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.
Swatties, I understand your quandary. You want to go out and enjoy arts activities this weekend, but you also want to save money so you can be financially prepared for the season of giving. Fear not, children, for the Weekend Round-up is here, chock-full of entertaining, enriching, fun, and free activities (cost of transportation not factored in)!
At Swat’s List Gallery, the exhibit Darra Keeton: 1991-2009 is showing. Darra Keeton works with oil, gouache, collage, and photography to create rich and poetic works that express vulnerability and emotional struggle. In the past, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Her fight for physical, mental, and spiritual stability is reflected in her works, especially in such titles as My Big Amygdala and Axon. Examples of some of her work can be found online here. You can visit this exhibit Tuesdays through Sundays from 12:00PM – 5:00PM until Dec. 5.
Tonight there will be a screening of the movie Fatima hosted by the Middle Eastern Cultural Society and Americans for Informed Democracy. (Middle Eastern food will be served!) Fatima is about the conflicts that face a young Iraqi expatriate who returns to her war-torn home country after the fall of Saddam Hussein. It is narrative fiction film shot in Baghdad that gives an Iraqi perspective. The screening will be in Sci 101 at 7:00PM.
Also happening tonight is an Olde Club show! This is one of Philly guitarist and songwriter Kurt Vile’s last US performances before he begins his European tour. Often compared to Beck, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and the Animal Collective, Kurt Vile draws from lo-fi folk and classic rock roots to create both hazy, melancholic psych-folk as well as more carefree, windows-down road trip jams. Listen here. Opening for Vile is New Jersey powerpop band Home Blitz, who can be found here.
There are Philly events that are free, too! The Philadelphia School of Circus Arts is showcasing their kids on Sunday at 2:00PM. They will perform trapeze, group acts, unicycle, rolla bolla, juggling, and more in what is sure to be an entertaining and, at the very least, unique event. Contact information can be found here.
The Institute of Contemporary Art at UPenn is showing two exhibitions that look really interesting. The first, Dance With Camera, explores a crossover between dancers and artists who create choreography for the camera. The artworks in the exhibition show how the camera lens is not merely a recording device, but also both a stage and an audience simultaneously. Screenings show iconic dance films, ranging from Busby Berkeley’s Hollywood musicals to Maya Deren’s avant-garde films. This exhibition is open Wednesday – Friday from 12:00PM – 8:00PM and Saturday – Sunday from 11:00AM – 5:00PM. More info here.
Also showing at the ICA is an exhibition entitled Video Art: Replay, Part I: Asking Not Telling. This is the first part of a year long, three-part exhibition offering a snapshot of current video art. The three parts correspond with three themes of modern video art—documentary, animation, and comedy. Part I: Asking Not Telling presents videos by artists who represent cultural memory and play with the sense of history by using documentary-style recording. More information can be found here.