A major contemporary art exhibition, a chamber music world premiere, a restored orchestral composition, and an experimental teaching platform make up our grantee offerings this fall.
The Shape of Time: Korean Art After 1989
Philadelphia Museum of Art
October 21, 2023–February 11, 2024
A new exhibition surveys the work of a generation of artists who share an experience of South Korea by their birth, residence, or ancestry. Post-1989, these artists experienced the transition from South Korea’s last authoritarian regime to the onset of globalization and new democratic freedoms. Working across a wide range of mediums, the artists reflect on the urbanization and industrialization of South Korea, tensions with North Korea, traditional and contemporary art techniques, and societal pressures around gender and sexuality. The art “runs the gamut of media,” co-curator Elisabeth Agro told The Philadelphia Inquirer, “and is designed to be a mind-bender that pulls you into a contemplation of time and space, and the influence of past, present, and future.”
Restoration of Works by William Grant Still
The Philadelphia Orchestra
October 6–8, 2023
As part of its recovery of the lesser known works of 20th-century Black composer William Grant Still, the Philadelphia Orchestra and pianist Daniil Trifonov perform Still’s Symphony No. 4 (“Autochthonous”), along with George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F and Anna Clyne’s This Moment. Influenced by jazz, spirituals, and other genres, many of Still’s compositions were recognized during his lifetime (1895–1978), but his complete body of work has remained largely overlooked. The performances are part of a larger series of restorations of Still’s work, to be performed throughout the orchestra’s season in concert hall, community, and virtual settings.
Teaching at the End of Times
Vox Populi
October 7–29, 2023
Installed at Atelier Gallery, a new exhibition presents an array of artist-led experimentation in mobile and modular education practices and showcases Vox Populi’s new mobile teaching classroom. The mobile teaching classroom, developed with community input, will soon embark on two months of outdoor educational programs on topics including subversive aerobics, harm reduction, and anti-colonial memory, among others. A variety of workshops run through the end of the month.
7th Ward Tribute, Legacy Reclaimed
The Philadelphia City Fund
October 20, 2023 and ongoing
The Black cultural history of Philadelphia's historic 7th Ward neighborhood comes alive through art installations, walking tours, and events. The project kicks off with two events on October 20: an open house tour at Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church and a reception at Rex at the Royal where visitors can meet the participating artists and preview artwork. Walking tours of the neighborhood history and public art installations run every Saturday from October 21, 2023, through February 23, 2024. Forthcoming salon discussions will examine topics relating to present-day social and economic conditions and the importance of preserving cultural heritage.
Recomposing the Past: An African American Perspective
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
December 15–17, 2023
Composer-in-residence Evan Williams conducts the world premiere of his Baroque and Medieval-inspired “A Little Mass for Christmas,” with countertenor Reginald Mobley leading the chorus, along with a performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria. Grounded in minimalist and postmodern music, Williams’ work frequently integrates music from non-orchestral traditions like jazz, blues, and spirituals. The Chamber Orchestra performs these pieces at the Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Cultural Campus and Esperanza Arts Center.
Still on View
Rising Sun: Artists in an Uncertain America
African American Museum in Philadelphia & Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Through December 31, 2023, at PAFA and through March 3, 2024, at AAMP
In an exhibition spanning two Philadelphia institutions, 20 artists respond to the question, “Is the sun rising or setting on the experiment of American democracy?” Reflecting on free speech, human rights, equality, and other democratic principles, the artists include Pew Fellows Mark Thomas Gibson and Wilmer Wilson IV along with John Akomfrah CBE, Lenka Clayton, Petah Coyne, and others. “These works are meant to position the viewer in a space where they are interpreting dawn and dusk,” artist Eamon Ore-Giron told The New York Times about his two paintings in the exhibition. “America’s filled with this weird duality. To me this two-part exhibition structure just reinforced the idea of perspective.”
nkwiluntàmën: I long for it; I am lonesome for it (such as the sound of a drum)
Pennsbury Manor
Through April 2024
As the leaves start to change, it’s an excellent time to experience this immersive sound installation set on the riverfront grounds of William Penn’s home, created by Delaware Tribe member Nathan Young. Featuring original compositions of environmental sounds recorded in the area, the installation honors and reimagines the tribe’s environmental song-making traditions and meditates on the enduring relationship between the Delaware Tribe of Indians and the tribe’s ancestral homeland, Lenapehoking. “Here at Pennsbury Manor, by letting me do things like this and other things that Pennsbury has done for the recognized Delaware tribes—what they do matters,” Young told WHYY. “It’s not just lip service. These are real, meaningful gestures.”
