There's a theme to this week's reviews, and I think it turned out to be well-timed: a museum is a great place to be when it's roasting outside. Our writers have been busy bringing you their take on four very different exhibitions happening right now in Philly.
We've got the latest in the Mütter Museum's fraught but necessary project to re-evaluate its collection and exhibits: we review a new show that is full of opportunities for you to share your thoughts. We head to Drexel for a look at a newly arrived archive from an iconic fashion designer, and to the National Liberty Museum, where artists with roots all over the world ponder America's founding values. And we stop at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, where you can take in art by Dox Thrash, who lived and worked in Philly for most of his pioneering career. Plus: John Jarboe is on the BSR podcast, talking about her Rose Garden installation at the Fabric Workshop and Museum.
And we can't let the museums take over completely. We also have the latest from People's Light, where film and TV star David Strathairn stars in a world premiere. Should you get tickets? Read our review.
Whether you're sweating it out in town or you're down the shore, we hope you're weathering this heat! And we hope this week's newsletter gives you a chance to cool down with a little culture.
Quick note about the rest of the summer: our monthly In the Wild newsletter is on hiatus til late August. It's one way for our staff to get in a little rest at this time of year. We hope you can do the same.
Alaina Johns
BSR editor-in-chief