Saturday, February 11 – 11:00 AM

PHILADELPHIA YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS:
Saturday Reading Series

FREE Admission

Register directly through PYP, click here!

Experience new worlds, imaginative stories and compelling characters as part of Philadelphia Young Playwrights annual stages readings of winning elementary and middle school plays. The featured plays to be read will be:

The Chosen One
by Adam Weil
William Penn Charter School

Monsters at Night
by Gwen Davis
William Penn Charter School

Saturday, February 18 – 8:00 PM

ARS NOVA WORKSHOP:
Amir ElSaffar and the Two Rivers Ensemble

featuring:
Amir ElSaffar, trumpet + santur + vocals
Ole Mathisen, saxophones
Tareq Abboushi, buzuq
Zafer Tawil, oud + percussion
Carlo DeRosa, bass
Tyshawn Sorey, drums

Admission $15

Buy Tickets directly through Ars Nova Workshop, click here!

Join Ars Nova Workshop for a performance by the Two Rivers Ensemble led by Iraqi-American composer-performer Amir ElSaffar, whose unique compositions bring together traditional Iraqi and jazz musics.

Tuesday, February 21 – 3:30 PM

GALLERY TALK AND TOUR:
Spring 2012 exhibitions with PAA Chief Curator Sarah Archer

FREE ADMISSION

Pre-Register Online, Click Here!

On Tuesday, February 21, PAA invites you to meet one of our newest team members and discuss the curatorial process for the current exhibitions. PAA Chief Curator Sarah Archer will lead a tour of the galleries and discuss the current exhibition, Sondra Sherman: Found Subjects, Andrea Donnelly: Binary and A Sense of Place guest curated by Bruce Hoffman. Can a textile evoke a time and place to a viewer who has never been there? Can a piece of jewelry also be a work of sculpture? The artists' intentions as well as viewers' reactions to the work on view will all be discussed as part of an informal conversation. This program is FREE and open to the public. The gallery tour will begin at 3:30 PM and will run approximately one hour.

Friday, February 24 – 5:30 PM

CLASSICAL MUSIC RECITAL:
Liebesfreud

FREE Admission

Pre-Register Online, Click Here!

Program:
Mendelssohn Quartet op. 13
& Beethoven Quartet op. 132

Featuring violinists Geoffrey Michaels and Philip Kates, violist David Giles, and cellist Charles Forbes, the Philadelphia based Liebesfreud is an ensemble devoted primarily to the performance of great literature for the string quartet. For this performance, the featured works will be Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, op. 13, and Beethoven’s String Quartet in A Minor, op. 132. The String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13, was composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1827, when he was just 18 years old. The quartet draws much of its inspiration from Beethoven's quartets. The Quartet in A minor, Op. 132, by Ludwig van Beethoven, was written in 1825, and was dedicated to Count Nicolai Galitzin, an amateur cellist and contemporary of Beethoven. The program will be at 5:30 PM with an approximate run time of one hour, and is FREE and open to the public.

Saturday, February 25 – 11:00 AM

PHILADELPHIA YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS:
Saturday Reading Series

FREE Admission

Experience new worlds, imaginative stories and compelling characters as part of Philadelphia Young Playwrights annual stages readings of winning elementary and middle school plays. The featured plays to be read will be:

Shadow Friend
by Christmas Cotter
William Penn Charter School

The Question Lover
by Brian Mach
McCall Elementary School

Friday, March 9 – 8:00 PM

ARS NOVA WORKSHOP:
Matthew Shipp Trio
Record Release Celebration!

Admission $15

Buy Tickets directly through Ars Nova Workshop, click here!

Please join Ars Nova Workshop for the Philadelphia debut of the Matthew Shipp Trio. Following 2011's spectacular The Art Of The Improviser LP, Shipp's Trio will be in Philadelphia to celebrate the upcoming release of Elastic Aspects on Thirsty Ear Recordings.

Sunday, March 18 – 3:00 PM

LECTURES-IN-SONG WITH FRED MILLER:
Irish Eyes: The Life and Voice of Bing Crosby

Admission $10
PAA Members FREE

Pre-Register Online, Click Here!

Each of Fred Miller's Lectures-In-Song is 60-75 minutes long and focuses on a great personality or significant aspect of American Popular Song's Golden Age. For this special St. Patrick’s Day program, Miller will explore the life and music of an Irish-American Legend, Bing Crosby.

About the Program:
It is more than reasonable to rank singer/actor Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby as a pivotal figure in the development of all modern popular entertainment. Out of many entertainers populating the crowded airwaves of early radio, this richly expressive baritone from Tacoma, Washington was THE voice most welcome on millions of radios during the Depression. To a public accustomed to Jolson’s brassy belting or the prevalent “Irish Tenor” style of delivery, Crosby was something entirely different: casual, lightly jazzy, modulated to the intimacy of the microphone and not to the second gallery of the live theatre. His radio prominence immediately translated into mammoth recording success, and film stardom was not far behind. By WWII, Bing Crosby was the most famous, revered person on earth, the first multi-media superstar. The enigmatic, seemingly carefree and modest personality subtly disguised what was truly a global presence. In a golden age crowded shoulder-to-shoulder with extraordinary talent, Bing Crosby was the most important entertainment figure of the first half of the twentieth century.

Thursday, March 22 – 7:00 PM

CRAFT & CULTURE LECTURE SERIES:
Qualities of Life 2.0:
Members of PhillyWorks discuss their Fall 2012 exhibition at PAA

FREE ADMISSION

Pre-Register Online, Click Here!

Please join the Philadelphia Art Alliance on Thursday, March 22, for a presentation by members of the design collaborative PhillyWorks, who will be staging an invitational exhibition entitled "Philadelphia Qualities of Life" in the PAA galleries in the Fall of 2012. PhillyWorks Co-founders Will McHale and Alexandra Schmidt-Ullrich will lead the presentation, focusing on the themes and proposed entries for their exhibition. The program begins at 7:00 PM with an approximate run time of 1 hour, and is FREE and open to the public.

Saturday, March 24 – 11:00 AM

PHILADELPHIA YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS:
Saturday Reading Series

FREE ADMISSION

Experience new worlds, imaginative stories and compelling characters as part of Philadelphia Young Playwrights annual stages readings of winning elementary and middle school plays. The featured plays to be read will be:

Chickens of the Flock
by Matthew Stewart
Strath Haven Middle School

A Date for Cleo
by Valencia Stevenson
McCall Elementary School

Thursday, March 29 – 7:00 PM

CRAFT & CULTURE LECTURE SERIES:
Live Form: Craft as Participation
Presentation by Jennifer Sorkin, Assistant Professor at Univ. of Houston

FREE ADMISSION

Pre-Register Online, Click Here!

Please join the Philadelphia Art Alliance on Thursday, March 29, as we welcome Doctor Jennifer Sorkin for a presentation as part of our ongoing Craft and Culture Lecture Series. Dr. Sorkin's work examines the confluence of gender and material culture within modern and contemporary art history, theory and criticism. She is currently completing a book manuscript, titled Live Form: Craft as Participation, which examines the legacy of Black Mountain College, craft pedagogy, and the history of ceramics from 1952 to 1975. Her presentation will highlight themes presented in the book and her experiences as a writer, curator and professor at the University of Houston. The program will begin at 7:00 PM with an approximate run time of one hour. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Friday, March 30 – 5:30 PM

CLASSICAL MUSIC RECITAL:
Liebesfreud

FREE Admission

Pre-Register Online, Click Here!

Program TBA

Featuring violinists Geoffrey Michaels and Philip Kates, violist David Giles, and cellist Charles Forbes, the Philadelphia based Liebesfreud is an ensemble devoted primarily to the performance of great literature for the string quartet.

Thursday, April 5 – 7:00 PM

CRAFT & CULTURE LECTURE SERIES:
Yarnbombing:
Presentation by Jessie Hemmons, aka “ishknits”

FREE ADMISSION

Pre-Register Online, Click Here!

The Philadelphia Art Alliance is pleased to present another installment in our signature lecture series, Crafts and Culture. On Thursday, April 5, join PAA as we welcome Philadelphia artist Jessie Hemmons, aka “ishknits,” for a presentation on “Yarnbombing.” Hemmons, ishknits, will discuss the development of “yarnbombing” as an international art form with a diverse community of artists. She will also describe yarnbombing’s implications in the culture of street art and public discourse. The program will begin at 7:00 PM with an approximate run time of one hour. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Wednesday, April 11 – 7:00 PM

CRAFT & CULTURE LECTURE SERIES:
Digital Technology and Textiles:
Presentation by artists Hitoshi and Heather Ujiie

FREE ADMISSION

Pre-Register Online, Click Here!

Please join the Philadelphia Art Alliance on Wednesday, April 11, for a lecture and presentation by artists and husband/wife duo Hitoshi and Heather Ujiie. Mr. Ujiie will speak about digital inkjet technology and science, and how the emergence of “surface imaging” is changing the future of the textile art and design field. Ms. Ujiie will continue the conversation by discussing the impact of digital and computer technology on her own work process as a textile designer. The program will begin at 7:00 PM with an approximate run time of one hour. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Saturday, April 14 – 11:00 AM

PHILADELPHIA YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS:
Saturday Reading Series

FREE ADMISSION

Experience new worlds, imaginative stories and compelling characters as part of Philadelphia Young Playwrights annual stages readings of winning elementary and middle school plays. The featured play to be read will be:

Blueberry Tart
by Anna Jaoudi
Strath Haven Middle School

Tuesday, April 17 – 7:00 PM

CRAFT & CULTURE LECTURE SERIES:
Presentation by Author Janet Koplos

FREE ADMISSION

Pre-Register Online, Click Here!

The Philadelphia Art Alliance invites you to join us on Tuesday, April 17, for a lecture and presentation by Author Janet Koplos. Koplos will discuss her new book project, a comprehensive study of functional pottery in America today. Trips across the United States, interviews with artists and extensive research have given Koplos a new appreciation for the field of ceramic tableware, which needs more robust and sophisticated criticism. Her presentation will provide valuable insights for seasoned craft professionals, students and amateur artists alike. The program will begin at 7:00 PM with an approximate run time of one hour. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Sunday, May 13 – 3:00 PM

LECTURES-IN-SONG WITH FRED MILLER:
The Life and Voice of Ethel Merman

Admission $10
PAA Members FREE

Pre-Register Online, Click Here!

Each of Fred Miller's Lectures-In-Song is 60-75 minutes long and focuses on a great personality or significant aspect of American Popular Song's Golden Age. For this program, Miller will explore the life and music of Ethel Merman.

About the Program:
On Broadway, there was one performer who was truly inimitable. From that historic moment in 1930 when she delivered the Gershwins’ “I Got Rhythm” to a stunned audience, Ethel Merman was and remained Broadway’s Greatest Star, The Ultimate Voice of the Great White Way, The Classic Belter. Merman’s mystique lay in the extraordinary power of a voice delivered by a sassy, humorous, no-nonsense dame. She could be touching and feminine, she could be a steamroller. Whatever it was, it was invincibly Merman, and what you saw was what you got. And what Broadway got was at least a dozen hit shows, none of which ran less than six months thanks to her special brand of exhilarating entertainment.

Thursday, May 24 – 7:00 PM

CRAFT & CULTURE LECTURE SERIES:
Artist Talk with Jack Larimore

FREE ADMISSION

Pre-Register Online, Click Here!

Please join the Philadelphia Art Alliance on Thursday, May 24 for our final Spring 2012 installment of the Craft and Culture Lecture Series! For this event, PAA welcomes artist and furniture maker Jack Larimore for a presentation about his work. This lecture is being presented in partnership with the Snyderman Works Gallery, who will be showing Larimore’s work through the month of May 2012. Larimore will discuss how natural forms inspire and inform his work, and how modern technology is affecting his traditional woodworking practice. The program will begin at 7:00 PM with an approximate run time of one hour. This event is FREE and open to the public.