In honor of the inaugural First Friday happening down in Old City tomorrow, Street suggests a few other arts offerings to take advantage of this weekend
Performers from the Center City Opera Theatre will descend upon the Great Stair Hall of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in this French and Italian Opera Night–themed edition of the Art After 5 program. In the popular Friday–series, museum doors stay open late, offering guided tours, music and drinks to art connoisseurs. As an added bonus, Martinis on the Portico continues its summer run, giving patrons the opportunity to sip cocktails on the famous steps overlooking Center City. — Friday, 6/03, 5–8:45 p.m., $12 for students
For those who like their art a little less literal and little more literary, Philadelphia magazine Apiary is celebrating the release of its second issue with a party at the Painted Bride Art Center. You can expect fiction, poetry and spoken word performances a–plenty, along with music from burgeoning local artists. Don’t miss the outdoor book fair featuring the work of local writers. — Friday, 6/03, 5–10 p.m., Free
Rittenhouse Square Fine Arts Show
Buyers and browsers alike are invited to “circle the square” at the this year’s Rittenhouse Square Fine Arts Show, taking place along the edges of the titular park. The art show, which turns 80 this year, began when a gaggle of art students took the initiative to hang their works on clotheslines between trees in the same park the show is held today. Now a decidedly more organized affair, the event boasts 140 exhibiting artists, and the distinction of being the oldest outdoor art show in the country. — Friday–Sunday, 6/03–6/05, Free
