North Philadelphia Puberty Survivors Support Forum

Puberty sucks.

by Molly Eichel

[ comedy ]

Puberty: Hands down the most universally shitty period in a young person's life. But everyone — boy or girl, gay or straight — went through it, which is exactly John O'Donnell's point. O'Donnell, a Connecticut-based artist, will host the North Philadelphia Puberty Survivors Support Forum, an AA-type therapy group. He'll ask participants to share their deepest, darkest, most hilarious story about puberty, whether it's being the last girl to move from training to actual bras or noticing you're the only boy in the locker room still sporting tighty whiteys.

The meeting complements "Salad Days" (pictured), O'Donnell's multimedia installation at FLUXSpace up until June 14, which defines puberty as a dividing line. "It's a nostalgic remembrance of my life before puberty — idealized, of course," says O'Donnell. "It was time without consequence; it's before you're preoccupied with reproduction. It's about being a different person to a certain extent."

O'Donnell has his own skeletons to share. During a bedtime father-son talk, O'Donnell's father asked his scion if he knew what puberty was. O'Donnell answered that it's when you grow hair on your penis. His dad responded, "If that happens, we'll call the veterinarian. I love you and good night."

Wed., June 10, 7:30 p.m., free, FLUXSpace, 3000 N. Hope St., thefluxspace.org.