Design

33 results
Page 1
A female dancer calmly sits alone on a dark stage, the warm light on her forming a floor reflection of her body.

The lighting designers for Philly dance companies are artists who paint with light

Shining a light on dance

Dance critic Camille Bacon-Smith has spent years admiring Philly’s dancers illuminated by lighting designers who rarely get the spotlight themselves. Now they share the mysteries of their artistry.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Features 6 minute read
8 very fine chairs displayed on a gallery wall in two rows. They all have different shapes, colors, and decorative flourishes

From the chairman to the dead man’s chest: what our furniture says about us

What makes furniture art?

When is a chair more than a chair? How does furniture reveal our tastes and history? Camille Bacon-Smith asks experts at the Barnes and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Features 6 minute read
Gone but not forgotten: the Boyd Theater in 1953. (Image courtesy of the Free Library of Philadelphia Print and Picture Collection.)

The Free Library presents ‘Philadelphia: The Changing City’

How we were… and still are

This special exhibition from the Free Library’s Rare Book Department might make you think that the more things change in Philadelphia, the more they stay the same—but there’s plenty to learn about our city along the way. Pamela Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Articles 4 minute read
With its spacious quarters and skylight, the Drexel family mausoleum's interior seems to welcome visitors. (Photo by Ryan Collerd.)

Discovering the Woodlands in University City

Culture, alive and well in the cemetery

Looking for something to brighten up summer's dog days? Go visit a cemetery! But not just any cemetery. Pamela Forsythe recommends the Woodlands.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Articles 4 minute read
An Ur footprint preserved in mud offers elemental evidence of those who once walked their land. (Photo courtesy of the Penn Museum.)

Middle East Galleries open at the Penn Museum

A grand illumination

The Penn Museum's newly renovated Middle Eastern Galleries shine a light on treasures from the past. Pamela Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Articles 5 minute read
Duane Linklater's Penn Treaty Park monument "In Perpetuity" backs up to the still-flowing rivers and creeks. (Photo by Steve Weinik for Mural Arts Philadelphia.)

Mural Arts Program's Monument Lab brought public art to the people

Monumental future

Monuments are a flashpoint around the country, fodder for late-night comics. But in Philadelphia, with Monument Lab, public art had a chance to reinvent itself. Anne Schuster Hunter considers.
Anne Schuster Hunter

Anne Schuster Hunter

Articles 4 minute read

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Are you ready to tiptoe through the tombstones? (Photo by R'lyeh Imaging via Creative Commons/Flickr.)

Take a tour with Laurel Hill Cemetery's new mobile app

Life after death

Laurel Hill Cemetery's free mobile app offers self-guided, themed tours highlighting the notable historic and cultural stories buried within its gates. Brittany Barbato reviews.
Brittany Barbato

Brittany Barbato

Articles 4 minute read
Penn Museum’s Shop will move closer to the museum café, making room for a new Crossroads of Cultures Gallery. (Rendering by Josh Lessard, Penn Museum.)

Penn Museum's "Building Transformation" project

When they build it, will you come?

The Penn Museum's "Building Transformation" project will reconfigure the institution's gallery and open spaces, but will it encourage visitors to return? Tieshka Smith considers.
Tieshka Smith

Tieshka Smith

Articles 4 minute read
Richardson and Cho in 'Columbus': Overwhelmed by brilliance. (Photo via Creative Commons/Wikimedia.)

The Fabric Workshop's Louis Kahn exhibition and Kogonada's 'Columbus'

Nice places to visit, but…

Does great architecture serve people? A new show about Louis Kahn, as well as a new film set in Columbus, Indiana, make you wonder: would you really like to live in a museum? Dan Rottenberg considers.
Dan Rottenberg

Dan Rottenberg

Articles 6 minute read
Penn Center Studies, Philadelphia (1951-58): Louis Kahn envisioned pedestrian zones in his work for Philadelphia’s City Planning Commission. (Photo by Pamela Forsythe)

The Fabric Workshop and Museum presents 'Louis Kahn: The Power of Architecture'

Lasting impressions

The Fabric Workshop and Museum's new exhibition on architect Louis Kahn veers away from the Kahn revealed in a 2003 documentary by his son. Pamela Forsythe considers.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Articles 5 minute read