On The DL

The Rite of Passage Project

by Dianca Potts

Sat., Nov. 15, 4-5 p.m., free, the Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., 215-573-3234, therotunda.org

We've all gone through a rite of passage, whether it be marriage, graduation or simply ditching the training wheels. We've looked forward to them, dreaded them, celebrated them and been dragged through them — and have the memories and photographs to prove it. This fall, the Rotunda wants to take a look. Eventually hoping to comment on the narrative of city life, the Rite of Passage project will collage Philadelphia rituals into a smorgasbord of creative expression, culminating in a series of performances planned for January.

Very much in the spirit of last year's Collective Imprints community mural project, Rite of Passage encourages people to get out, get together and make something. "Now we're not using a canvas, but the stage," says artistic facilitator Gerald van Wilgen. "I really think it is important for people to be able to think critically about what motivates them in life, about why they have the dreams they have, about who they think they really are."

The project's first meeting this Saturday is open to everyone and invites all to be part of the discussion and planning. "I'm not anticipating anything because it implies expectations — I want to keep an open mind," says van Wilgen. "Hope is the key word. I hope people will come up with something totally unexpected."