PFCU Kensington Derby, Puentes Sonoros, PAFA, and revolutionary tea for Mother's Day

Mother’s Day has a way of creeping up on you. And while many of us may not realize it’s here (it didn’t occur to me until I started writing this), it’s one of those things I’m sure moms have an internal clock for, and they’re always aware of it, metaphorically crossing their arms as they wait to see if we mere children of theirs will remember this year.

Well, guess what, mom? I’m not a better son this year. (Just kidding: I'm improving bit by bit.)

But there’s plenty to do this weekend in the city if you’re looking to have a good time! The Kensington Derby and Arts Festival is an annual tradition with guaranteed family fun. Queztal brings genre-bending music for moms who love their avant-garde tunes, and the Museum of the American Revolution is serving up a revolutionary tea party in celebration of all the women who have historically held the American family together. Moms of PAFA students can also show their pride at this year’s Annual Student Exhibition.

Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours!

PFCU Kensington Derby and Arts Festival

On Saturday, May 11, Philadelphia Federal Credit Union (PFCU) brings the 13th annual Kensington Derby and Arts Festival to the streets. Locals and visitors alike come together to celebrate with artists, musicians, performers, food and drink, and a parade of homemade vehicles that travel three miles through Kensington and Fishtown. The community event engages Fishtown and Kensington and embraces a notion of a clean Philadelphia, with food vendors using compostable and reusable materials and Philacycle volunteers educating participants about how and what to compost and recycle. The PFCU Derby also promotes STEAM education, featuring a Kids’ Science Corner with exhibits from the Franklin Institute, the Mütter Museum, and more.

There’s a bunch more happening with the Derby! Find out more online.

The air is describing us
The air is describing us is an evening of dance, installation, and sound composition presented at Mascher Space (155 Cecil B. Moore Avenue) on May 10 and 11. Collaborators Paige Phillips (choreographer), Evan Dawson (sculptor), and Liam Ze’ev O’Connor (sound artist) debut their third interdisciplinary project. The evening consists of two works, including a performance asking six dancers to explore the physicality of falling as a metaphor for contemporary life. The second, It’s just easier this way, intimately grapples with gendering tropes often placed upon heteronormative relationships.

The event happens Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, 2019, at 8pm, with sliding scale tickets available online. Note that the venue is not ADA accessible.

Puentes Sonoros
Grammy-winning band Quetzal bring their blend of rock, R&B, and Mexican folk music to the International House (3701 Chestnut Street) on Friday, May 10, 2019, at 7:30pm. With activist-infused lyrics, soulful ballads, and exuberant dances, the performance, titled Puentes Sonoros/Sonic Bridges, promises a kinetic, inspiring harmony.

NextMove presents Parsons Dance
The Annenberg Center hosts NextMove Dance’s season-closer, Parsons Dance, on Friday, May 10, at 8pm and Saturday, May 11, at 2pm and 8pm. The NYC-based contemporary-dance company is celebrated for its energized and athletic ensemble work. The program features works choreographed by David Parsons, including the stroboscopic Caught, Round My World, and Runes, choreographed by Paul Taylor. Tickets are available online or by phone at (215) 898-3900.

Tori Lawrence + Co’s JUNKSPACE
The relationship between architecture and the moving body is explored in this free dance and music performance on Sunday, May 12, at 4pm in Germantown. JUNKSPACE highlights places often overlooked or threatened by demolition as modernization continues to pervade Philadelphia. The performance takes place in the historic H.G. Fetterolf Co. factory (4717 Stenton Ave), an abandoned 20,000-square-foot industrial space.

118th Annual Student Exhibition at PAFA
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts continues a long-running tradition this weekend as it presents the 118th Annual Student Exhibition. Kicking off on Friday, May 10, in the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building (128 North Broad Street), a reception at 5pm opens the exhibit to the public. The longest-standing exhibition of its kind, the Annual Student Exhibition (ASE) is a chance to show off PAFA’s emerging artists to curate, install, and sell their own work in a professional setting. The ASE will feature around 1,000 works that will be on display until June 2.

Revolutionary tea time on Mother’s Day
The Museum of the American Revolution celebrates the women on the homefront and with the armies on campaign during the Revolutionary War on Mother’s Day. An historical interpreter costumed as Martha Washington will be in attendance as guests enjoy an elegant afternoon tea with scones with currants, fruit tarts, French macarons, tea sandwiches and more. Adults can also enjoy mimosas, and moms will receive a carnation to bring home and commemorate the special day. Seatings take place at 1pm and 2:30pm on Sunday, May 12. Visit online for tickets.