Museums/Exhibits

Published: November 14, 2007

Museums and exhibits have varying schedules; please callfor exact days, hours and prices.

ABINGTON ART CENTER , 515 Meetinghouse Rd., Jenkintown, 215-887-4882. INSIDE/OUTSIDE: HABITAT, Features sculptures by several artists including Brandon Ballengee, Austin Thomas and Simon Draper. The works depict concepts and questions regarding the welfare of human and non-human habitats, as well as the interdependancy of all species and their habitats. Runs through Nov. 24. MAGICAL REALISM, Features paintings mixing fantasy and reality by Marilyn Holsing, Susana Viola Jacobson, Steve Kenny, Deirdre Murphy, Walter Benjamin Smith and Aaron Delamatre. Runs through Nov. 24.

AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY , 104 S. 5th St., 215-440-3400. UNDAUNTED: FIVE AMERICAN EXPLORERS, Features exhibits on five explorers with Philadelphia connections: naturalist painter John Audobon, Arctic explorer Elisha Kane, freshwater ecologist Ruth Patrick, specimen collector Titian Peale and astronomer, surveyor and inventor David Rittenhouse. Runs through Dec. 28. CELESTIAL GARDEN, Features an outdoor installation by Winifred Lutz, which mimics the constellations in the Philly sky and is made up of more than 140 glass demispheres suspended above the grass and illuminated by LED lights. Runs through March 31. MASON-DIXON LINES, Features parallel bands by Winifred Lutz, which trace three ways of mapping the historic border between Pennsylvania and Maryland. Runs through Dec. 28.

AMERICAN SWEDISH HISTORICAL MUSEUM , 1900 Pattison Ave., 215-389-1776. BUILDING A VIEW, Features work by contemporary Swedish artist Madeleine Hatz. This multimedia exhibit focuses on oil paintings, but also includes music, videos and photographs. Runs through Jan. 13.

ART IN CITY HALL , City Hall, Broad & Market sts., 2nd & 4th floors, 215-686-2803. ART ABILITY, Features work by artists with a variety of disabilities. Runs through Dec. 21. TOYING WITH ART, Features work by 32 local artists including Tad Sare, Karen Stone, Rebecca Gilbert, Martha Knox and Laura Demme. Each piece is inspired by toys or games. Runs through Jan. 25.

ARTS SCENE , 530 E. Union St., West Chester, 610-644-6555. RECYCLED CREATIVITY, Features work created from consumer waste by five artists, including exhibit curator, Kirsten Fischler. Materials include cookie tins, car taillights and building scraps. Runs through Dec. 8. DOWN TO EARTH, Features work by Kevin Arnold, Ken Baker, Susan Bankert, Pam Cummings, Beverly Fisher and others in celebration of the connections between local art, music and food. Runs through Dec. 8.

ARTWORKS , 19 Everett Alley, Trenton, NJ, 609-394-9436. REUNION, Features mixed-media work by Jenny Abbott, Tony LaPlaca, Pat Martin, Janet Waronker, Tom Kelly, Dottie Arnao and other resident artists and board members. Runs through Nov. 17.

ATWATER KENT MUSEUM , 15 S. 7th St., 215-685-4830. A GREAT COMPANY IN A GREAT CITY, Features highlights from a collection of etchings, lithographs and engravings — many of which reference important events in Philadelphia history — recently donated to the museum by the Insurance Company of North America. Runs through Dec. 1.

BEAN CAFE , 615 South St., 215-629-2250. PAPER CUTOUTS, Features paper cutouts of funeral scenes, beheadings and crashing buildings by Joe Boruchow. Runs through Dec. 11.

BRANDYWINE RIVER MUSEUM , US Routes 1 & 100, Chadds Ford, 610-388-2700. FLIGHTS INTO FANTASY, Features nearly 100 drawings and paintings by famous illustrators of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen, Jessie Smith, W.W. Denslow, Erest Shepard, Ludwig Bemelmans, Dorothy Lahtrop and E. Boyd Smith. Runs through Nov. 18.

CONSPIRACY SHOWROOM , 910 N. 2nd St., 215-925-2153. LOOKING BACK, Features paintings of reflective scenes by Boringbot. Runs through Dec. 9.

CRANE ARTS BUILDING , 1400 N. American St., 215-235-3405. ALL OUR PLANS THAT LEAD BACK TO THE BEGINNING, Features a site-specific installation by Janell Olah exploring how surroundings affect the inhabitants of a space through systems and memory. Particularily influential are systems that guide movements, such as airflow, plumbing and electricity. Runs through Dec. 28.

DA VINCI ART ALLIANCE , 704 Catharine St., 215-829-0466. QUANTUM CREATIVITY, Features 136 gold-painted, mixed-media assemblages by Gerald DiFalco, who was inspired by folklore, theology and mysticism for this series. Runs through Nov. 30.

DENIM SOCIETY , 627 N. 2nd St., 215-923-0536. FLY GIRRL, Features acrylic and ink work by Stacey Wilson, who is inspired by urban, comic book and graffiti art. Runs through Dec. 1.

GERM BOOKS AND GALLERY , 308 E. Girard Ave., 215-423-5002. IGNI NATURA RENOVATUR INTEGRA, Features surrealist paintings by Germ's late founder Jennifer Bates. Runs through Dec. 2.

INDEPENDENCE SEAPORT MUSEUM , 211 S. Columbus Blvd., 215-925-5439. THE ART OF THE BOAT, Features 40 nautical photographs by Morris Rosenfeld that capture the fusion of man, boat and sea. Runs through April 1.

INFUSION , 7133 Germantown Ave., 215-248-1718. JACK SOUDER, Features large-scale, panoramic photographs of Mount Airy and Wissahickon Creek wildlife. Runs through Nov. 30.

INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART , 118 S. 36th St., 215-898-7108. ENSEMBLE, Features sculpture pieces and interactive installations by Harry Bertoia, Yoko Ono, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Terry Adkins, Doug Aitken, Noah Sheldon, Evan Holloway, Jon Kessler, Angela White, Yoshi Wada, Dennis Oppenheim, Jim Hodges, Martin Creed and Paul Ramirez, among others. Runs through Dec. 16. BETWEEN US, Features photographs by Philadelphia-based artist Eileen Neff, whose work charts the modern critical shift from camera to computer. Runs through Dec. 16. JAY HEIKES, Features an installation composed of drawings, a cement and brass bed of nails, a digital cuckoo clock and a stylized rat trap.The entire project is inspired by a joke about an impatient pirate and his snarky parrot. Runs through Dec. 16. FLY THROUGH, Features an installation by Linda Taalman and Alan Koch, which is based upon their iT House, an aluminum and glass "kit house" that has been produced and installed on several sites in California. Vinyl graphic "outfits" by Jim Iserman, Liam Gillick, Sarah Morris and Renee Petropoulos will cover the windows. Runs through Dec. 16.

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE , 3701 Chestnut St., 215-895-6537. FOUR BY FOUR, Features video works by Anita Allyn, Sinae Lee, James Rosenthal and Jody Sweitzer, who explore themes of the body, cultural and personal identity, status and pop culture. Runs through Dec. 28.

LA SALLE UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM , Olney Hall, 20th St. & Olney Ave., 215-951-1221. WHICH ONE ARE YOU? Features large-scale wall paintings by muralist David McShane, which explore intimate questions about family and faith. Runs through Dec. 7. UTOPIAN NIGHTMARES: DYSTOPIAN DAYDREAMS, Features a combination of video by Conrad Gleber and paintings by Nick Potter. Runs through Nov. 20.

LAVA SPACE , 4134 Lancaster Ave., 215-387-6155. ART AT LAVA, Features installations by Harmony Thompson, Zoe Cohen, Bilwa, Elysa Voshell, JJ Tiziou, Mary Tasillo, Cecily Anderson, Sarah Phillips, Jodi Netzer and Dominic Lepore. Works include wheat-pasted posters, murals, tile mosaics, site-specific sculptures and a solar-powered installation. Runs through Nov. 30.

LIBRARY COMPANY OF PHILADELPHIA , 1314 Locust St., 215-546-3181. LIVING COLOR, Features a survey of the growth of the Library Company's collection of color-plate books from the 18th century to the present. Included is work by Mark Catesby, William Birch, Alexander Wilson, John James Audobon and Richard Bowdler Sharpe. Runs through Dec. 14.

MICHENER ART MUSEUM , 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown, 215-340-9800. EXCURSIONS, Features two videos ("The Geosophist's Tears" and "Rotary Almanac") by video artist Peter Rose, who splices and superimposes nature footage in confusing, entrancing ways to make viewers think about how they perceive land. Runs through Nov. 25. THE DISPASSIONATE BODY, Features work by American realist painter Philip Pearlstein, including 16 large nude paintings. Runs through Jan. 8.

NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER , Independence Mall, 525 Arch St., 215-409-6600. FIRST LADIES, Features more than 150 artifacts from the Smithsonian's "First Ladies" collection. The exhibit spans two centuries, and includes formal gowns, clothing and jewelry. Runs through Dec. 31. PORTRAIT OF A FAMILY, Features 27 never-before-displayed pictures of the Kennedy family taken by Richard Avedon just prior to Kennedy's inauguration. Runs through Dec. 2.

PAINTED BRIDE ART CENTER , 230 Vine St., 215-925-9914. DIGITAL: SPACE: OBJECT, Features media works by Lee Arnold, Theo Artz, Perry Bard, Daniel Kariko, Carlos Rosas and Blaise Tobias, who explore where and how transient digital images fit into our current social and physical spaces. Curated by AwardProjX. Runs through Jan. 12. (UN)BUILT, Features paintings of urban landscapes by Erin Murray, which capture a city in transition with vacant lots, unrealized new construction and buildings reclaimed by nature. Runs through Jan. 12.

PENN MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY , 3260 South St., 215-898-4000. RIVER OF GOLD: PRECOLUMBIAN TREASURES FROM SITIO CONTE, Features almost 150 artifacts, including 120 Precolumbian gold objects such as hammered plaques, pendants, ornaments, bells, bangles and beads. These items were excavated by the Penn Museum in 1940 at the Rio Grande de Cocle. Also on display are site photos and drawings. Runs through Dec. 16. EXPLORING IRAN, Features 60 photopraphs by Penn Museum archaeologist Erich F. Schmidt taken during his expeditions to Iran. Schmidt and two professional photographers documented the excavation of the Bronze Age site Tepe Hissar, but also made extensive documentation of the desert and mountain people of Iran. Also included are ancient painted pottery and bronze jewelery from the site. Runs through Dec. 16.

PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF THE FINE ARTS , 118 N. Broad St., 215-972-7600. OUT OF THE CHATEAU, Features 34 pieces by local artist Charles Demuth. This is the first traveling exhibition of the Demuth Museum's permanent collection. The paintings are from various stages of the artists life. Runs through Dec. 9. SPACE IS THE PLACE, Features installations, paintings and sound and video works that focus on the potential, successes and failures of space exploration. Runs through Dec. 30.

PENNSYLVANIA ART CONSERVATORY , 1824 Chestnut St., 215-564-2100. REVOLUTIONS IN FORM AND COLOR, Features regionalist and modernist works from 1900-1950. Runs through Dec. 3.

PHILADELPHIA ART ALLIANCE , 215 S. 18th St., 215-545-4302. ALONG THE WAY, Features large and small porcelain dolls by Korean-American artist SunKoo Yuh, which are inspired by his life and friends in Korea. Runs through Dec. 30. STRATUM, Features large- and small-scale paintings by Tim Mcfarlane, who uses many layers of paint to create depth on the canvas and reveal the process of creation. Runs through Dec. 30. FALLING UPSTAIRS, Features paintings by Catherine Gontarek, which are inspired by objects, rooms and urban exteriors in her life. Runs through Dec. 30.

PHILADELPHIA ATHENAEUM , 219 S. 6th St., 215-925-2688. LOST LONDON, Features photographs by Henry Dixon and John and Alfred Bool of historic London. As the city grew during the late 19th century, many notable buildings were demolished. Runs through Dec. 14.

PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART , 26th St. & the Parkway, 215-763-8100. TIBETAN RITUAL ARTS, Features Tibetan-Buddhist ritual images and implements drawn from the museum's collection of Himalayan art, including a domestic altar. Runs through Nov. 20. BOSCH AND BRUEGEL, Features detailed, colorful paintings by Rennaisance painters Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Breugel and their followers. Most Bosch works focus on religious figures, paradise or damnation, while Breugel paid serious attention to the lives and customs of peasants. Runs through Nov. 23. NOTATIONS, Features paintings by three of postwar Germany's most important artists: Anselm Kiefer, Sigmar Polke and Gerhart Richter. Each struggled with questions of how to go about life and art in the wake of Germany's war crimes, and in doing so produced large bodies of work defined equally by conceptual complexity and technical mastery. Runs through Nov. 25. THE BOOK OF WAR, Features 25 detailed folios from the 1598 "Book of War," a manuscript memorializing the conquests of the Mughal empire of central Asia. This is the first time that these pages (owned by the Free Library of Philadelphia) have been displayed together. Runs through Dec. 9. ALFRED STIEGLITZ, Features work by the 20th-century artist. His photographs, donated by his wife Georgia O'Keeffe, helped create the international photography collection now nearing 29,000 images. Runs through Jan. 31. RENOIR LANDSCAPES, Features 70 landscape paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.The paintings come from public and private collections and reflect the influence nature had on the artist. Runs through Jan. 6.

POWEL HOUSE , 244 S. 3rd St., 215-627-0364. AFTERMATH, Features a multimedia installation by Michelle Wilson, which explores the influence and deferred responsibility of middle-class comfort and challenges viewers to consider the consequences of the choices we make as a society. Runs through Nov. 25.

PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY , 64 Mercer St., Princeton, NJ, 609-497-7990. PICTURING PARADISE, Features cuadros appliqued and embroidered by the women of the Compacto Humano co-op in Lima, Peru. Runs through Dec. 7.

THE PRINT CENTER , 1614 Latimer St., 215-735-6090. BLACK PULSE, Features photo-based, mixed-media collages by Doug and Mike Starn, which blur the lines between photography, painting and sculpture. Runs through Nov. 21.

the ROTUNDA , 4014 Walnut St., 215-573-3234. DEW POINT, Features work by 19 Philly and New York mixed-media artists who explore environmental issues such as global warming and climate change. Curated by Aaron Birk. Runs through Nov. 30.

SAMUEL S. FLEISHER ART MEMORIAL , 719 Catharine St., 215-922-3456. ANATOMY OF THE BOOK, Features traditional and innovative book forms by Carol Barton, Hedi Kyle, Tom Leonard and Mary Phelan. Runs through Dec. 8.

SCHUYLKILL CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION , 8480 Hagy's Mill Rd., 215-482-7300. TIP OF THE ICEBERG, Features small sculptures by Deb Hoy, Carla Liguori, Keiko Miyamori, Emily Sullivan and Austin Tremellen, which address the impact of climate change on our climate. Runs through Jan. 31.

SLOUGHT FOUNDATION , 4017 Walnut St., 215-222-9050. THE WAYS TO POST HISTORY: A RETROSPECTIVE, Features photographs by Braco Dimitrijevic, which examine the fleeting nature of celebrity by placing strangers' faces on billboards, buses and banners. Runs through Nov. 28. ECSTATIC TRUTH: DOCUMENTING HERZOG DOCUEMENTING, Features work by Werner Herzog accompanied of images of the filmmaker by photographer Beat Presser. Included are manifestos, films and photos in which Herzog explores the boundary between fiction and documentary. Runs through Nov. 15.

SORYARANGSEY BUDDHIST TEMPLE , 5415 Rising Sun Ave., 215-913-6180. HEART SHRINE RELIC, Features a collection of sacred relics, which were found among the cremation ashes of Buddhist masters. Runs through Nov. 18.

THOMAS EAKINS HOUSE , 1729 Mt. Vernon St., 215-235-7475. MY NORTH PHILLY, Features an exhibit by the Mural Arts Program tracing the stories of four neighborhoods in North Philly through photographs and interviews that inspired seven murals. Runs through Dec. 1.

TYLER SCHOOL OF ART , 7725 Penrose Ave., Elkins Park, 215-782-2776. WAKE TO FACE, Features photographs by Michael M. Koehler. Runs through Dec. 18.

UNIVERSITY CITY ARTS LEAGUE , 4226 Spruce St., 215-382-7811. STATES OF ENLIGHTENMENT, Features 14 acrylic works by Chilean-born artist and West Philly resident Jacqueline Unanue, who is inspired by the pre-Columbian rock art of her native country. Runs through Nov. 25.

UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS , Broad & Pine sts., 215-717-6504. ALGORIST MUSINGS, Features mixed-media works by Shawn Lawson that analyze computer phenomena, cultural progression and natural experiences. Runs through Nov. 28.

URSINUS COLLEGE BERMAN MUSEUM OF ART , 601 East Main St., Collegeville, 610-409-3000. IS THERE STILL LIFE? Features works on paper by Constance Simon and Debrah Jospe and printed works in two and three dimensions by Philadelphia book artist Enid Mark. Runs through April 1. EVE PERI, Features fiber art. Runs through Dec. 26.

VAGABOND , 37 N. 3rd St., 215-671-0737. BEHIND MOUNTAINS, MORE MOUNTAINS, Features drawings and other work by Zoe Soslow. Runs through Dec. 1.

WAGNER FREE INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE , 1700 W. Montgomery Ave., 215-763-6529. THE SCIENTIFIC IMAGE, Features original drawings by Joseph Leidy and illustrations from the museum's collection of entomology and malacology books. Runs through Dec. 28.

WOOD TURNING CENTER , 512 Vine St., 215-923-8000. TRANSFORMING VISION, Features wood sculpture William Hunter. Runs through Dec. 8.

WOODMERE ART MUSEUM , 9201 Germantown Ave., 215-247-0476. ANGELS, ALLEYS AND ANIMAL ACTS, Features printmaking by Julius Bloch, Robert Riggs, G. Ralph Smith, Earl Horter and Benton Spruance. The five artists explore the difficulties of life during the Depression, WWI and WWII. Runs through Jan. 6.