“Confidence is Not a Four-Letter Word”
It is a common theme for artists to never be fully satisfied with their work. Even if we find ourselves feeling confident, we do not want to appear arrogant, so we go through the game of being overly humble when receiving compliments and sometimes even cut up our own work. As a part of this group exhibition of exclusively University of the Arts alumni, all artists involved have submitted a piece for which they can say, with confidence, “I am proud of this.”
“Confidence is Not a Four-Letter Word,” curated by Paradigm Gallery + Studio’s co-founders, Jason Chen (animation, ’08) and Sara McCorriston (theatrical design and technology, ’09), includes a wide range of artistic forms from visual to performing arts. Each work in this exhibition is accompanied by a 4-by-6-inch frame that tells the story of the piece through words and/or images chosen by the artist. The closing event will include a live multimedia dance performance, “Decoherence Fixation,” by John Luna (modern dance, ‘06). Tickets for the performances are available on Paradigm’s Online Shop. Refreshments and light fare will be served.
Paradigm Gallery + Studio at 2020 South St.
Friday, Feb. 17-18, 6-10:30 p.m.
Tickets: $2-$3
Imagine Africa
African music, dance and diverse cultures take center stage when the Penn Museum offers a free community day, part of the ongoing Imagine Africa with the Penn Museum gallery project and public programming initiative that runs through January 2013.
Philadelphia radio station 100.3 WRNB is sponsor of the free day, and on-air personality Lady B broadcasts live from the Penn Museum between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Guests will also enjoy performances by the Women’s Sekere Ensemble and the Neo-African Drums ‘n’ Dance ensemble from La Salle University. Special guest presenters from seven African countries join the afternoon with show-and-tell tables, sharing information about their countries’ cultures and traditions and providing related activities geared to families. Members of AFRICOM, the Coalition of African Communities in Philadelphia, share information about Liberia (Wayetu Moore) and Ghana (Samuel Quartey). Mary Osirim, a sociology professor at Bryn Mawr College and co-editor of Global Philadelphia, Immigrant Communities Old and New, talks about her book, which includes a chapter she authored on the city’s African community.
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at 3260 South St.
Saturday, Feb. 18, 10-5 p.m.
www.penn.museum
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Present “Dragons”
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents “Dragons” is a once-in-a-millennium event that honors the Year of the Dragon. Circus performers from the farthest reaches of the earth have assembled for “Dragons” to showcase their astounding acts of bravery and astonishing athleticism. Ringling Bros. Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson presides over this fantastical celebratory tournament of circus champions that brings together mystic dragon lore with authentic circus feats. “Dragons” is a never-before-seen blend of renowned spiritual and real-life legends that can be found only at The Greatest Show on Earth!
The Wells Fargo Center at 3601 S. Broad St.
Wednesday, Feb. 22 through Monday, Feb. 27
Tickets: $10-$95
Theatre Exile Presents “Knives in Hens”
Theatre Exile will present the third show of their 15th season with the Philadelphia premiere of “Knives in Hens” by David Harrower. Directed by Exile’s associate-artistic director Brenna Geffers and starring Ross Beschler, Emilie Krause and Jered McLennigan, “Knives in Hens” will be running from Feb. 9 through March 4 with the official press opening on Feb. 15 at Studio X, 1340 S. 13th St. Louis Bluver will be the honorary producer of this production.
“Knives in Hens” is a bold and beautiful play. In a secluded village a young couple’s love is challenged by an outsider, and the three are soon plunged into an erotic love triangle. Theatre Exile invites you to enter an excruciatingly intimate world filled with mystery and poetry and to watch as one young woman’s journey of self-discovery ruptures the very fabric of her own existence and jeopardizes all she holds dear.
“Knives in Hens” will seduce you with its language and immerse you in a reality beyond our own, one that invites exploration and envelops its audience in a total performance experience. Using a nontraditional relationship between audience and performance, Exile presents a new staging of Harrower’s work, one that will flood its audience in sensation.
Studio X at 1340 S. 13th St.
Through Sunday, March 4
Tickets: $25-$32
www.theatreexile.org