Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
Dance, theater, opera, music, art: all of your cultural interests can be met this weekend, on campus or in Philly. This weekend, consider checking out some less frequented destinations like the Institute of Contemporary Art or the International House Philadelphia.
Want to expand your artistic palette? The Institute of Contemporary Art in University City (part of the University of Pennsylvania’s museum system) is a great chance to take a look at modern and contemporary artists of note from around the world. “Locally localized gravity” is a mixture of performance art and an interactive exhibit examining the possibilities of “the artist as producer.” Alternately, you can check out the architectural projects of Cuban artist Carlos Garaico or the drippingly eclectic ceramics of Nicole Cherubini.
Prefer a little music? The Philadelphia Orchestra has a beautiful lineup for the weekend with a special Debussy and Schubert program. Alternately, the International House of Philadelphia will be presenting the Rova Saxophone quartet, an experimental jazz group, to be performing John Coltrane’s “Ascension” (considered by some to by Coltrane’s fines work) this Saturday at 10.
Finally, if your in the mood for a performance, you can check out the Faculty Dance Concert this Saturday here at Swat. Also to note, the Opera Company of Philadelphia will be performing classic “Porgy and Bess.” Finally, this weekend is the kickoff of the Philadelphia New Play Festival, made up of 28 theater events, nine world premieres, and nine Philadelphia theaters. Among the plays: “Enemies, A Love Story,” “Anne of Green Gables,” “Nerds://A Musical Software Satire,” and a symposium on playwriting by Christopher Durang and Jeffrey Hatcher.