First Friday Focus

Carolyn Huckabay's First Friday Hit List

by Carolyn Huckabay

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Published: May 5, 2010

Larry Fink "Unfamiliar Skin" (outdoor installation shot) by Martha Posner, found objects, wire, feathers, pigment, synthetic hair and beeswax.

Dalet Gallery

From a distance, Martha Posner's sculptures are sweetly balletic: Evoking blissful action, the creamy, rustic children's gowns seem to float on their own, dancing like little girls do. But step right up, and beautiful quickly turns grotesque. Posner's "Unfamiliar Skin" comprises a handful of such "shape-shifters," made of found objects, wire, feathers, pigment, synthetic hair and beeswax. The result is a texture not unlike the flesh of picked-over roadkill, wounded and sticky. It's a visceral juxtaposition of sweet and wholly unsavory, yet for the artist, transformation is the key. "When the shape is shifting, it enters a transient state," says Posner in her artist statement, "which transcends categorization as either human or beast." Whether you choose to get close or keep your distance, you won't be able to look away. Opening reception Fri., May 7, 5-9 p.m., free, ends June 6, 141 N. Second St., 215-923-2424, daletart.com.

B Square Gallery

Pigs for sale! Benefiting art therapy programs at local hospitals, this weekend's Adopt a Pig community crawl features piggy banks hand-painted and embellished by local artists and Moore College of Art & Design alumnae. Each bank — decorated with everything from feathers and sunglasses to cotton candy — costs $250, and 100 percent of proceeds go to the nonprofit. "They have children with cancer decorate small-size banks while they're in the hospital," says Doris Chorney, director of alumnae affairs at Moore, of Adopt a Pig. "The organization also prepares 'coping kits' for the families." Participating galleries include Dupree, B Square, Da Vinci, Philadelphia Magic Gardens and Stoneworks. Champagne reception Fri., May 7, 6-9 p.m., $25, B Square Gallery, 614 S. Ninth St.; community crawl, Fri., May 7, 6-9 p.m., and Sat., May 8, 1-9 p.m., free, various galleries, adoptapig.org.

Lakshmi Hair Studio

For something completely different, George Alley, creative director of Alley Ink Dance, brings Curl Up and Dye to the heart of Old City. Though it's not an exhibit and it's not in a gallery, Alley argues that the dance piece — in which performers get their hair cut throughout the show as a means of exploring "our obsession with transformation," says the choreographer — presents an ideal art-viewing opportunity. "I do not understand why we continue to be precious about how we watch dance," says Alley. "Those who buy tickets to sit in the studio will experience deconstructed versions of ballet, African [dance] and punk in a more kinesthetic way; those who watch the piece outside the huge storefront window will experience the piece as an installation." Fri., May 7, 8 p.m., $8-$10, 21 N. Second St., 215-350-3504, georgealley.com.

And then there's ...

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Moulin Rouge-heads, take note: Lisa M. Reisman et Cie's May exhibit is tout Toulouse, tout le temps. "Toulouse-Lautrec: The Artist and His Circle" features original works plus purchasable prints and posters from the short (and short-lived) artist's oeuvre. Opening reception Fri., May 7, 5:30-9 p.m., free, ends May 29, 1714 Rittenhouse Square St., 215-735-2781, lisart.com. ... Little Berlin assesses the worth of art in "Value City," a group show that "redefine[s] the balance between concept and material value." Opening reception Fri., May 7, 6-10 p.m., free, ends May 30, 119 W. Montgomery Ave., 610-308-0579, littleberlin.org.

(carolyn.huckabay@citypaper.net)

Folklore
The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)
Kaleidoscope
Universal Pictures
Commercial America
Braving the New World
Dead Reckoning