Moving Here : In The News

The Los Angeles Times is the latest major media outlet to question the move of the Barnes Museum from suburban Merion to Center City Philadelphia.

Is the new Barnes Museum headed for disaster? Designed to house the art collection of the Barnes Foundation, with its hundreds of Cezannes, Renoirs, Matisses, Picassos and other early modern masters, a new building is under construction in downtown Philadelphia where the collection is scheduled to move from its current home in Merion, Pa. Yet serious questions remain about the rationale for the move and the museum's long-term sustainability.

Source: Los Angeles Times
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In conjunction with the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, a new exhibit showcases paintings and sculptures by Marc Chagall, according to Luxist.

A new exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia explores the legacy of Marc Chagall and his artist compatriots. "Paris Through the Window: Marc Chagall and His Circle" runs from March 1 to July 10 and focuses on the work of Chagall and others in Paris in the early 1900s.

The museum website has a series of podcasts devoted to the exhibit which offer a comprehensive roadmap to all that is going on in a Chagall painting. For example, in the painting shown above, the artist's double-faced self-portrait in the lower right hand corner is a representation of the two sides of his spirit, looking back toward his homeland but also forward toward Paris, Cubism and a world of changing ideas and ideals.




Source: Luxist
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The Washington Post goes hunting for the best of Philly's abundant crop of vegan treats.

So one Saturday last month, my vegan friends and I hit the streets of Philadelphia - where the Phillies claim the country's top-ranked vegetarian ballpark - intending to do no harm to animals, the environment and presumably our health. (At our first stop, Cafe Mocha, we did, however, sample vegan donuts and cookies, and a quick sugar high reminded me that "vegan" doesn't always equal "nutritious.")

We headed to the South Street district for lunch at Blackbird, a vegan pizzeria with a chalkboard menu, a drab interior and space heaters. Blackbird's owner, Mark Mebus, is a Philly native and former chef at Horizons, the upscale restaurant that put vegan dining on the map here. He opened the pizzeria last fall.

Source: Washington Post
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A forgotten masterpiece is rediscovered after languishing in the bowels of the Philadelphia Museum of Art for three decades, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Most museums keep many more works in storage than they do on display. The downside of this practice: Sometimes a masterpiece gets buried--and forgotten--in the basement.

That was the case with "Twilight on the Campagna" by George Inness, who in the late 19th century rivaled his contemporaries Winslow Homer and James McNeill Whistler in fame. Then the world almost forgot him, and "Twilight," one of Inness's major paintings, languished on a storage rack at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for three decades. Ironically, the decades of neglect of "Twilight" may have saved it from being damaged by the less sophisticated restoration techniques of the past, says Mark Mitchell, head of the Center for American Art at the Philadelphia Museum.

Original Source: Wall Street Journal
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One the oldest child mummies ever is coming from Peru for an exhibition opening June 18 at the Franklin Institute, according to Andina.

A 6,420-year-old child mummy from Peru joins an astonishing collection of mummies and related artifacts in the Mummies of the World exhibition.

Mummies of the World is the first exhibition of its kind to be showcased at The Franklin Institute, portraying both naturally and intentionally preserved mummies from around the world in a never-before-seen collection unlike anything else that has ever toured the Northeastern United States.

Mummies of the World is the largest exhibition of real mummies and related artifacts ever assembled, featuring an astounding collection of 150 artifacts and real human and animal specimens from South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania and Egypt.

Original source: Andina (Peru)
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The Baltimore Sun food critic takes a day trip north to sample tapas at Jose Garces' flagship Old City restaurant, Amada.

A friend got in his head that we should all pile in a car and take a day-trip up to Philadelphia to eat at Amada, just one of the jewels in the crown of restaurants that Jose Garces (James Beard Award winner, Iron Chef) owns in Philadelphia.

Everything is bright, shining, packed with flavor. Cured meats are shaved to parchment thinness -- you can pick up a piece of serrano and look right through it. Cheese are with one of Garces' home-made condiments -- truffled lavender honey goes with aged manchego; garlic dulce de Leche with Garrotxa and a currant-pistachio "Salbitxada" with La Peral. Pairing this with strong, vinegary Isastegi cider -- just brilliant.

Original source: The Baltimore Sun
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Bloomberg reports that demand for new equipment, more exports and gains in consumer spending are boosting sales at regional manufacturers, according to The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's general economic index.

Manufacturing in the Philadelphia region expanded in January for a fourth month as orders grew the most since September 2004 and employment picked up.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's general economic index slipped to 19.3 from 20.8 last month. The gauge was forecast to hold at 20.8, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. Readings greater than zero signal expansion in the area covering eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware.

Original source: Bloomberg
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Choosing wisely and widely, the New York Times Travel section profiles four Philadelphia eateries: Supper, Barbuzzo, JG Domestic and Fish.

Though tourists still mob Philadelphia's famous cheesesteak institutions, these days locals are just as likely to line up elsewhere for house-cured charcuterie, farm-fresh beet salads and delicate foie gras terrine.

Confirmation of the city's evolving palate came on a recent evening in the form of a spellbinding smoked sweet potato soup that a waiter poured tableside at Supper, a restaurant in Center City. As I scraped bits of toasted marshmallow off the side of the oblong bowl and swirled my spoon through the cinnamon-kissed diced apples at the base of the spicy puree, the aromas roused rosy remembrances of Thanksgivings past and swept away my outdated notions about the range of Philadelphia cuisine.

Original source: The New York Times
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The Bucks County Playhouse, which closed in December after more than 70 years, will get a new life thanks in part to a locally managed nonprofit, reports the Associated Press.

A new nonprofit called the Bucks County Playhouse Conservancy is raising funds to buy the property from the bank and renovate and reopen the theater. Bernstein said he and his Broadway colleagues are developing programming for the theater's 2011 summer season.

A bank took over the playhouse last year after finding Ralph Miller, the theater's owner for more than 30 years, in default of about $2.2 million on the mortgage. A sheriff's sale of the property in December produced no bidders.

Helen Hayes, Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, Bernadette Peters and Walter Matthau are among the actors who appeared at the playhouse, which in its 1960s heyday was a place for Broadway and Hollywood actors to perform in summer stock.

Original source: Associated Press
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The Courier Post gets in-depth on $5.8 million in federal grant money to fix roads and add bike paths in Camden, which we reported on in September (http://www.flyingkitemedia.com/features/bicyclephilly0928.aspx).

"As a part of the Camden greenway, this active transportation network basically started in Camden and its focus is improving pedestrian and bicycle access," said Jake Gordon, counsel for Cooper's Ferry Development Association, which helped write the grant. "This is one project but three corridors."

The money from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant is planned to repave and add bike lanes and sidewalks to Pearl Street, which runs adjacent to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge; Martin Luther King Boulevard between the waterfront and North 5th Street; and parts of Pine Street east of the Interstate 676 overpass.

The improved bike paths will connect Camden to the rest of the county as well as Philadelphia, said John Boyle, research director for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

Original source: Courier-Post
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The Natural Resources Defense Council blog applauds and captures the spirit of Philadelphia's plan to convert vacant lots and asphalt yards into small neighborhood parks throughout the city.

According to the executive summary, more than half of Philadelphia's residents currently do not have access to a park within convenient walking distance. But there are 558 acres of publicly owned, vacant land located in underserved neighborhoods, and a larger inventory citywide of over 1,000 acres of publicly owned vacant land, over 1,000 additional acres of schoolyards that could be multi-purposed, and over 3,000 acres of additional vacant land currently in private ownership, identified in the map below left as "opportunity areas." The map on the right shows proposed new trails, bike lanes, and "creek walks" in the city.

Original source: Natural Resources Defense Council
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The Washington Post travel section puts together a respectable Philadelphia Freedom package that gives a refined look at U.S. history and the city's ability to share it, including the newly opened National Museum of American Jewish History.

Independence Hall is where the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and ratified the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The Liberty Bell, cracks and all, became a symbol of the abolitionist movement and of efforts to attain freedom around the globe.

In the past decade, the historical events embodied by these icons have gained new context as the Liberty Bell moved to its own interpretive center and a museum dedicated to explaining the Constitution opened at the northern end of the mall. Now several new attractions on or adjacent to the mall are adding their own chapters, some with unexpected twists, to the traditional understanding of American freedoms and how they came to be.

The National Museum of American Jewish History, affiliated with the Smithsonian, opens its dazzling new home on the mall to the public today. The President's House commemorative site, on the spot where presidents George Washington and John Adams, as well as nine enslaved African Americans, lived before the nation's capital was moved to Washington, is set to open Dec. 15. A 15-minute 3-D film, "Liberty 360," premiered this fall in a theater across from Independence Hall and offers yet another perspective on the goings-on that led to the nation's founding.

Original source: Washington Post
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Temple University junior engineering student Hasan Malik, founder of Northeast Tree Tenders, is helping restore tree cover in his native Northeast Philadelphia, reports Temple University News.

Once every spring and fall, Malik and his loyal crew of trained volunteers--including a core group of fellow Temple students--dig holes (removing concrete, if necessary) and plant trees along streets and in yards at the request of homeowners throughout Northeast Philadelphia. The group's first planting was 23 trees. Now, groups of about 60 volunteers plant 50 to 70 trees at a time. Since 2007, the group has planted a total of 270 trees, offering hope for a greener, shadier and healthier future in the Northeast.

"There's too much concrete and not enough greenery in the city," Malik said. "Rather than complain about it, let's do something about it."

Why plant trees? Malik cites increased property values, reduced incidence of asthma and childhood obesity among residents, shelter from the sun and wind, a reduction of greenhouse gases, more homes for wildlife and the absorption of storm water runoff.

Original source: Temple University News
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Beauty and style editor Ysolt Usigan goes on a whirlwind tour of our city, dispelling the New York elitist notion that we're its "sixth borough," reports The Huffington Post.

When it came to partying, two speakeasies, and I was had! Once defined as "an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages" in the '20s and '30s, I discovered two venues with that feel nestled in Philadelphia's Penn Center neighborhood. First stop: the sexy Ranstead Room. With entrances through El Rey's kitchen and outside on the street (just look for the door marked with double Rs), I had cocktails with names so complicated I can't even remember them. Even though it was quite dim inside, the naked ladies gracing the walls were hard to miss. The venue is hot, to say the least.

From vintage shops to lux salons, even vast department stores with plenty of preppy and chic options to boot, there's no question--Philly knows style. I picked the best time to visit the city, too, with the Philadelphia Collection 2010 series underway. From September 23 to October 2, the city's many boutiques, stylists, designers and modeling agencies were hosting various independently produced events.

Original source: The Huffington Post
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Edge Boston, part of a network of LGBT news/entertainment online publications, gives Mayor Michael Nutter and Philadelphia big props for being one of the largest cities in the country to fly the rainbow flag at a government building, City Hall.

And when mayoral LGBT liaison Gloria Casarez approached Nutter with the idea, he was more than eager to make it a reality. She added the event became especially symbolic after the recent number of LGBT teen suicides.

"There's been a lot of conversation around the five or six young men who have taken their lives as a result of harassment and bullying," Casarez told EDGE. "We in Philadelphia have violence and bullying as well, but I don't want the message to get lost that we're especially concerned about violence against trans people. We've seen some recent cases of violence right on the streets of Philadelphia. As much as we're celebrating LGBT History Month, we have to be focus on the business of assuring that people report crime and that when they report it we're funneling them through the proper channels."

Original source: Edge Boston
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