Map created by Dre Grigoropol

At the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, when art galleries and museums are closed, West Philly artists will put their work on their porches for everyone to enjoy! The very first West Philly Porch Art Show will take place this Saturday, June 27, from 2 to 6 p.m. with over a dozen artists participating in the event. The organizers, West Philadelphia Community Art Alliance (Facebook page), are excited to bring this event to the West Philly community:

“This is the first time many of us have seen art [in real life] in many months!”

Here’s the list of participating artists:  Continue Reading

Photo by Ken McFarlane; digital rendering by Jeff Sugg.

To celebrate Black Lives and Black Fatherhood an outdoor public art installation by West Philly artist and activist Ken McFarlane will be projected on the façade of the Barnes Foundation this Saturday and Sunday (June 20 & 21) from 8 – 11 p.m.

The project, titled “From the Root to the Fruit: Portraits of Black Fathers and Their Children“, is presented by We Embrace Fatherhood, a coalition of West Philadelphia fathers, activists and artists, as a part of the Black Lives Matter movement for eradicating systemic racial injustice and in response to the COVID-19 health crisis which has dramatically decreased public access to the arts.

The installation will be projected onto the facade of the Barnes and can be viewed from their South East plaza as well as from the streets. Music will provided by DJs from PC Radio Live. This will be a COVID-19-safe environment, with six foot spacing. Attendees must wear masks at all times.  Continue Reading

We’re continuing the list of the COVID-19 pandemic related closings, cancellations and changes in operation for local businesses and organizations. Check out the previously published list here.

• West Philly Porchfest, the annual do-it-yourself music festival scheduled for June 6th, has been postponed. A new date has not been set yet, but the organizers are hoping to hold the event this year. Follow their Facebook page for updates.

• Shakespeare in Clark Park has postponed its Summer 2020 production, Pericles, until next summer. For more information and to support SCP, visit their website.

• Curio Theatre’s 2020 Summer Camp will be offered online as a Pay-What-You-Can opportunity. Classes will be held in July — specific dates and times will be announced soon. Instead of two-week sessions, all sessions will be shorted to one week. Visit curiotheatre.org for updates.  Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of cinéSPEAK

Local cinephiles will have to wait until at least the Fall for the launch of cinéSPEAK’s brick-and-mortar microcinema in West Philly. The new 75-seat theater was originally planned to open at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community at 48th and Baltimore in June, but the COVID-19 pandemic made these plans impossible.

In the meantime, the organization, which has been holding mobile film screenings for almost seven years, has launched a virtual cinema featuring independent titles from around the world previously only available in-theater. Each week, cinéSPEAK premieres entertaining and provocative domestic and international cinematic works.  Continue Reading

The West Craft Fest‘s Spring edition was supposed to be this Saturday at The Woodlands. Unfortunately, the popular community event featuring dozens of local artists and artisans was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but folks are invited to check out the vendors’ unique offers at a “virtual craft fest” on social media. You can find lots of great Mother’s Day gift ideas there.

On Saturday the Fest’s Facebook and Instagram pages, offers, features and vendor updates will be posted with the hashtag #VirtualWestCraftFest. You can follow those pages if you haven’t already, check out the full list of vendors, and make a purchase online if you can (many will offer discounts that day!).  Continue Reading

Curio’s spring show, Everybody, was postponed indefinitely (Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas)

Curio Theatre has postponed their spring production, EVERYBODY, indefinitely. The show had been scheduled to open on April 25th and was supposed to conclude Curio’s 15th season.

“We take the safety of our community very seriously, and based on current health guidelines, we felt we had no other choice but to postpone,” reads an e-mail announcement from Curio’s Managing Director Gay Carducci and Artistic Director Paul Kuhn. “… Keeping our artists and staff safe is something we do not take lightly, but this was a difficult decision to make on behalf of an entire community — a decision that impacts actors, designers, and backstage theater makers.”  Continue Reading