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Spooky streams, oral histories on Philly, and AAMP curates artist Richard J. Watson
The Weekly Roundup, October 27-November 2
Kyle V. Hiller
Happy Halloween, folks! If you’re thinking of getting spooky this weekend, be sure to check out some offerings from Resident Ensemble Players and the Delaware Art Museum. They aren’t on this list, but there are always the staples, too: Eastern State Penitentiary, Bates Motel, the Halloween train ride on the West Chester Railroad, Franklin Institute Fright Weekends, and the Fall Fest and Spooky Saturday on East Passyunk.
If spooky isn’t your thing, Scribe Video Center and PhillyCAM have some cool streams spotlighting the histories of Philadelphia, and the African American Museum in Philadelphia curated the artwork of the diversely talented Richard J. Watson.
Go easy on the mischief this week, okay?
Portals + Revelations: Richard J. Watson Beyond Realities
Open through March 6, 2022
African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia
AAMP’s new in-person exhibition spotlights the work of Richard J. Watson, a performer, designer, writer, and civil rights activist. The exhibition “forges an ancestral link between past, present, and future while transforming the ordinary into the sublime,” curating the evolution of his work over the last 40 years—from mixed media to abstraction and more.
Find out more about Watson online, and check out AAMP’s virtual exhibits, including Rendering Justice and Through His Eyes: Youth Activism in the Civil Rights Era in Philadelphia.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
Streaming through November 14, 2021
Resident Ensemble Players premiered its new audio adaptation of the classic Edgar Allan Poe thriller. The REP is also hosting a free symposium discussing the production itself, diving deep into Poe’s local history, and how the artists adapted the story into an audio performance on Saturday, October 30 at 10am.
Philadelphia Stories RETROSPECTIVE: 20th Anniversary Look Back
Every Thursday from October 28, 2021-March 31, 2022, 8:30pm
A lot can change in 20 years, and PhillyCAM is bringing back Philadelphia Stories, a WYBE TV show that ran eight seasons from 2001-2011 and chronicled the city’s “rich cultural fabric and imagined futures through the eyes of independent filmmakers and community storytellers.” This week features a showcase of short works by Maori Karmael Holmes, Nadine Patterson, Anula Shetty, Michael O’Reilly, Frances McElroy, and more.
I’m definitely looking forward to a few of these, including the retrospective on Jazzyfatnastees, Holmes’s Scene Not Heard 2005 documentary on Philly hip-hop, and Kimi Takesue’s Summer of the Serpent.
Check out the full schedule online. You can tune in on TV, Roku, Apple TV, and online.
Power Politics
Friday, October 29, 7pm
Scribe Video Center will premiere its new monthly series of presentations Power Politics, which highlights strategies for Black and Latin American empowerment in Philly. The oral history project kicked off last year, accumulating 32 interviews, and this weekend, they’re premiering another presentation online titled "Lost Spaces, Lost Histories: placemaking, politics, and gentrification."
Register for the presentation online, and see what the next editions hold up. Tickets are a suggested $5.
Día de los Muertos: Walking Among the Ancestors
Saturday, October 30, 11am-4pm
Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington
Join DelArt for an Indigenous ceremony led by Danza Azteca del Anahuac and the Nanticoke Jingle Dancers. Events and activities also include a labyrinth walk and contributions to ofrendas. Additional performances by Ballet Mexico Lindo, Seylin Abarca, Mariachi Arrieros, and the Black Diamond Dance Collective, and a screening of CartinaMia, a short film that documents Rosa Ruiz’s artistry.
If you can’t make it out, you can stream the short film on YouTube.
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