Art museums and galleries

Philadelphia Museum of Art (26th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, www.philamuseum.org/). The Philadelphia Museum of Art, or the “Parthenon on the Parkway,” is a world-renowned art museum located at the end the Benjamin Franklin Parkway (Philadelphia’s version of Paris’ Champs-Ély-sées). The museum’s east entrance looks toward City Hall, and these steps were made famous in a scene from the movie “Rocky” (1978). Visitors still run up the museum stairs, raising their fists in the air upon reaching the top. The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s permanent collection includes East Asian, European, American, and contemporary art. The museum is particularly strong in French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting as well as the paintings of Philadelphian Thomas Eakins. The Philadelphia Museum also sponsors “Arts After 5” (www.philamuseum.org/ar-tafter5/) on Friday evenings when the Great Stair Hall is transformed into a lively jazz-like club.

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. All photos courtesy Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art (118 North Broad Street, www.pafa.org/Museum/19/). The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art is the closest art museum to the Convention Center. Housed in an iconic structure designed by Philadelphia architects Frank Furness and George Hewitt in the 1870s, the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Art’s collection includes works by Edgar Degas, Judith Rothschild, and Andy Warhol. It also exhibits new and emerging local Philadelphia talent. Photographer Charles Sheeler, painter Thomas Eakins, and filmmaker David Lynch are notable Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art alumni.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the city skyline. All photos courtesy Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau

Barnes Foundation (300 North Latches Lane, Merion, Pennsylvania, www.barnesfoundation.org/). The Barnes Foundation, currently located in suburban Lower Merion Township, will be moving into a new building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at an unspecified date in 2011—maybe in time for our conference. The collection, assembled by Albert C. Barnes, includes some of the most important works by Renoir, Van Gogh, and Matisse.

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (3260 South Street, www.penn.museum/). The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is located on the eastern edge of the university’s campus. The collections consist of objects retrieved during university-sponsored archeological digs as well as materials collected from living peoples. The collections are particularly strong in objects from Ancient Mesopotamia, particularly the Royal Tombs of Ur, Ancient Egypt, and the Native Alaskan Tlingit tribe.

Institute for Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania (118 South 36th Street, www.icaphila.org/). Also on the University of Pennsylvania campus is the Institute for Contemporary Art. The institute does not have a permanent collection; instead, the institute displays work by emerging talent. For example, the institute was the site for Andy Warhol museum show in 1965.

Galleries

Art galleries can be found throughout Center City and are too numerous to list here. However, the greatest concentration of art galleries is clustered in the Old City neighborhood between Front and 3rd Streets between Market and Vine Streets, about ten blocks east of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Old City galleries are typically in converted 1840s mercantile or industrial buildings similar to those found in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood.

Public art

Thanks to the Philadelphia’s 1959 Percent for Art ordinance, the first in the country, Philadelphia has more public art than any other American city. The more famous works of public art include Clothespin (1976) by Claes Oldenburg (15th and Market Streets), Swann Memorial Fountain (1924) by Alexander Stirling Calder (19th Street and Logan Circle), and Love (1976) by Robert Indiana (15th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard). For more information about public art in Center City see www.phila.gov/publicart/textPages_beta/linkscentral.html.

Mural art

The Mural Arts Program, started in 1984 as an anti-graffiti initiative, has produced more than 3,000 murals and has earned Philadelphia an international reputation as a “City of Murals.” The Mural Arts Program works closely with the communities when developing a mural’s theme and focus. As such, the mural is often a visual representation of the neighborhood where the mural is located. For example, on the corner of Juniper and Spruce Streets, two murals by Ann Northurp, titled “Pride and Progress” and “Taste of Summer,” are a testament to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered presence in the Washington Square West neighborhood. Over a four-day conference, it would be an incredible feat to attempt to see all of the murals created by the program. The Mural Arts Program developed a self-guided tour called the Mural Mile Walking Tour, which begins a few blocks from the Pennsylvania Convention Center (muralarts.org/explore/mural-mile).

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. All photos courtesy Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau

Classical music

Philadelphia Orchestra (Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Streets, philorch.org/). Since 1900, the Philadelphia Orchestra has delighted Philadelphia and international audiences alike with its unique “Philadelphia Sound.” During ACRL 2011, the Philadelphia Orchestra, under the direction of Jun Markl, will present a concert of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center on March 31, April 1, and April 2.

Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (various locations, www.pcmsconcerts.org/). The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents a variety of chamber music and recital programs at more intimate venues throughout the city. The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society has scheduled concerts on March 30 and April 2, 2011.

Curtis In-stitute of Music (1726 Locust Street, www.curtis.edu/performances/student-recital-series/). The Curtis Institute of Music is located in several converted mansions overlooking picturesque Rit-tenhouse Square. Long recognized as a leader in music education, Curtis shares the talent of its students with the city through free concerts and open recitals throughout the academic year. Unfortunately, for ACRL conference attendees, at present there are no performances scheduled during the time of the conference.

Avant garde

Painted Bride Art Center (230 Vine Street, paintedbride.org/). If you are craving a different musical experience, consider attending a performance at the center. Since 1969, the center has engaged Philadelphia audiences with an innovative forum for experimental music and performance art.

Organ music

Wanamaker Organ at Macy’s (13th and Market Streets, www.wanamakerorgan.com/). The last place one may expect to find an organ is in a department store. Stroll over to Macy’s, formerly the site of Wanamaker’s Department Store, and enjoy a free recital on the world’s biggest organ. The organ is hard to miss, just head for the “Eagle” (a landmark in itself) in the Grand Court and look up. Concerts are at noon and 5:30 p.m.

Jazz

Chris’s Jazz Café (1421 Sansom Street, www.chrisjazzcafe.com/). Chris’s Jazz Café is only a short walk from the Pennsylvania Convention Center and presents live jazz music almost every evening.

Zellerbach Theatre at Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (3680 Walnut Street, www.pennpresents.org/). On Friday, April 1, the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts will host noted jazz musician Nnenna Freelon. Visit www.annenbergcenter.org/tickets/ for tickets.

World Live Café (3025 Walnut Street, www.worldcafelive.com/). The World Live Café, six blocks east from the Zellerbach Theatre in the University City District offers two floors of jazz music.

LOVE by Robert Indiana. All photos courtesy Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Philadelphia Clef Club (738 South Broad Street, www.clefclub.org/). The Philadelphia Clef Club has a unique place in the history of American Jazz. An outgrowth of the last independent African American musicians’ union, Local 274, the Clef Club at one time included American Jazz greats like John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie as members. Concerts for 2011 have not been scheduled.

University of the Arts (various locations, www.uarts.edu/see-do/galperf-spc.html) and Temple University (various locations, www.temple.edu/boyer/enp/schedule_of_events.htm). The University of the Arts and Temple University are known for their strong music departments and the cultivation of jazz musicians. Concerts or recitals sponsored by either institution provide jazz enthusiasts an opportunity to hear jazz artists of the future.

Opera

Unfortunately for opera lovers, the Opera Company of Philadelphia (Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Streets, www.operaphila.org/) does not have any scheduled performances during our conference. However, fear not, there are two other venues that feature operatic performances. The Victor Café (1305 Dickinson Street, www.victorcafe.com/) and the High Note Café (1549 South 13th Street, high-notecafe.com/) are restaurants located in South Philadelphia known for serving excellent Italian cuisine with a side of opera. At the Victor Café for example, the wait staff are trained vocal artists who perform arias throughout the evening.

World music

The Tin Angel (20 South 2nd Street, (www.tinangel.com/index2.html). The Tin Angel offers performances in an array of musical styles including world music, jazz, and salsa.

Crossroads Music (801 South 48th Street, crossroadsconcerts.org/). Crossroads Music specializes in world music and presents concerts at Calvary United Methodist Church and other venues in West Philadelphia. The 2010–11 concert schedule has not yet been posted.