Visual Art Calendar


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Published: Jan 13, 2010

Philagrafika: The Graphic Unconscious

A veritable Fringe Festival for the graphic arts, Philagrafika spans four months, scores of venues and more than 300 artists. Lest you become overwhelmed, start off slow with the international festival's core exhibit, "The Graphic Unconscious." And by "slow" we mean you'll only need to hit up five places to soak it all in. Moore College of Art & Design, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Temple Gallery and the Print Center will collectively celebrate the role of print in contemporary art through huge individual exhibits. We can't pick just one, and neither should you. Jan. 29-April 11, various locations, 215-557-8433, philagrafika.org.

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While You Were Out

Last time we caught up with local sculptor Darla Jackson, she was waist-deep in "A Miniature Ocean," a Mew Gallery exhibit depicting a tiny seaside scene where an anthropomorphized mother rabbit wore a boat on her head and plucked her babies out of the water. As if that weren't sweet enough, for her new series at the Philadelphia Art Alliance — part of the exhibit "En Route" — she places her anatomically correct, highly emotive creatures in human settings, and lets them play. Feb. 11-May 3, Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St., 215-545-4302, philartalliance.org.

Picasso and the Avant-Garde in Paris

Lessons learned by aspiring 20th-century artists: If Picasso moves to Paris, you move to Paris. If Picasso paints in muted, disjointed squares, you better do the same. The Art Museum's big spring exhibit follows the man behind Cubism from his native Spain to the capital of France, where he spent decades exploring abstraction, surrealism and the avant-garde, and inspired a boatload of colleagues from around the world to follow in his footsteps. None would quite match his genius, though many would try. Feb. 24-April 25, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-763-8100, philamuseum.org.

Marvels and Ciphers

For centuries, scientists have broken boundaries, cracked codes and made discoveries to unlock long-kept secrets of the universe. Meanwhile the rest of us have been sitting around scratching our heads, wondering how the hell they managed to figure it all out. The Chemical Heritage Foundation's clever spring exhibit, "Marvels and Ciphers," curated by Marge Gapp, explores the academic abyss that has historically existed between inventor and regular Joe, through various artworks and artifacts. Watch especially for William Pether's 1775 painting The Discovery of Phosphorus, which depicts a glowing orb illuminating a crowded laboratory. Is it a message from God, or an invention finally gone right? Depends on your perspective. Begins March 5, Chemical Heritage Foundation, 315 Chestnut St., 215-925-2222, chemheritage.org.

Looking at Animals

Henry Horenstein's subjects are not always graceful, not always mighty and, often, not even very pretty to look at. But the Boston photographer's most compelling shots — from a hippo's crooked spine to the little hairs sprouting from the snout of a pasty-pink pig — are lovely in their imperfection. The Academy of Natural Sciences pairs Horenstein's images with research specimens from its extensive collection — which means you may start looking at animals for more than what's on the surface. March 13-May 16, Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-299-1000, ansp.org.