Fabrics, pigment wash, colors and screenprint create image of a Black woman sitting on a chair against a US flag backdrop

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, July 2-8, 2025

What to do for Independence Weekend

New exhibitions Queridos and Where I’m From take unique looks at “how we got here”, get hands on at the PMA, and talk to spirits with Conversations with Miranda. Kyle V. Hiller previews.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 3 minute read
View of the grand stone entrance of the NYC Public Library, with a giant Pride flag with “Protect the Freedom to Read” on it.

Books are dangerous. That’s why we need the freedom to read them.

This Fourth of July, I’m reading something radical.

Anndee Hochman grew up reading Judy Blume, unaware of how controversial her books were. Today, after raising her own daughter, she knows what book-ban proponents do not: reading is a fundamental freedom.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Essays 6 minute read
A large American flag flies upside down on a flagpole in the wind, against a cloudy sky.

The Untied States: 249 years later, America’s still not great—but it could be.

This is our country’s first real chance at greatness. Will we take it?

The Trump administration has brought the United States to a crisis—but only because it revealed what has been there all along. Lindsay Gary asks if we have the courage to respond by making America great for the first time ever.
Lindsay Gary

Lindsay Gary

Essays 5 minute read
Sara Mae in a light jacket and black top with white paper floral spirals over their chest. The photo is fuzzy, out of focus

The moment of rupture: a conversation with Phantasmagossip author Sara Mae

What the ghosts say

Philly writer Sara Mae talks about their new poetry chapbook Phantasmagossip, writing songs with The Noisy, and themes of gender expansiveness and past selves. Kiran Pandey profiles.
Kiran Pandey

Kiran Pandey

Profiles 6 minute read
Pen-and-ink caricature of three smiling girls with flowing hair, heads bobbing in a triangular composition.

In today's America, parenting itself can be an act of patriotism.

Parenting toward what I know our country can be.

As a kid, Jill Ivey loved donning American flag fashion for the Fourth of July. Today, with her own child born between two Trump administrations, she marks the holiday in a different way, as a parent resisting injustice.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Essays 5 minute read
Nixon speaks into a megaphone in the center of a large crowd of people with slickers and umbrellas in the pouring rain.

This Fourth of July, we need a narrative revolution.

Writers and artists lead America’s nonviolent fight for justice.

The Trump administration is trying to rewrite reality and history. Cass Lewis says we’re not going to let them, if writers and artists have anything to say about it.
Cass Lewis

Cass Lewis

Essays 5 minute read
Close-up on a gavel made of polished dark wood with a gold band, on top of an American flag.

In America today, joining the jury isn’t just a civic duty. It’s an ethical one.

American justice relies on jurors more than ever.

After serving on a jury earlier this year, An Nichols was surprised by her relationship to her fellow jurors, and learned about the outsize impact jurors can have at the local and national level.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Essays 4 minute read
Young Alaina

I feared liberals, and then I became one. But I’m still evolving, and you can, too.

My political journey probably isn’t what you expected.

With partisan politics so toxically entrenched in America, it can be tough to admit that you’re open to change. This Fourth of July, Alaina Johns is thinking about her conservative upbringing.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 6 minute read
Book cover. Title in white, surrounded by illustrated orange flames, on a turquoise 18th-century engraving of ships at sea.

The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution, by Zara Anishanslin.

The little-known patriots whose art helped spark a Revolution

Some American patriots fought with words or swords, but others aided and abetted the Revolution with their art, both in the Colonies and abroad. They are illuminated in The Painter’s Fire, a new book by Zara Anishanslin. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Essays 4 minute read
An entrance to Fort Mifflin with a thick brick archway built into the grassy hillside, under a red, white & blue striped flag

Discover Revolutionary history on both sides of the river at Fort Mifflin and Red Bank Battlefield Park

Defending the Delaware

Looking for Revolution-themed summer or fall day trips? Learn about the history of Fort Mifflin, Fort Mercer, and the Pennsylvania State Navy with historic sites spanning the Delaware River. Bart Stump visits.
Bart Stump

Bart Stump

Features 6 minute read
A yellowed fragment of 18th-century paper has 8 lines of fine ink cursive and a flourishing signature.

The American Philosophical Society presents Philadelphia, The Revolutionary City

A Revolution through ordinary citizens’ eyes

A new exhibition at the American Philosophical Society about the lives of ordinary people in the Revolutionary Era brings an online history portal to life in the physical museum. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 6 minute read
Pic of the crowd of protestors from behind on a cloudy day, with lots of US flags, with a No Kings in America sign at center

BSR writers speak up about the June 14 No Kings protests in Philly and beyond

Marchers make history, instead of repeating it

The June 14 No Kings Day protest, organized to reclaim the American flag and oppose unconstitutional actions by the Trump administration in favor of democracy and the rule of law, drew millions of marchers across the country. BSR writers reflect.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 8 minute read
Three musicians with big hair and hold guitars and look into camera, all with straight faced with puckered lips

The BSR July 2025 repertory movie roundup

Spinal Tap, Con Air, Blobfest and four Hitchcock seminars

Summer movie screenings happening in the Philly area this month, including This Is Spinal Tap, Con Air, and a litany of Hitchcock seminars. Stephen Silver previews.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Previews 4 minute read

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Also on BSR

Three people stand next to each other facing camera holding house plants against a dark backdrop

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Round, June 26-July 1, 2025

The Mini Art Show, Kyle Ayers: Hard to Say, Under the El Bazaar, and more

Previewing an exhibition that celebrates small-scale creativity, a performance that looks to laugh at a rare disorder, and a bazaar under the el in Fishtown. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 5 minute read
Book cover. Duet For One in red caps by an illustrated grand piano that is open, in red in white.

Martha Anne Toll revisits her early violist days in Duet for One

A book retracing hometown memories

‘Duet For One’ by Martha Anne Toll tells a personal Philadelphia music story. Margaret Hutton profiles.
Margaret Hutton

Margaret Hutton

Profiles 3 minute read
Two Black dancers in pas de deux, wearing all black with shirts that have Chocolate Ballerina Company printed on them

The Month in Philly Dance: July 2025

Dancing with Chocolate Ballerina Company, BalletX, PHILADANCO! and more

Fourth of July with Chocolate Ballerina Company, summer with BalletX, and a pair of PHILADANCO celebrates 55 years. Camille Bacon-Smith previews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Previews 3 minute read
With the 3 women dancers in long loose orange-yellow paisley dresses, the dancers kick one foot up & angle their hands upward

West Chester Dance Works presents Rachel Harris: One Woman Over the Line

Dancing the way to freedom

A June 22 performance of West Chester Dance Works’ Rachel Harris: One Woman Over the Line at the Performance Garage celebrated Juneteenth with a vibrant, relevant imagining of one real-life woman’s historic journey to freedom. Melissa Strong reviews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Reviews 4 minute read
A diverse cast of seven, some seated and some standing and gesticulating wildly, perform on a black stage with music stands

PlayPenn’s 20th anniversary conference takes root in Philly neighborhoods

The 2025 New Play Development Conference goes local

Despite cruel NEA cuts, PlayPenn's 2025 New Play Development Conference opens on Saturday, July 5. Camille Bacon-Smith sits down with conference leaders and resident playwright Lori Felipe-Barkin.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Features 6 minute read
Rectangular print with gentle peach, maroon and yellow colors featuring silhouettes of six different plants.

Brandywine Museum of Art presents This Earthen Door: Nature as Muse and Material

The art of Emily Dickinson’s garden

An elegant conceptual exhibition at the Brandywine Museum of Art explores conservation, the act of noticing, and the poetics of nature and art through the lens of Emily Dickinson’s garden and her historic herbarium. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
Graceful 8-foot indoor dome made of wood and minutely detailed stained glass in all colors, with an opening to enter.

Michener Art Museum presents Judith Schaechter: Super/Natural

Embracing the impermanence of beauty

In an eerie, exquisite show at the Michener Art Museum, stained-glass artist Judith Schaechter explores the darker emotions and stories that make beauty and joy possible by contrast. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 4 minute read
Show logo: Krista Apple, a white actor with short hair, floats in a green sea, wearing a yellow slicker and red lipstick.

Go behind the scenes with Philly actor Ross Beschler of the Wilma's HotHouse Company

Exploring the Wilma's A Summer Day on the BSR Podcast

Listen in as podcast host Darnelle Radford gets an inside look at the Wilma's acclaimed acting company and their season-closing show, A Summer Day.
Darnelle Radford

Darnelle Radford

Podcast 1 minute read
A black and white portrait of W.E.B. Du Bois in a suit against a gray and white backdrop.

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, June 19-25, 2025

Celebrating the 160th anniversary of Juneteenth

Rounding up a variety of Juneteenth events in Philadelphia. Kyle V. Hiller previews.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 6 minute read
The women cellists wear white and de Jesús wears a tan bodysuit painted with blue and red, singing into a mic as they play

Journey Arts presents Table Sessions: Daniel de Jesús at Bartram’s Garden

Heartache, love, and Lorca

In a unique program at Bartram’s Garden, including an Andalusian-inspired dinner, composer/performer Daniel de Jesús honored Federico García Lorca with voice and music. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Reviews 4 minute read