically every block in the city, the non-commissioned street-art and graffiti in every back alley, or the finer showings seen in galleries.
Museums, with their stoic marble walls and often-cold atmosphere, usually bring to mind classic works of art that revolve around portraits and still-life subjects, typically rendered in styles that belong in high school textbooks. This fall, museum-goers will find exhibitions of the more alternative variety in places they wouldn’t expect.
CandyCoated Wonderland
Philadelphia Art Museum
May 4, 2013 – Nov. 17, 2013
Artist and Philadelphia native Candy Coated, (formerly known as Candy Depew) brings story time to a brand new level. Setting up shop in the Joan Spain Gallery with a collection of multimedia works, the creator displays whimsical storybook pieces of art that are sure to transport the viewer into a world of fairy tale.
Black Bodies in Propaganda: The Art of the War Poster
Penn Museum
June 2, 2013- March 3, 2014
This Penn Museum exhibit interests more than just history buffs, with 33 wartime posters from the Civil War, World War I, World War II and the African Independence movement, this fascinating look at wartime propaganda lends insight to what not only captured history but helped define it as well.
Family Portrait
Philadelphia Art Museum
June 8, 2013 – November 10, 2013
Instagram, camera phones and the age of technology means that everyone is a photographer and next to food posts, pictures of pets and family members probably take up the most space in online photo albums. Family Portrait takes everyday photography to the next level, bringing viewers into the lives of families that aren’t their own.
Year of Sound: Hollywood in the Amazon
Penn Museum
August 18, 2013 – July 27, 2014
In a 1931 expedition to the Amazon, filmmakers and industrialists used then-revolutionary technology to film in a territory owned by the Bororo people. The film, Matto Grasso, the Great Brazilian Wilderness, was the first time non-western people were seen and heard on sound-synced film. Hollywood in the Amazon includes a small exhibition that tells the story of the struggles encountered on the expedition along with several artifacts collected from the Bororo people and a showing of the full 49-minute long film.
Penn Museum admission ranges from $10-$15 and is free for active military personnel and children under 5. Philadelphia Art Museum admission ranges from $14-$20 except on the first Sunday of every month and every Wednesday after 5 p.m. when admission prices are pay what you wish.
