CITY DESTINATION: Philadelphia in May

By Jorge Jefferds May 3, 2019

If you travel to Philly in May, your chances of having fun are infinite. Today, however, once you check in your favorite hotel or even at a friend’s house, make sure not to spend too much time hanging in there and go out for one of these three adventures in the city.

The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival returns to Franklin Square May 1 - June 30, 2019!

This blockbuster event will illuminate Franklin Square with 29 all new culturally-inspired lantern sculptures, performances and handcrafted keepsakes by Chinese folk artists, the Dragon Beer Garden, and much more.

In addition to marveling at 29 larger-than-life illuminated lanterns, festival attendees will enjoy authentic cultural stage performances, including acrobats, dancers, and the fan-favorite face changer. Enjoy three 30-minute stage performances nightly at 7:30, 9:00, and 10:30pm as part of your admission!

Performances:  Face-Changing, Martial Arts, Jar Juggling, Tai Chi Demonstration, Folk Dancer, and Contortion.

Chinese folk Artists will be weaving aluminum wire, carving stone, making custom flutes, painting Chinese folk and painting wheat and straw.

Visitors can dine on Asian cuisine and American favorites, drink a toast at the Dragon Beer Garden, and shop for Chinese folk artists’ crafts created on site…all inside the festival grounds.

Four remarkable places will be established for food and beverage: Dragon Beer Garden, Square Burger, Great Lawn Grill, and Leaping Fish Noodle House.

Remember to buy your tickets in their website: http://historicphiladelphia.org/chineselanternfestival/, but you can do it in site if you prefer.

All That 90’s Party – Philadelphia

ALL THAT 90s PARTY with DJ Marco, who will break down the 90s and reconstruct the decade at Voltage Lounge. You might hear music from: TLC, Mariah Carey, No Doubt, Nirvana, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Spice Girls, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Madonna, Janet Jackson, George Michael, Lenny Kravitz, Boyz II Men, Aaliyah, Paula Abdul, Hanson, Brandy, Monica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Pulp, Beck, Garbage, Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple, The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Jay-Z, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, BLACKstreet, C+C Music Factory, Black Box, Prince, Michael Jackson, Color Me Badd, En Vogue, The Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, Naughty by Nature, Deee-Lite, Jamiroquai, Bell Biv DeVoe, Arrested Development, Vanilla Ice, Kris Kross, Beastie Boys, Digital Underground, Montell Jordan, Missy Elliott and many more...

The event will take place between Friday, May 3^rd, until Saturday May 4^th, or until the small hours. Voltage Lounge is located at 421 North 7^th street. Be aware that all ticket sales are final, which means that refunds and exchanges are discouraged. For more information, visit http://voltagelounge.com/

The Philadelphia Science Festival (April 26 – may 4, 2019)

The Philadelphia Science Festival returns bigger, better and brainier than ever before with nine days of events at restaurants, breweries, museums, libraries, parks and other neighborhood spaces.

More than 70,000 people flock to over 80 science-themed programs and events scheduled each year throughout the city.

The popular festival — taking place April 26 – May 4, 2019 — features lectures, debates, hands-on activities, special exhibitions and a variety of other informal and diverse science education experiences for all ages.

PSF aims to provide opportunities for all Philadelphians to positively engage with and build a community around science, engineering and technology.

The array of Philadelphia Science Festival events run the gamut, with many of the workshops, lectures and happenings running free of charge.

Past festival events have included a discussion about life on Mars, a chocolate chip cookie lab, a science-themed night at Citizens Bank Park and an ’80s prom-themed scientific soiree.

All events and activities are designed to help spark conversation, curiosity and passion for the topics of science and technology that play a vital role in our everyday lives.

The massive Science Carnival (May 4) is the signature closing event of the festival. The free, highly anticipated event boasts a slew of activities, hands-on experiments, live performances, educator opportunities and explosive visuals throughout the day.

In previous years, highlights of the carnival included opportunities to meet live animals from the Philadelphia Zoo, explore the inner-workings of robots and witness brawling matches between “Sumo Robots.”

For a complete schedule, event locations and to purchase tickets to select events, visit https://www.fi.edu/psf.

ART JOURNEY: From the Blue House to Brooklyn

By Jorge Jefferds April 26, 2019

Frida Kahlo

She died at the young age of 47 and she left a legacy of clothing, furniture, and ornaments besides her amazing artwork.

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s unique and immediately recognizable style was an integral part of her identity. Kahlo came to define herself through her ethnicity, disability, and politics, all of which were at the heart of her work. Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving is the largest U.S. exhibition in ten years devoted to the iconic painter and the first in the United States to display a collection of her clothing and other personal possessions, which were rediscovered and inventoried in 2004 after being locked away since Kahlo’s death, in 1954. They are displayed alongside important paintings, drawings, and photographs from the celebrated Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art, as well as related historical film and ephemera. To highlight the collecting interests of Kahlo and her husband, muralist Diego Rivera, works from our extensive holdings of Mesoamerican art are also included.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

Kahlo’s personal artifacts—which range from noteworthy examples of Kahlo’s Tehuana clothing, contemporary and pre-Colonial jewelry, and some of the many hand-painted corsets and prosthetics used by the artist during her lifetime—had been stored in the Casa Azul (Blue House), the longtime Mexico City home of Kahlo and Rivera, who had stipulated that their possessions not be disclosed until 15 years after Rivera’s death. The objects shed new light on how Kahlo crafted her appearance and shaped her personal and public identity to reflect her cultural heritage and political beliefs, while also addressing and incorporating her physical disabilities.

"Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving" is based on exhibitions at the Frida Kahlo Museum (2012), curated by Circe Henestrosa; and the V&A London (2018), curated by Claire Wilcox and Circe Henestrosa, with Gannit Ankori as curatorial advisor. Their continued participation has been essential to presenting the Brooklyn exhibition, which is organized by Catherine Morris, Sackler Senior Curator for the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, and Lisa Small, Senior Curator, European Art, Brooklyn Museum, in collaboration with the Banco de México Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, and The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and The Vergel Foundation.

According to a recent report in the website of the Brooklyn Museum, advance tickets are sold out through the close of the exhibition. Same-day, on-site tickets are timed, offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, and sell out quickly each day. A limited number of complimentary, advance Member tickets are still available for Members-only hours on April 24 and 27 and May 1, 4, 8, and 11, with advance ticket reservation strongly recommended.

“Frida Kahlo: Appearances can be Deceiving,” is exhibited in the Brooklyn Museum from February 8 until May 12, 2019. Located at 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY, 11238, the cultural venue is open Monday through Friday (call the number 718.638.5000 to confirm their current hours or visit their webpage www.brooklynmuseum.org). 

On-site parking is available in the lot behind the Museum, off Washington Avenue. On Target First Saturdays there's a flat rate of $6 beginning at 5 pm. There is also public transportation that can take you to the location.  By clicking the menu Directions in the institution’s home page, you will receive more instructions about it. If you want to ride your bike, park the bicycle at the racks behind the Museum, next to the Sculpture Garden. Consider that they are parked at your own risk; the museum does not take over any responsibility for vandalism or theft.