October 2- 8, 2003

first friday focus

J. Morgan Puett and Mark Dion (with The Fabric Workshop and Museum), Post-Apocalyptic Nurse (2003), PTFE fiber, ballistic material, nickel, vinyl and other.

by Lori Hill

The Fabric Workshop

She stands defiant and barefoot atop a pile of rusted rubble, twisted metal and other wreckage. She wears a tattered but clean white ensemble with the letters "RN" emblazoned across the chest. She's been through hell, but she's prepared for the aftermath, with gloves, medical bags and bottles at the ready. She is Post-Apocalyptic Nurse, and she's just one of several nurses of the future conceived by Mark Dion and J. Morgan Puett. The couple spent three years doing research for this show, called "RN: The Past, Present and Future of the Nurse's Uniform." They plunged into the archives of the School of Nursing at University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Hospital, The Museum of Nursing History and the Philadelphia Museum of Art's "Ars Medica" collection, among others. The show starts with vintage nursing uniforms and artifacts culled from these collections, as well as Dion and Puett's own stash. The two then worked with retired, working and student nurses on the "ideal" contemporary nurse's uniform, which will be manufactured right at the gallery through a reconstruction of a uniform company. Perhaps the most fun (or alarming), though, is their vision of the future: Bioterrorism Nurse, Intergalactic Nurse and Diagnostic Nurse, whose uniform is able to track vital signs and make a diagnosis at the mere touch of a hand. Fashion's never been so practical and lifesaving! Dion and Puett will give a slide lecture at the opening reception.

Reception Fri., Oct. 3, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Exhibition runs through Feb. 14, 1315 Cherry St., fifth floor, 215-568-1111.

Works on Paper

Francesco Scavullo has spent a lifetime photographing the beautiful people: Madonna, Cher, Brad Pitt, Elizabeth Taylor and, well, Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger, too. The thing is, he makes them look like people. These are not glamour shots by any stretch. They're not glimmering with shiny lights and makeup, nor are they overwrought with concept -- no gimmicks, no cinematic trickery at work here. Yet his images have made the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Time and Rolling Stone. One of the most famous and striking of Scavullo's photos is represented in this exhibit -- the cover of Diana Ross' 1980 Diana album. Leaning over, she looks luminous sans makeup in a wet T-shirt and ratty jeans. "Francesco Scavullo: A Photographic Retrospective" is a 10-part touring exhibition, each part representing a portfolio containing 10 hand-toned silver gelatin prints. The "Song" portfolio, on view at Works on Paper this month, features pop icons like Debbie Harry, Mick Jagger, Janis Joplin, Sting and Luciano Pavarotti. Scavullo will be in town for the opening of the show, which launches the tour of the "Song" portfolio.

Reception Fri., Oct. 3, 6:30-8 p.m. Exhibition runs through Nov. 3, 1611 Walnut St., 215-988-9999.

The Philadelphia Foundation

Too often, kids grow up well aware that they live in a "bad" neighborhood. Centro Nueva Creacion is trying to change that in more ways than one. The Kensington community organization works with neighborhoods on afterschool programming, parenting education, teen leadership programs and more, and now they're sponsoring an exhibition of children's photography. Local kids bucked the trend of calling their home "The Badlands" and photographed the "Tierra Buena," or "The Goodlands." More than 50 images captured by Latino and African-American 8- to 14-year-olds, on disposable, 35mm and digital cameras, will be on view for two months.

Reception Thu., Oct. 2, 5-7 p.m. Exhibition runs through Nov. 26, 1234 Market St., 215-563-6417.

And Then There’s …

Lomas Garza's "Como la Salvila/Like the Aloe" exhibition opens this week at Swarthmore's List Gallery, and the run includes lectures and workshops about Latino art and culture. Reception and artist's lecture Fri., Oct. 3, 4:30 p.m. Exhibition runs through Nov. 2, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., 610-328-8488. There's a few more weeks to catch Seraphin Gallery’s show of the work of Grace Hartigan, one of the original abstract expressionists; the work at Seraphin is inspired by Asian arts and cultures. Through Oct. 21, 1108 Pine St., 215-923-7000. The University of the Arts' student-run exhibition space, Gallery One, has a show up called "Volatile Bodies: One More View on Sexual Politics" with work by Sarah McEneaney, Jeanne Jaffe, David Humphrey and Katherine Bradford, among others. Closing reception Fri., Oct. 24, 6-9 p.m., 320 S. Broad St., 215-717-6509. Italian Market newcomer Gleaners Café and Gallery has the work of local painter Nikolay Milushev. Through Oct. 19, 917 S. Ninth St., 215-923-3205.

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