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.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you The Weekend Round-up! (Explosions, fireworks, cheering masses, a marching band, and confetti.)
Swatties, this weekend is perfect to expand your cultural horizons and attend some arts events on or off campus. You’re a week into your first semester, and even if you haven’t really been keeping up with your New Year’s resolutions not to procrastinate, you haven’t had quite enough time to accumulate a lot of work to catch up on. So get out and see something!
On campus, the List Gallery is showing Ying Li: A Survey. This exhibition will feature thirty-three paintings and drawings of Ying Li, emphasizing her landscape paintings and charcoal portraits. Li was born in Beijing, China in 1951. She studied oil painting at the Anhui Teacher’s University in China, and in 1983 she moved to the U.S., studying at the Parsons School of Design. She has exhibited her work internationally, and is currently represented by Lohin Geduld Galler in New York. Li is a Professor of Fine Arts at Haverford College.
The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia is presenting Becky Shaw, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Off-Broadway hit that premiered earlier this year. Written by Gina Gionfriddo (a writer/producer of “Law & Order”), the play mixes sharp wit and the suspense of a psychological thriller. The show is about a character named Suzanna who decides to set up her best friend Max on a blind date with her husband’s mysterious coworker Becky Shaw. Tickets range from $18-$55—more information can be found here.
If you’re up for something a little more, oh, you know, je ne sais quoi, the Philadelphia Orchestra will be playing An Evening of Mozart tonight and Saturday night at the Kimmel Center. British conductor Nicholas McGegan and American pianist Robert Levin join forces as “scholar-performers” and bring to you an original and brilliant interpretation of Mozart. The program of the evening is Incidental Music from Thamos, King of Egypt, Piano Concerto No. 18, K. 456, and Symphony No. 40. Tickets range in price from $10-$120. More info here.
Another sweet event is at the University of Pennsylvania. Roar in the Year of the Tiger at the UPenn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology’s 29th annual Chinese New Year Celebration. Students from Chinese for Families, a multicultural Chinese language school offering Mandarin, martial arts, and dance classes will present tradtional Chinese cultural performances, including traditional Chinese dances and an original play. General admission is $10, $6 for full time students with ID. More info here!
