wallposting
This Is My Mural Exhibit
Arts Garage
1516-20 Parrish Street
Through Saturday, Free
(215) 765-2702
www.muralarts.org
Cheesesteaks? A high crime rate? Philly needs something else to be proud of. The obvious candidate is, of course, murals. The Mural Arts Program made a noble attempt to liven up Philadelphia's neighborhoods during October's Bank of America Mural Arts Month and now, at the Arts Garage Gallery, you can see the artistic process in action. The show is curated by "artblog" (http://fallonandrosof.blogspot.com/ ) creators Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof, who despite their knack for ironically obvious titling, are quite highly regarded in the art community. The exhibit features nine of the Mural Arts Program's senior muralists as they trace the progress of their mural creations. Each artist includes process pieces, sketches, and original designs that helped pave the way to some of Philadelphia's completed mural projects.
-Hillary Reinsberg
Hit the road
1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die
Academy of Natural Sciences
19th St. and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. $12-$15
(610) 649-5220
So you're going to die, and if you're anything like me, you'd want to complete that checklist of places to see and things to do in the old US of A beforehand. If ever you've dreamed of sailing windjammers out of Camden or simply wanted to visit the Corn Palace in South Dakota, then now's your chance. Patricia Schultz, author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, has written a followup book which offers more unexpected suggestions as to how you should allocate your precious time before death comes a-knockin, from cowboy poetry readings a la Brokeback to Alaskan gold-mining trails. In town for just one night only, Schultz is participating in the Connoisseur Lecture series and talking about her adventures on the continent, barbecue tours of Kansas and all.
-Raya Jalabi
gang-green
Penn Recycles Day
The Rotunda and off-campus houses
Sunday, 12 p.m., Free
http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~pennenv/
Need a place to throw the beer cans and handles still sitting in your kitchen from Saturday night's festivities? Look no further. This Sunday, the Penn Environmental Group and other volunteers will visit all off-campus apartments and houses in the grid between 38th and 42nd streets and Spruce and Sansom streets, offering free blue recycling bins to any students who answer their door bells. If you don't currently have a recycling bin, the kind, environmentally friendly representative will offer one and even register it for you. Don't worry, this isn't because they plan on rummaging through your trash for something scandalous to write about in the Street Sweeper; it's for statistical purposes only. If you won't be home, bins are also available at the Rotunda for pickup! If you can, answer your door for CampusFood AND for Penn Recycles.
-Emily Ozan
wholE-Y Trinity
Short Films by Shelley Barry
Inglis House
2600 Belmont Avenue
Friday, 7:00 p.m., Free
(215) 878-5600
http://www.inglis.org/
The showing of Shelley Barry's Whole - A Trinity of Being, an unconventional documentary showcasing the sexuality, visibility and voice of the disabled community, will provide a rare opportunity to experience a personal take on living with disabilities. Barry, who was disabled in one of South Africa's Taxi Wars, is also an accomplished poet and activist in disability politics. In addition to Whole, which won awards for Best Film in the New York, San Francisco and Philadelphia Film Festivals, several of Barry's other short films will be screened. After the lights come up, there will be a Q&A with the filmmaker, and Inglis House will offer refreshments. Don't miss this opportunity to be inspired or, at the very least, to get some free food.
-Margo Peyton
freegan-ism
First Person Festival: Not Buying It
Harmelin Media Stage
2111 Sansom Street
Thursday, 5:00-6:30 p.m., Free
(215) 496-9722
http://www.firstpersonarts.org/
Ever get so frustrated with $22 strips of fabric from Urban that you want to give up shopping forever? Has America's burgeoning materialism got you down? Journalist and author Judith Levine feels your pain. Her memoir Not Buying It is a first-hand account of what it's like to give up retail completely for one year, sticking only to the absolute necessities. I know you're picturing a crazy bag lady wearing burlap and mismatching shoes, but how she appears on the outside is not the point. Levine is the poster girl for dumpster diving and her reading tonight should be quite the learning experience for those of us who can't stomach shelling out another $8 for a pair of socks. You may be right, she may be crazy, but she just may be the lunatic we're all looking for.
-Kristen Franke
