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Table Sessions, local Philly films, and music with Ruth Naomi Floyd
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, November 16-22, 2023
Kyle V. Hiller
This week in the area offers a few moments of reflection. Revisit the African American Museum in Philadelphia’s Rising Sun exhibit this weekend to see it from the artists’ points of view, and check out a roster of short films by local Philly filmmakers with cinéSPEAK. There is also music at the Weitzman with a new edition of their Secret Chord Concerts series, Haitian music and food at the latest Table Sessions, and Ruth Naomi Floyd pays a musical visit to West Philly.
Revisiting Rising Sun
November 16-17, 2023
African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia
This week, AAMP hosts La Vaughn Belle, one of the artists behind their exhibit Rising Sun: Artists in an Uncertain America, in conversation with exhibition fellow Michael K. Wilson and fellow collaborator Shiva Ahmadi for two days. On Thursday at 12pm, Belle and Wilson will discuss their work and intersections surrounding the road to Rising Sun, and on Friday at 6pm, Belle and Ahmadi will reflect on their work together on the exhibit.
cinéSPEAK Best of Fests
Thursday, November 16, 6:30-9pm
Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia
Check out an assortment of short films from Philly-based filmmakers recently selected by regional film festivals. Check out the full lineup online and stay for the filmmaker Q&A after the screening.
Kedmah: Rising Song Piyyut Ensemble
Thursday, November 16, 6:30pm
Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, 101 South Independence Mall East, Philadelphia
As a part of the Secret Chord Concerts series, the Weitzman invites the Rising Song Piyyut Ensemble to its stage. The ensemble’s music is rooted in the tradition of maqam, a distinct system of musical expression found in the Arab world, Turkey, Iran, and North Africa.
The Table Sessions
November 16-17, 7pm
Bartram’s Garden, 5400 Lindbergh Boulevard, Philadelphia
Haitian American musicians Nathalie ‘Talie’ Cerin and Mervin Toussaint pair up with their band for a night of Haitian folk music and American soul in this edition of the Table Sessions from Intercultural Journeys. The Table Sessions are great opportunities to blend music, culture, and food, so come hungry and ready to dance, too.
In Medias Res(idency)
Through Friday, December 15
Opening reception: Friday, November 17, 6pm
Atelier Art Gallery, 1301 North 31st Street, Suite 2, Philadelphia
Twelve Gates Arts’s newly established Philadelphia residency program is opening a group exhibition this weekend. The artists featured include Dara Haskins, who works primarily in figurative oil and mixed media paintings, and her current work here explores body language, color, and its connection to various environments; Mia Fabrizio explores identity and social constructs through layered portraits, mixed media collages, and sculptures; and Shwarga Bhattacharjee focuses on drawing and painting as well. The opening reception is on Friday, November 17, from 6-8pm, and the exhibit will be open through December 15, 2023.
Shoptalk
Saturday, November 18, 3pm
McDonnell Theater, 13 Front Street, Frenchtown
ArtYard will host a free staged play reading of Shoptalk, a new play written by their playwright fellow TyLie Shider. The play explores the transformative, often unsung, power of salons and the intimate relationship between hairdressers and their clientele. Shider is a playwright and journalist with a growing resume, with recent plays Labor, Whitter, and The Gospel Woman having hit the stage, and has also been a playwright in residence at the National Black Theatre.
Artcinia Music In Your Neighborhood: Ruth Naomi Floyd
Saturday, November 18, 2pm
Calvary-St. Augustine Church, 814 North 41st Street, Philadelphia
Take a journey with vocalist, composer, and flutist Ruth Naomi Floyd as she shares messages of hope, faith, and love carried in the sound and setting of progressive sacred jazz.
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