BroadwayWorld.com Visual Arts Stories

OUT OF HAND Exhibition to Open at Museum of Arts and Design, 10/15

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:45:50 PST

Exploring the latest trends in digital fabrication, Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital at the Museum of Arts and Design is the first in-depth survey dedicated to exploring the impact of computer-asisted methods of production on contemporary art, architecture, and design. On view October 15, 2013, through July 6, 2014, this landmark exhibition brings together more than 120 works of sculpture, jewelry, fashion, and furniture by 85 artists, architects, and designers from 20 countries to examine how new technologies are pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and creation. The cutting-edge works highlighted in the exhibition demonstrate the reciprocal relationship between art and technological innovation as well as materials and new techniques-an area of exploration that has long been at the core of MAD's mission and curatorial program.

Organized by Ronald T. Labaco, MAD's Marcia Docter Curator, the exhibition features works created from 2005 to the present by both established and emerging artists, architects, and designers, including Barry X Ball, Bespoke Innovations, Wim Delvoye, Richard Dupont, Zaha Hadid, Anish Kapoor, Joris Laarman, Janne Kyttanen, Daniel Libeskind, Maya Lin, Greg Lynn, Lucas Maassen, Jurgen Mayer-H., Achim Menges, Marc Newson, Alan McCollum, Roxy Paine, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Dries Verbruggen, among many others. To provide audiences with the full sweep of innovation in this rapidly growing field, the exhibition includes works created through purely digital fabrication techniques alongside works that combine traditional handcrafted processes with these new methods.

"The compelling new works in Out of Hand expand audience understanding of the ways artists and designers from around the world are utilizing these new technologies to extend their artistic practice, revealing how these innovations are also transforming practices in manufacturing, healthcare, and other fields not readily associated with the contemporary art world," said David McFadden, MAD's William and Mildred Lasdon Chief Curator. "By examining these groundbreaking trends through the lens of artistic expression, MAD is opening up a dialogue on the significance of digital technologies to our larger culture and global society."

Building on MAD's practice of making the artistic process accessible in the gallery spaces, audience participation will play a central role in the exhibition. One section will be equipped with 3D printers, 3D scanners, and computer monitors, allowing visitors to experiment with the technologies explored in the show. Also integrated into the installation are video clips that explain individual artistic practices and the divergent approaches toward incorporating digital fabrication in the creative process. Additionally, a number of the featured works include interactive components.

The exhibition is conceptually organized around six themes, which provide a framework for navigating the diverse range of artwork on view and reflect aesthetic trends and artistic approaches:

In Modeling Nature biological and ecological phenomena serve as a point of departure for artistic creativity;
New Geometries explores how mathematical formulae are applied to create intricate three-dimensional patterns and geometric forms large and small;
Rebooting Revivals reveals how creators use computer-assisted production to reference or appropriate notable historical art works and decorative styles;
Digital manipulation is also used to reconceptualize human figuration and the body in Remixing the Figure;
Works in Pattern as Structure incorporate movement, sound, light, and other sensory elements to create immersive art forms that activate the gallery space;
Processuality documents how the act of making plays a vital role in the creation and presentation of works that reveal the limitless possibilities of these emerging technologies.

"From sculptural fantasy to functional beauty to conceptual idiosyncrasies, the works of art in Out of Hand, all created in the past decade, demonstrate an explosive, unprecedented scope of artistic expression," said Curator Ronald T. Labaco. "The cross-disciplinary nature of the work and the exploration of seemingly disparate themes and concepts allows for boundless creativity. The exhibition puts these pioneering works in dialogue, highlighting at once their vast diversity and the trends and ideas that connect them."

Highlights from the exhibition include the following works:

Magnus Larsson's concept for a mobile 3D printer that uses microbes to create habitable structures from ambient sand to offset the encroachment of the Sahara Desert;
Frank Stella's spiraling polychrome wall sculpture K.179from his recent Scarlatti Sonata Kirkpartrick series that projects boldly from the wall and evokes the animated quality of composer Domenico Scarlatti's Baroque-era compositions;
Marc Newson's unique fractal necklace, handcrafted by Boucheron and composed of 2000 diamonds and sapphires set in swirling designs created by mathematical formulae;
L'Artisan Electronique by design studio Unfold, which calls upon visitors to manipulate a digital 3D display that mimics a traditional pottery wheel. The manipulated computer-animated model appears digitally on the opposite wall with previously-created 3D-printed ceramic examples on view;
Greg Lynn's parametric Flatware that fuses organic leaf forms with the functional design of a 65-piece formal service based on Emily Post's mid-20th-century books on American etiquette;
Tamae Hirokawa's (aka SOMARTA) lace PROTEAN Bodywear created for entertainer Lady Gaga, digitally-knit in one piece, absent of any seams and covered in Swarovski crystals;
Michael Eden's neoclassical Voxel Vessel vase that playfully references 18th-century ceramic mass production while addressing the real possibilities of mass customization today;
Lucas Maassen and Dries Verbruggen's Brain Wave Sofa, which derives its shape from an EEG (electroencephalogram) of the designers' brain wave patterns while they thought of the word "comfort." The form is rendered in three dimensions in CNC-milled polyurethane foam and hand-upholstered in felt with traditional button-tufting;
Nick Hornby's I Never Wanted to Weigh More Heavily on a Man than a Bird (Coco Chanel) in which Constantin Brancusi's Bird in Space may be detected from one perspective and Auguste Rodin's Striding Man from another.

Out of Hand: Materializing the Digital is organized by the Museum of Arts and Design and curated by Ronald T. Labaco, MAD's Marcia Docter Curator.

Major support for Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital is provided by Lucite International and Shapeways. Support is also generously provided by Infor, with additional support from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the official airline of MAD.

Out of Hand is accompanied by a fully illustrated 300-page catalogue, which includes essays by Greg Lynn (Architect and Professor of Architecture, University of Applied Arts, Vienna), Christiane Paul (Professor of Visual Arts, the New School, New York), and exhibition curator Ronald T. Labaco.

The Museum of Arts and Design explores the intersection between art, design, and craft today. The Museum focuses on contemporary creativity and the ways in which artists and designers from around the world transform materials through processes ranging from the artisanal to digital. The Museum's exhibition program explores and illuminates issues and ideas, highlights creativity and craftsmanship, and celebrates the limitless potential of materials and techniques when used by gifted and innovative artists. MAD's permanent collection is global in scope and focuses on art, craft, and design from 1950 to the present day. At the center of the Museum's mission is education. The Museum's dynamic new facility features classrooms and studios for master classes, seminars, and workshops for students, families, and adults. Three open artist studios engage visitors in the creative processes of artists at work and enhance the exhibition programs. Lectures, films, performances, and symposia related to the Museum's collection and topical subjects affecting the world of contemporary art, craft, and design are held in a renovated 144-seat auditorium.

Lifeways Lectures, Undergarment Collection, Stoop Sale, Ghost Tours and More Set for Merchant's House, June 2013

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:43:57 PST

The Merchant's House Museum (29 East Fourth Street, NYC) has announced its upcoming June 2013 events. See details below! For more information, call 212-777-1089 or visit merchantshouse.org.

19th Century Lifeways Lecture - The Garden: Looking Back, Going Forward

Date: Thursday, June 13

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: Merchant's House Museum, 29 East Fourth Street (btwn Lafayette & Bowery)

Description: We study past historical practices to advance our knowledge and adapt these concepts to our modern contingencies. Enjoy a glass of wine and join Head Gardener John Wm. Rommel in an appreciation of the framework of our "rear yard" that allows for our modern garden interpretation, discussing native and historical plant choices and usage, as well as fads and fashions, then and now.

19th-Century Lifeways is the Museum's new public program series - in which experts lecture on 19th century American decorative arts, architecture, New York City history, preservation, and related subjects. The Merchant's House Museum's intact 1832 landmark building and original collections provides the springboard for the lectures.

$15, MHM Members FREE. Reservations required; call 212-777-1089 or visit merchantshouse.org/calendar.

Take a Peek: 19th Century Undergarments from the Collection

Date: Thursday, June 13 through Monday, September 16

Time: noon - 5 p.m. (closed Tuesday & Wednesday)

Location: Merchant's House Museum, 29 East Fourth Street (btwn Lafayette & Bowery)

Description: Defy propriety and come take a peek at rarely seen examples of the Tredwells' undergarments from the 1850s and 60s. On display will be a hand-embroidered chemise, split-leg drawers, steel-boned corset, voluminous petticoat, silk stockings, and cage crinoline. You'll be amused - and amazed - when you learn how much a mid-19th century lady wore under her clothes. Included with regular admission. Reservations not required.

Old-Fashioned Stoop Sale

Date: Saturday, June 15

Time: noon to 6 p.m.

Location: Merchant's House Museum, 29 East Fourth Street (btwn Lafayette & Bowery)

Description: Antiques - china & glassware - decorative furnishings - vintage clothes - fashion accessories - costume jewelry - linens, all for a song and all to benefit the Merchant's House. Please donate - it's tax deductible. Free. Reservations not required. Call 212-777-1089 or email nyc1832@merchantshouse.org for more information.

19th-Century Lifeways Lecture - The Bowery: The Rise, and Fall, and Rise Again

Date: Wednesday, June 19

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: Merchant's House Museum, 29 East Fourth Street (btwn Lafayette & Bowery)

Description: Join David Mulkins, Chair of the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors, for an illustrated lecture on the history of the City's oldest and most-illustrious thoroughfare. The Bowery was an Indian foot path, a Dutch farm road, and in the early 19th century home to wealthy merchants like Peter Cooper and the Tredwells. It was later notorious for gangs such as the Bowery Boys, saloons and dance halls, brothels and flophouses. It was also New York's first entertainment district and cradle for tap dancing, vaudeville, Yiddish theater - and punk rock. In recent years, the Bowery has experienced a ferocious wave of gentrification and real estate speculation, threatening its historic character. This spring, the Bowery was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

$15, MHM Members FREE. Reservations required; call 212-777-1089 or visit merchantshouse.org/calendar.

Candlelight Ghost Tours of "Manhattan's Most Haunted House"

Date: Friday, June 21

Time: 7 & 7:30 p.m.

Location: Merchant's House Museum, 29 East Fourth Street (btwn Lafayette & Bowery)

Description: Doors slam, floorboards creak, voices call into the night. Venture into The Shadows of history to see the house where eight family members died (and The New York Times called "Manhattan's Most Haunted House") by flickering candlelight and hear true tales of inexplicable occurrences from the people who actually experienced them. Tours are 50 minutes. $20, $10 MHM Members. Reservations required; call 212-777-1089 or visit merchantshouse.org/calendar.

The Merchant's House Museum is New York City's only family home preserved intact - inside and out - from the mid-19th century. Home to a prosperous merchant-class family for almost 100 years, it is complete with the family's original furnishings and personal possessions, offering a rare and intimate glimpse of domestic life from 1835-1865. For more information, visit www.merchantshouse.org, Facebook: www.facebook.com/merchantshouse and Twitter: @merchantshouse.

Pivot Multi-Arts Festival is Presented, 6/6 - 6/22

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:59:16 PST

Pivot Arts launches a new celebration of innovative theater, music and dance in unique and often historic spaces from June 6 - 22, 2013 throughout Chicago's Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods. The inaugural PIVOT MULTI-ARTS FESTIVAL answers the City's call for a reinvigorated Uptown Entertainment District by uniting artists, businesses and local organizations around multidisciplinary "pop-up" performances occurring in a former Vaudeville Theater, an at-one-time Charlie Chaplin film studio and other historic spaces throughout these communities. Tickets are now on sale, with a range of free events and no more than $15 per event. To purchase tickets, and for complete festival information, visit www.pivotarts.org/festival or call 773-609-0782.

Over three weeks, audiences will have the opportunity to attend performances, many of which blur the boundaries between theater, music and dance or use some combination of performance disciplines in their work. Programming includes: live music, theater, dance, puppetry, a community picnic and performances for children.

Participating Groups/Artists at time of release: 6018NORTH, Backroom Shakespeare Project, Chicago Architectural Foundation, Colin Bunn & Los Hombres Perdidos, The Hoyle Brothers, Mehran Flamenco Quartet, Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak Dance Company, Manual Cinema, Mucca Pazza, Neo-Futurists, Theater Oobleck, RE|Dance Group, Ami Saraiya, Tricia Sebastian with C.A.T.S., Steep Theatre Company, Ruth Margraff and Café Antarsia Ensemble, Jorge Ignacio Cortinas, Alice Austen, Martin Zimmerman, Steve Moulds and Tanya Palmer.

Children's Performances by: Alternatives, INC. Youth Group, Crooked Door Storytelling, Dream Big Performance Workshop, Storytown Improv, People's Music School and more.

Venues: Berger Park, Broadway Cellars, Burke's Public House, Chase Park, Essanay Studios at St. Augustine College, FLATStheatre (an historic vaudeville space/bank building), Francesca's Bryn Mawr, Kitchen Sink Café, L'étage, Lickity Split, Senn High School, Uncommon Ground and The Waterfront Café at Berger Park. Food vendors include Dimo's Pizza, Heritage General Store and Goose Island Catering Co.

THE FULL PIVOT MULTI-ARTS FESTIVAL LINE-UP AS OF RELEASE TIME:

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22

FESTIVAL KICK-OFF EVENT

6 - 9 pm L'étage Wine and Cocktail Bar

5240 N. Clark St. $25 in advance ($30 at the door)

Join the Pivot Board and Festival Artists for a sneak preview of performances, wine and beer offerings of L'étage and Goose Island Catering Co. and fine foodstuffs of Brasserie 54.

To purchase tickets, visit pivotarts.org/festival

THURSDAY, JUNE 6

ICE CREAM AND IMPROV

4 pm LICKITY SPLIT $5 at the door

6056 N. Broadway Ave.

Interactive improv and storytelling for kids ages four and up at an old-fashioned sweet shop with Second City Alum, Jen Bills.

RE|Dance Group presents THE LONELY VISITORS

Choreography by Michael Estanich

8 pm SENN HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM $15

5900 N. Glenwood Ave.

This moving collection of 30 short episodes, performed by the eight members of RE|Dance Group, ponders the depths and desires of human longing. Senn High School is celebrating its "Centennial" anniversary and is part of the festival's tour of historic spaces. Opening night celebration at Broadway Cellars 5900 N. Broadway included with purchase of RE DANCE ticket.

FRIDAY, JUNE 7

LIVE BANDS ON LAWN

7 pm SENN HIGH SCHOOL FRONT LAWN $5 Suggested Donation

5900 N. Glenwood Ave.

Meet up on the lawn for live music including Colin Bunn's LOS HOMBRES PERDIDOS. A bring-your-own picnic, early summer celebration.

RE|Dance Group presents THE LONELY VISITORS

Choreography by Michael Estanich

8 pm SENN HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM $15

5900 N. Glenwood Ave.

(see above description)

COMEDY NIGHT hosted by 3PEAT

10 pm Burke's Public House $5

5401 N. Broadway Ave.

All African American comedy troupe brings together some of Chicago's best comedic talent all to be enjoyed over drinks at Burke's Pub.

SATURDAY, JUNE 8

Chicago Architectural Foundation presents UPTOWN TOUR

10:30 am Special tour for Festival starting at FLATStheatre, historic vaudeville theater

1050 W. Wilson Ave.

See a treasure trove of terra cotta ornament, learn about the adaptive re-use of buildings and hear about past and present uses of the entertainment palaces such as the Riviera Theatre, Green Mill, Aragon Ballroom and Uptown Theatre.

The two-hour tour is $15 or free for CAF members. For tickets/information call 312-922-TOUR.

ART IN THE PARK(ING) LOT:

A WEEKEND CELEBRATION AT FLATStheatre, FORMER VAUDEVILLE THEATER/ BANK

1050 W. Wilson Ave.

Performances throughout the day on Saturday June 8 and Sunday June 9 for all ages include: live bands, storytelling and activities for kids, Flamenco Dancing, a fashion show and more! Enjoy beer and food from Goose Island Catering & Events, Heritage General Store and Dimo's Pizza.

IN THE PARKING LOT SATURDAY, JUNE 8:

$5 • Free for children under 12

12 pm African Drum Circle

1 pm Crooked Door Storytelling

1:30 pm People's Music School

2:00 pm Mehran Flamenco Quartet

3 pm Storytown Improv

3:30 pm Fashion Show hosted by Universal Creativity

4:30 pm RE Dance Kids

6 pm - 8 pm The Hoyle Brothers

IN THE BANK BUILDING:

$15 (for over-21 years only)

At night, historic theater doors open for music entertainment. Sponsored by Goose Island Catering & Events.

8 pm Bank Building Opens with opener, AMI SARAIYA, and food/Goose Island beer for 21 years and up.

10 pm HEADLINER, MUCCA PAZZA, the 28-piece, punk marching band that thinks it's a rock 'n' roll band and is known to incite mass dance outbreaks.

SUNDAY, JUNE 9

ART IN THE PARK(ING) LOT:

A WEEKEND CELEBRATION AT FLATStheatre, FORMER VAUDEVILLE THEATER/BANK BUILDING

1050 W. Wilson Ave.

IN THE PARKING LOT SUNDAY JUNE 9:

$5 • Free for children under 12

12 pm Old Town School of Folk Music: Dance

1 pm Live Music with Sandy Lucas

2 pm Alternatives Youth Breakdancers

3 pm Live Music with Tricia Sebastian

4 pm to 6pm TBA

6 pm Allah

For complete music line-up see pivotarts.org/festival

IN THE BANK BUILDING:

$5/show or $7/both

7 pm THE NEO-FUTURISTS presents THE CARTER FAMILY FAMILY SHOW

Written and Directed by Chloe Johnston

The Neo-Futurists present three solo pieces inspired by the lives of these musical pioneers, the original Carter family of country music.

8:30 pm Shakespeare in the Parking Lot

BACKROOM SHAKESPEARE PROJECT presents TAMING OF THE SHREW Some of Chicago's brightest, young Shakespeare stars perform with no director and only one rehearsal making for an adventurous, spontaneous and irreverent take on the Bard.

MONDAY, JUNE 10

PIVOT ARTS presents THE COFFEE HOUSE MUSIC/PLAYS

Curated by Tanya Palmer

7 pm Uncommon Ground $5

1401 W. Devon Ave.

Support local coffee houses and enjoy new work by exciting young writers from across the country. Director of New Plays at Goodman Theatre, Tanya Palmer, curates shorts by six premiere playwrights including: Jorge Ignacio Cortinas, Alice Austen, Martin Zimmerman, Steve Moulds, Kristin Idaszak and Tanya Palmer - all inspired by a piece of music.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12

6018NORTH and PIVOT ARTS present FUTURE OF ARTS IN EDGEWATER/UPTOWN

7 pm 6018NORTH FREE

6018 N. Kenmore Ave.

Former MCA Curator and director of 6018NORTH, Trisha Van Eyk, and Pivot Arts co-host discussion on the future of the arts in Uptown and Edgewater with local community leaders.

THURSDAY, JUNE 13 - SATURDAY, JUNE 15 AT 7:30 PM; SUNDAY, JUNE 16 AT 3 PM

7:30 pm Manual Cinema and Theater Oobleck

ESSANAY STUDIOS at ST. AUGUSTINE COLLEGE 2 shows for $15

1333 - 45 W. Argyle St.

Essanay Studios was an American motion picture studio founded in 1907 best known for its production of Charlie Chaplin Films in 1915. Both Manual Cinema and Theater Oobleck's pieces are inspired by early film

MANUAL CINEMA presents ADA/AVA.

Set in a landscape of the New England gothic, ADA/AVA uses a story of the fantastic and supernatural to explore mourning and melancholy, self and other. Manual Cinema combines handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic motifs, and live sound manipulation to create immersive theatrical stories.

THEATER OOBLECK presents POSSESSION: BAUDELAIRE IN A BOX, EPISODE #5. Baudelaire poems set to music and performed in cantastoria style with original paintings. For Possession, Ronnie Kuller, Chris Schoen and Jeff Dorchen have each adapted five poems from Les Fleurs du mal with scrolls painted by Dave Buchen.

PIVOT ARTS and BUENA PARK NEIGHBORS present JUBILEE

10 pm at 4136 N. Broadway St. $5 suggested donation

Pivot teams up with Buena Park Neighbors for an evening of short performances at a defunct cleaners space by: Lacy Katerine Campbell, Jeff Trainor, Max Wirt, Caitlin Costello, and more.

FRIDAY, JUNE 14

7:30 pm MANUAL CINEMA presents ADA/AVA and THEATER OOBLECK presents POSSESSION: BAUDELAIRE IN A BOX, EPISODE #5.

ESSANAY STUDIOS at ST. AUGUSTINE COLLEGE 2 shows for $15

1333 - 45 W. Argyle St.

See description above.

PIVOT ARTS and BUENA PARK NEIGHBORS present NIGHT OF LEPUS

10 pm at 4136 N Broadway St. $5 suggested donation

A staged reading of the 1972 z-grade horror movie about a rampage of giant killer rabbits created by Jason Meyer

SATURDAY, JUNE 15

1 pm STORYTOWN IMPROV presents ICE CREAM AND IMPROV

Francesca's Bryn Mawr $10

1039 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.

Complimentary gelato sundaes and ice cream floats combine with interactive performance for kids.

7:30 pm MANUAL CINEMA presents ADA/AVA and THEATER OOBLECK presents POSSESSION: BAUDELAIRE IN A BOX, EPISODE #5.

ESSANAY STUDIOS at ST. AUGUSTINE COLLEGE, 2 shows for $15

1333 - 45 W. Argyle St.

See description above.

PIVOT ARTS and BUENA PARK NEIGHBORS present A SIMPLE LESSON IN BAKING WITH MARIE ANTOINETTE

10 pm at 4136 N Broadway St. $5 suggested donation

A riotous, energy charged cooking lesson with Marie Antoinette created and performed by Elizabeth Lovelady.

STEEP THEATER presents BACKYARD BBQ READING SERIES

11 pm at Steep Theater $10

1115 W. Berwyn Ave.

One of Edgewater's most exciting young theater companies, Steep Theater presents reading of new work accompanied by BBQ.

SUNDAY, JUNE 16

3 pm MANUAL CINEMA presents ADA/AVA and THEATER OOBLECK presents POSSESSION: BAUDELAIRE IN A BOX, EPISODE #5.

ESSANAY STUDIOS at ST. AUGUSTINE COLLEGE 2 shows for $15

1333 - 45 W. Argyle St.

See description above.

MONDAY, JUNE 17

PIVOT ARTS presents THE COFFEE HOUSE MUSIC/PLAYS

Curated by Tanya Palmer

7 pm 6/17 at Kitchen Sink Café $5

1107 W. Berwyn Ave.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19

Jessica Thebus and Theater Oobleck present ROUGH MAGIC!

Oobleck at 25: The Then and The Now

7pm National Pastime Theater $10 at door goes to local charities

941 W. Lawrence Ave.

Curated by Jessica Thebus, Performed by Theater Oobleck

Theater Oobleck celebrates its 25^th anniversary with an evening of "Rough Magic!" including excerpts from shows past and new pieces from Dave Buchen, Martha Bayne, Diana Slickman, and Mickle Maher, with songs by Chris Schoen.

The ROUGH MAGIC series is the Chicago Theater Community's celebration of creative abundance: one-night-only performances that provide an opportunity to learn about and give to local, national and international organizations who are practicing daring, inspired, creative innovation for good.

THURSDAY, JUNE 20

MOLLY SHANAHAN/MAD SHAK presents THE DELICATE HOUR

Choreographed by Molly Shanahan

7:30 pm Senn High School Auditorium $15

5900 N. Glenwood Ave.

The Delicate Hour is Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak's most recent ensemble work for Shanahan, Kristina Fluty, Ben Law and Jessie Marasa. The evening-length work premiered to critical acclaim in 2012 at The Dance Center of Columbia College. TimeOut Chicago's Zac Whittenburg described The Delicate Hour as "... a next step in the evolution of a singular voice in Chicago performance..."

PIVOT ARTS and VINTAGE THEATER COLLECTIVE present THREE GRACES

8:00 pm Berger Park $15

6205 N. Sheridan Rd.

Libretto by Ruth Margraff, music by Nikos Brisco and the Café Antarsia Ensemble band, directed by Kate Hendrickson.

THREE GRACES blurs the boundaries between speaking and singing, concert and play. Two blood brothers - Turk and Greek - wrestle the epic darkness of their fates at the end of the Ottoman Empire. This panoramic Iliad for modern Greece is inspired by the Nikos Kazantzakis' novel Freedom or Death, as well as the raw lyric passion of Greek blues and Cretan rebel songs.

PIVOT ARTS and BUENA PARK NEIGHBORS present A SIMPLE LESSON IN BAKING WITH MARIE ANTOINETTE

10pm at 4136 N Broadway St. $5 suggested donation

A riotous, energy charged cooking lesson with Marie Antoinette created and preformed by Elizabeth Lovelady

FRIDAY, JUNE 21

MOLLY SHANAHAN/MAD SHAK presents THE DELICATE HOUR

7:30 pm Senn High School Auditorium $15

5900 N. Glenwood Ave.

(see description above)

PIVOT ARTS and VINTAGE THEATER COLLECTIVE present THREE GRACES

8:00 pm Berger Park $15

6205 N. Sheridan Rd.

Libretto by Ruth Margraff, music by Nikos Brisco and the Café Antarsia Ensemble band, directed by Kate Hendrickson.

(see description above)

SATURDAY, JUNE 22

DREAM BIG PERFORMING WORKSHOP presents A TASTE OF DREAM BIG

1pm Chase Park $5

4701 N. Ashland Ave.

Interactive performances for kids by the popular Dream Big performers.

PIVOT ARTS and VINTAGE THEATER COLLECTIVE present THREE GRACES

7:00 pm Berger Park $15

6205 N. Sheridan Rd.

Libretto by Ruth Margraff, music by Nikos Brisco and the Café Antarsia Ensemble band, directed by Kate Hendrickson.

(description above)

CLOSING RECEPTION

8:30 pm at Waterfront Café, Berger Park

6205 N. Sheridan Rd.

Music by the Café Antarsia Ensemble at the beautiful, lakefront setting of the Waterfront Café.

ABOUT PIVOT ARTS: Pivot Arts develops new work and presents performances throughout the year culminating in a large-scale, multi-arts festival. Our vision is that of a vibrant community where unique collaborations between artists, businesses and organizations leads to the support and creation of innovative performances. Pivot Arts was founded in September 2012.

"We are thrilled to partner with Pivot Arts and contribute to making Uptown and Edgewater a continued destination for entertainment," states Jay Michael, Chief Creative Officer of FLATS. "The Pivot Arts Festival is directly in line with FLATS Chicago's mission to be a true community partner and foster an appreciation for the arts and culture."

Premiere Festival Sponsors: Broadway Cellars, Essanay Studios at St. Augustine College, FLATS Chicago, Goose Island Catering & Events, L'étageand Brasserie 54, Northern Trust, Senn High School and Uptown United.

Additional Festival Sponsors: Alderman Cappleman, 46th Ward; Alderman Osterman, 48th Ward; Bridgeview Bank, Burke's Public House, Dimo's Pizza, Francesca's Bryn Mawr, Heritage Bikes, Kitchen Sink, Lickity Split, Loyola University Chicago, National Pastime Theater and Uncommon Ground.

Pivot Arts Staff/Associates: Katy Collins, Dan Cox, Julieanne Ehre, Tanya Palmer, Eric Reda, Temple Schultz, Emily Wall, Genevieve K. Waller.

Pivot Arts Board: Alyssa Berman-Cutler President/CEO Uptown United; Katy Collins Pivot Arts; Julieanne Ehre Pivot Arts; Dr. Mark E. Lococo Director of Theatre, Loyola University Chicago; Susan Lofton, Principal, Nicholas Senn High School; Matthew Pryor, Counsel, Shakman Compliance;Kathy Van Zwoll, Marketing Consultant.

Pivot Arts Advisory Board: April Browning, Managing Director, Loyola University Chicago; Alderman James Cappleman, 46^th Ward;Sarah Gabel, Chair of Department of Fine Arts, Loyola University Chicago; Peter Kuntz, Arts Consultant; Kristin Larsen, Executive Director, Stage 773; Jay Michael, Chief Creative Officer, FLATS Chicago; Alderman Harry Osterman, 48^th Ward; Michael Rohd, Artistic Director, Sojourn Theatre; Steve Scott, Associate Producer, Goodman Theatre.

Website: www.pivotarts.org; Email: info@pivotarts.org; Phone: 773-609-0782; https://www.facebook.com/PivotArts; https://twitter.com/PivotArts

Photo Credits: Mucca Pazza (28 piece, punk marching band) - Photo by 8 Eyes Photography; MadShak Dance Company (2 photos) - Photos by William Frederking; Dream Big Performance Workshop (Interactive performances for children) - Photo by Lisa Lang.

Mucca Pazza

Mad Shak Dance

Dream Big

Art Basel in Hong Kong Presents David Zwirner, June 2013

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:50:26 PST

David Zwirner is pleased to participate in this year's Art Basel in Hong Kong, the gallery's third consecutive year at the fair.

David Zwirner will feature a range of work by gallery artists, including recent paintings and works on paper from the 1950s by Yayoi Kusama. The artist joined the gallery earlier this year, and in fall 2013, she will have her first solo exhibition at David Zwirner, New York (on view in the West 19th Street spaces). Opening in June 2013, a comprehensive solo museum exhibition, Yayoi Kusama: Infinite Obsession, will tour South America through 2015, and Yayoi Kusama: Eternity of Eternal Eternity, which began in 2012, will be on view at various venues throughout Japan this year. Please find the complete schedule here.

Fair highlights include paintings by Mamma Andersson, Michaël Borremans, Marlene Dumas, Neo Rauch, Daniel Richter, and Yutaka Sone. Also on view are large-scale charcoal drawings and a sculpture by Adel Abdessemed, whose solo show, Le Vase abominable, was recently on view at David Zwirner, London; a plank sculpture by John McCracken, who will be the subject of an exhibition opening in September in the gallery's building on West 20th Street in New York; new silkscreens on linen from Michael Riedel, whose exhibition,PowerPoint, was on view at David Zwirner, New York in spring 2013; and photographs by Thomas Ruff, James Welling, and Philip-Lorca diCorcia, who will have two shows with the gallery this fall, in both New York and London, and is the subject of an exhibition at Schirn Kunshtalle Frankfurt opening this June, which later travels to Museum De Pont, Tilburg, The Netherlands.

In 2013, David Zwirner will also participate in Art Basel (June) and Art Basel Miami Beach (December); ArtRio (September); Frieze and Frieze Masters in London (October); and FIAC (October) and Paris Photo (November), both to be held at the Grand Palais in Paris.

Image © Yayoi Kusama. Courtesy David Zwirner, Victoria Miro Gallery, Ota Fine Arts, Yayoi Kusama Studio Inc.
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BAM Announces 34 Events in Opera, Theater, Music and Dance for 2013 Next Wave Festival!

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:12:45 PST

Joseph V. Melillo, executive producer of the Brooklyn Academy Of Music, today announced programming for the 2013 Next Wave Festival. The festival runs from September 17 through December 22 and comprises opera, theater, music, and dance productions in the institution's three mainstage venues: the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, the BAM Harvey Theater, and the BAM Richard B. Fisher Building.

BAM Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo comments, "This fall, we offer our audiences a rich assortment of adventurous, groundbreaking work by American and International Artists, including the BAM debuts of 15 dance, music, and theater-makers. It is particularly exciting, in the 31st iteration of the Next Wave Festival, to see the robust variety of productions that has been made possible with the addition of the flexible Fishman Space-now in its second season of unique festival engagements."

BAM President Karen Brooks Hopkins says, "We are enormously grateful to American Express for their continuing support of the Next Wave Festival. We would also like to extend our thanks to those who have made the first year of expanded family programing in the BAM Richard B. Fisher Building a resounding success and an additional connection to our community."

"American Express is thrilled to support the artistic achievements at this year's Next Wave Festival," said Timothy J. McClimon, President, American Express Foundation. "We have a long history of celebrating the cultural passions of our Cardmembers and investing in the communities where they live and work."

2013 Next Wave Festival season tickets (four or more presentations in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House and BAM Harvey Theater) and single tickets to BAM Fisher presentations (with the exception of Bodycast*) go on sale June 17 to the general public (June 10 to Friends of BAM). Single tickets to September presentations in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House and BAM Harvey Theater go on sale August 12 (August 5 for Friends of BAM). Single tickets for all other Next Wave engagements go on sale September 3 (Aug 26 for Friends of BAM). To purchase tickets visit BAM.org or contact BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100. *Tickets for Bodycast are available only as add-ons to season ticket package.

HIGHLIGHTS: Featuring 34 opera, theater, music, and dance engagements in BAM's three venues-from September 17 through Dec 22, 2013.

Opera
Anna Nicole...................Mark-Anthony Turnage, Richard Thomas
War Sum Up................. Hotel Pro Forma, Latvian Radio Choir

Theater
The Blue Dragon............Ex Machina, Robert Lepage
Not What Happened........Ain Gordon, Pick Up Performance Co(s)
Hans was Heiri...............Zimmermann & de Perrot
Nosferatu....TR Warszawa,Teatr Narodowy, Grzegorz Jarzyna
An Enemy of the People...........Henrik Ibsen, Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, Thomas Ostermeier
The Humans..................Alexandre Singh
Water............................Filter Theatre, David Farr
La Belle et la Bête..........Lemieux Pilon 4D Art
Bodycast.............Suzanne Bocanegra, Frances McDormand, Paul Lazar
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner......Fiona Shaw, Phyllida Lloyd
A Piece of Work.............Annie Dorsen

Music
The Table.....................Karbido
We Have An Anchor......Jem Cohen
Documerica..................ETHEL, Steve Cosson
The Edge of Heaven......Gary Lucas, Gods and Monsters
The Sweet Science Suite.............Fred Ho
Goldberg's Variations...............Andy Biskin, Rube Goldberg
Electronium: The Future Was Then...Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson
21c Liederabend, op. 3......Paola Prestini, Beth Morrison

Dance
A Rite.............Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Siti Company, Anne Bogart
Sider..............................The Forsythe Company
DanceMotion USAsm ........Doug Varone and Dancers
Come, and Back Again.....David Dorfman Dance
En Atendant & Cesena......Rosas, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
Run Don't Run.............Brian Brooks Moving Company
Dark Theater................Dance Heginbotham
Dark Lark......................Kate Weare Company
And then, one thousand years of peace.....Ballet Preljocaj
Sun.............................Hofesh Shechter Company
Play/Pause..................Susan Marshall & Company, David Lang
Moses(es).....................Fist & Heel Performance Group, Reggie Wilson
Bleed..........................Tere O'Connor Dance

BAM Next Wave Festival also features a full slate of humanities, music, film, and visual art events and programming.

Frist Center To Participate in Blue Star Museums

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:14:55 PST

Craft Festival Returns to Delray Beach Tennis Center, 5/25

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:35:13 PST

WHAT: 16th Annual Downtown Delray Beach Craft Festival

WHEN: May 25 - 26, Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

WHERE: Delray Beach Tennis Center in Downtown Delray Beach - Atlantic Avenue & SW 3rd Avenue Navigational Address: 201 West Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33444

WHY: To Support the Arts, the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority and the Local Economy

ADMISSION: Free and open to the public

WEBSITE: www.artfestival.com

The 16th Annual Downtown Delray Beach Craft Festival is a top-notch outdoor event featuring the unique and original work of 150 of most talented crafters in the country. A full spectrum of craft media will be on display and for sale including folk art, pottery, handmade jewelry, paintings, personalized gifts, handmade clothing, scented soaps and body products with prices ranging from as little as $3 to $3,000. An expansive Green Market will offer a wide variety of quality exotic, dips and gourmet items. Admission is free and open to the public.

In order to ensure a superior event with quality affordable original crafts, all of the local and national crafters have been hand selected from hundreds of applicants by American Craft Endeavors, producers of the top outdoor craft festivals in the country.

All of the crafters will be at the festival with their finest work and welcome the opportunity to discuss their art and inspiration.

About American Craft Endeavors:

American Craft Endeavors (ACE) produces some of the nation's most exciting high-end juried craft shows in many of Florida's vibrant downtown areas and popular tourist destinations including the Lauderdale by the Sea Craft Festival (Fort Lauderdale, FL), the Holiday Craft Festival on the Ocean (Jupiter/Juno Beach, FL), the Downtown Stuart Craft Fairs (Stuart, FL), the Siesta Fiesta Craft Festival (Sarasota, FL) and the Downtown Sarasota Craft Festivals (Sarasota, FL) among others. The group's founders personally select unique, culture rich cities for their show locations providing a complete outdoor experience unmatched by other festivals. All crafters are hand-selected from hundreds of applicants in order to ensure a superior event featuring diverse art media and the highest quality of original handmade crafts.

For additional information on the 16th Annual Downtown Delray Beach Craft Festival and other American Craft Endeavors craft shows across the country, visit www.artfestival.com or call 561-746-6615.

Artsy Presents 200 Galleries Exhibiting in Hong Kong and Basel

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:33:48 PST

Artsy announces the most comprehensive online presentation of the spring fair season. Continuing Artsy's mission to make the world's art more accessible, Artsy.net will present work from over 200 galleries exhibiting at Art Basel in Hong Kong and Basel, and in Design Miami/Basel this spring. Additionally, as part of this initiative, Artsy has invited leading collectors and curators including Museum of Contemporary Art Director Jeffrey Deitch, Intelligence Squared CEO Yana Peel, Rockbund Art Museum Director Larys Frogier, entrepreneur Veronica Chou, Big Feet Productions co-CEO and Artsy co-Founder Wendi Murdoch, and Moss Bureau Founder Murray Moss to select highlights from the fairs, providing Artsy users exclusive insights into the works.

Artsy will offer visitors access to over 3,000 artworks from over 200 exhibiting galleries participating on Artsy's platform. Participating galleries will include Acquavella Galleries, Carpenter's Workshop Gallery, Gagosian Gallery, Galerie Patrick Seguin, Long March Space, Pace Gallery, P K M Gallery, R 20th Century, Salon 94, ShanghART, Tomio Koyama, Victoria Miro, and White Cube, amongst many others. These galleries are from a diverse geographic range spanning five continents and including major global art hubs such as New York, London, Paris, Beijing, Seoul, São Paulo, and Moscow. By connecting art institutions across five continents with a global audience, Artsy helps facilitate connections between the increasingly dispersed global collector base and the leading galleries participating in this spring's art fairs.

This launch follows Artsy's representation of more than 65 exhibiting galleries during Frieze Week NY, which attracted over 30,000 unique visitors to Artsy over 5 days. Previously, Artsy forged an official partnership with The Armory Show, resulting in 250,000 visits over a period of approximately 2 weeks - nearly 5 times the number of physical visits to the fair.

Presenting partner galleries' booths at art fairs is just one of the ways Artsy is bringing the art world online for its nearly 150,000 users from 180+ countries around the world. The Artsy platform is now presenting content from nearly 500 partner galleries, museums and foundations, with a collection comprising more than 30,000 art and design objects which are freely accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

Full press release here.

Fountain Gallery Presents [Un]Seen, 5/23 - 7/10

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:20:38 PST

Fountain Gallery, representing artists with mental illness, today announced the upcoming opening of [Un]Seen, a group exhibition of works by Fountain Gallery artists and Visiting artists selected by guest curator Elyse Goldberg. [Un]Seen will open with a Reception on May 23, 2013, 6-8 pm and continue through July 10. Fountain Gallery is located at 702 Ninth Avenue at 48th Street. Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11am-7pm; Sunday, 1pm-5pm.

"In our tech-driven, mechanistic age we live knowingly in multiple realities. The personal, social, political, cultural, and cyber world has collapsed conventional notions of linear time and image transmission," said Elyse Goldberg, Senior Director, James Cohan Gallery, New York. "We cast our reflections on the physical world and look to see what returns in the shadows. One has to focus, be curious, be fearless, to look, to make the unseen seen. The contemporary and historical artists in this show are an eclectic group, with diverse viewpoints and various modes for making art. In commonality, these artists share a curiosity with the unseen - creating works that raise questions about thought, vision, social and personal politics, and metaphysical states of mind or spectacle as they relate to the human condition."

Among the works represented in this show are text-based pieces by Simon Evans, Nelson Fernando Figallo, and Matthew Higgs; representational work by Pedro Pascoinho, Leo Fitzpatrick, and Robin Taylor; a sound installation by Kristin Oppenheim; sculpture by Dove Bradshaw; and photographs by Berenice Abbott, Iaeden Hovorka, and Francesca Woodman.

Also on view in [Un]Seen are works by Davida Adedjouma, Maya Deren, Ann Fischman, John Hadley, Bruno Jacob, Greg Johnson, Ed Loftus, Katie Paterson, Joseph Russo, and Deborah Standard.

The Fountain Gallery Visiting Artists Program was established in 2008 with support from founding sponsor Glenn Close. Through the Program, talented artists with mental illness from around the world, who may lack opportunities to show their work in a professional setting, are invited to participate in selected Fountain Gallery exhibitions.

Fountain Gallery is the premier venue in New York City representing artists with mental illness. Founded by Fountain House in 2000 as a not-for-profit exhibition space for its member-artists living and working with mental illness, the Gallery sells original artworks and collaborates with a wide network of artists, curators and cultural institutions. Embracing artists who are emerging or established, trained or self-taught, Fountain Gallery cultivates artistic growth and makes a vital contribution to the New York arts community.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and by generous support from The Renate, Hans and Maria Hofmann Trust.

BWW Reviews: The Barnes in Philadelphia - A Prescription to be Taken Often From the Pad of the Good Doctor

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:40:36 PST

Dr Albert C. Barnes by Giorgio de Chirico 1926

As I prepared to go to the Barnes Museum in Philadelphia for the first time I was eager. Eager to see how Dr. Barnes mixed art and object, to see brilliant Cezannes, Van Goghs, Matisses, Renoirs, Picassos- you know the heavy weights of the old avante-garde that laid the road to modernism for all the good and bad turns to come by drivers like Duchamp, Pollack, and Warhol.

Typical room at the Barnes

What I found was that and more. El Greco, Hals, Soutine, Daumier, DeChirico, Prendergast and others hang with Japanese prints, African sculpture, Pueblo Pottery, pewter pots, furniture, tapestries, hinges, key ways and plenty of golden religious works all mixed up. The Barnes almost feels like the MET hung by a mad man. When you look closely, you begin to see the unwritten history of art as told through diverse works done in different times by a rare genius collector with a brilliant eye and the mind to ask a friend or two for their input; we could use more Dr. Barnes' today.

My eagerness was well rewarded. The experience of the building on its first birthday was an architectural delight in itself. The mix of the best of modern architecture with water, stone, textures and trees that feel both in and out, leaves you with a serene and thoughtful feeling throughout the experience. MOMA should look for it's next redo here.

Two and a half hours was a small price to pay for one of my most memorable museum going experiences. I was amazed as soon as I stepped into the first gallery and got that tingling feeling running down my spine when I see old sports clips of McCovey hitting a home run or Jim Ryan falling down.

Salon style hangs, balanced symmetrically with art and objects

Though a large museum, most of the spaces feel small and intimate much as the one above. Here we see Renaissance like triangular compositional cores in both Seurat's work and the Cezanne a few inches below. The woman with the extended bottom in Seurat's post-impressionistic pointillist style painting within a painting-the famous 'La Grande Jatte', lines up compositionally with the figure in the Cezanne watching the card game below: They both offset the triangle in the same way, at a similar point. Reclining nudes flank the paintings. This is more than the art of the hang. Each artwork engages it's neighboring work of art. Dr. Barnes spent hours arranging and re-arranging how his art was displayed. Wall signs were abhorred. You were supposed to look at the art and not the information about it- a visual story will unfold.

Picassos The Ascetic of 1903 and Modigliani's 1919 painting of Jeanne Hebuterne reveal the two artists similar use of El Greco like elongated figures with extended arms and pale tonation to reveal the interior, the psyche of the sitter.

The forms, shapes and curves of the 17th Century French Steeple Cock work compliments Matisse and plays with the same formalistic tools. Museums chronological chain of command for expositions has shackled Museums to uncreative exhibits that focus myopically on a small movement in art history and limits our ability to see the link, to see the line that binds all art together.

The Barnes Foundation's history, the fight to keep the art in his original home 30 minutes out of the Philadelphia art loop, is typical of political bull and the power of money to move homes. Is it a lesser Museum for it? Would you drive to nowhere to see it in it's old home?

Renoir's portrait of the Henriot Family 1875

Was the Doctor a bit too Renoir focused. At times it felt like so. But when I saw a unique Renoir next to a Van Gogh I saw a link no one would dare make- Renoir and Van Gogh are connected. I was shocked.

I enjoy asking docents, 'step away from the black line' protectors of the art and the gift store workers their thoughts. After all they live with the work daily. The staff was exceptionally friendly. One guard even offered her opinion when I prodded her for her favorite piece and she directed us toward it. It was a little claw I would not have wanted to miss it and easily could have.

The gentleman in the gift shop explained how Dr. Barnes started collecting. I am always fascinated for the impetus to collect for the genesis of thought and for your own Raison D'Etre.

Glacken's The Bathing Hour 1910

It's a great story....the patient-less non practicing doctor who made his dough in pharmaceuticals gave Glackens, a high school buddy and in house artists for a Philadelphia paper, $10,000 to go to Paris and buy, because well, that was where it was all happening. Later, Barnes aligned with a few of the great art dealers of the day, Ambroise Vollard and Paul Guillaume and learned a thing or two from Gertrude Stein. The rest is Art History.

You know you could have gone just a short walk from the subway to Leo Castelli's gallery downtown and done as well in the 1960's and 1970's. The Occasional mailmen did this and front loaded his retirement with good long-term investments.

Honore Daumier "The Ribaudes" 1848-1849 and El Greco's "Apparition of the Virgin and child" 1605-1610 have similar palettes and use foreshortening and hands to reveal more than proportions can. Many of the works in the Doctors collection move your eye around with hand gestures and pointed figures.

I was happy to see Daumier well represented. Like Glackens he was a successful commercial artist of his day and got pigeonholed by art history as a cartoonist. There are none of his cartoons here. Instead you see the romantic, moving, sfumatto filled airy paintings that properly set Daumier as one of the great painters of all time. Another great artist often overshadowed by his graphic success, Toulouse-Lautrec shines bright in the Barnes packed walls. Rousseau's paintings look like they should be the first to be decessioned if they ever need to raise cash.

Prendergast 'Idyl' 1912-1915 Van Gogh 'The postman' 1889

The Van Gogh's are brilliant but that is easy to do with Vincent. He was so driven, so focused and so in touch with nature and seeing that it was hard for Vincent not to create a pure and beautiful work from 1880-1890. However, Prendergast shows up often in many of the galleries. Now Prendergast is not a biggie and you could probably do your major in art history and not come across his name. The good Doctors choice makes sense. You see Prendergast's link to Van Gogh and the impressionist and similarities to Cezanne's figures.

Dr. Barnes was in close contact with John Dewey through letters. The dynamic pairing of Dewey, the social conscious philosopher and author of "Art As Experience," and the quick to learn Doctor made for one of those marriages made in art heaven.

In short, Dewey thrust the responsibility onto the viewer and the common man. Art is not a passive hand it to you, eat this cheeseburger, drive on through thing. It is something you must digest through mind and soul. A Platonic like ideal social good is the goal and art is the tool. This is art as hand for social change and personal growth and enlightenment for all and not just the wealthy.

Who makes Museums possible? Today the trend in the art world is for the wealthy to open their own Museum for their own collection. Museum directors and curators hate this attitude of museum as mausoleum for a Broad range of wealthy money-makers not dead yet. They feel the keys have been bought, stolen and handed off to the wrong folks and that they are the guardians of art and aesthetics. Often they complain they can't afford to compete with todays zillionaires that have made one apple by Cezanne worth $5 Million as Sotheby's bags groupings of eight for over $40 Million.

Cezanne "Les Pommes" 1889-1890. How about them apples for over $41 Million?

Without just such sole efforts by the wealthy there would be no museums in the world. Alphabetically, just in the FR grouping the Freer Museum in DC, Part of the Smithsonian and the Frick on 5th avenue would not be possible. Not only are the wealthy responsibly for founding museums but also they are the ones responsible for donating and contributing to keep these frail vulnerable and venerable institutions alive. Annenberg's name shined brightly on the walls of the Barnes as it often does in the homes of other great collections like the MET.

I love the MET on 5th avenue. It is the best Museum in the world. However you do not get a cohesive sense once inside. Often I like to say there are 15 museums inside the MET. At the Barnes there is one and art is one. Links you would never see are presented. It is a non-linear history of a non-verbal language through many cultures and times that cannot be conveyed in words but that you can go see at the Barnes, a unique and exceptional museum worth a drive or a train ride.

The Barnes has rotating exhibits that are worthy in their own right but somehow are dwarfed by the larger shadow of the Doctor.

Bonus: I think you should see The Rodin Museum next door; it does not offer the jet lag you'd get to see the other one in Paris. Real Phili Cheese steaks abound everywhere in town: I won't go into the cheese in a spray can versus sliced American debate.

A great Cuban restaurant, Alma De Cuba was a real find and I relaxed with my friend and held fast to memories I did not want to let slip into the oblivion of the past.