NEWS
Whole Lotta (Good) Things Going on in Kensington – Part 1 – Renegade Company’s (Kensington) Streetplay
We’ve been following the street-walking performances of the Renegade Company for a couple years, admiring their artistic vision, which brings together audience and performers in what is part tour and part waking dream about subjects herculean and Shakesperean — death, temptation, folly. For the past year or so, the group, under Mike Durkin’s leadership and artistry, has been working on a community-participatory walking experience, where the performers are the neighborhood denizens of Kensington. This project, combining oral history, portraiture, community-outreach and, frankly, social work, debuts its series of Kensington walks in conjunction with the 2018 Fringe Festival. You should know of this project. And consider signing up for the free tickets and taking a walk. More below and at the Renegade Company website.
The Renegade Company and the residents of the Kensington area proudly present
(Kensington) Streetplay, A performative theatrical tour about the legacy of Kensington“When you see me me, you see one version of me, but I’m so much more.”
The Renegade Company will be working with residents of the Riverwards communities (Port Richmond, Somerset, Harrowgate, and Kensington) to understand their stories andperspectives on issues of their neighborhoods, particularly on substance abuse, addiction, and homelessness and its effects on the community. Currently the neighborhood is represented by a narrative associated with opioid addiction, open-air drug trading, prostitution, and disrepair.
Renegade aims to extend past this narrative by working with the community towards de-stigmatization of the neighborhood from outside forces. Recently Renegade has conducted Story/Sharing and Playwriting Sessions as well as Open Rehearsals where scenes and conversations has been made from occurrences happening in participant’s daily lives and experiences.
Renegade will be present a series of performances and interactions in the Kensington neighborhood as a walking experience. Scenes will be about the past, present, and future of Kensington. Each of the scenes will celebrate the perseverance of the residents and look optimistically towards the future. Together, we will focus on the positive aspects of living and working in Kensington. The goal of the project is to amplify the voices of the neighborhood, find common ground with other Philadelphians, and listen to a neighborhood in transition. Residents will be creating scenes and performing them for the FringeArts Festival, Sept 6 – 16, 2018.
TICKETING
Tickets are free and are open to the public. Donations will be accepted.
Tickets can be reserved at: therenegadecompany@gmail.com, FringeArts ticketing link will
be forthcoming.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
● Wednesday, September 5th at 6pm (Preview)
● Thursday, September 6th at 6pm (Opening)
● Friday, September 7th at 6pm
● Saturday, September 8th at 6pm
● Sunday, September 9th at6pm
● Thursday, September 13th at 6pm
● Friday, September 14th at 6pm
● Saturday, September 15th at 6pm
● Sunday, September 16th at 6pm
Full production, September 2018: a walking tour starting at the Allegheny El Stop
(Kensington Ave and Allegheny Ave) and walking east on Allegheny Avenue to Campbell
Square (Allegheny Ave and Belgrade St).
FOR MORE INFORMATION – Renegade Company Website
Whole Lotta (Good) Things Going On in Kensington – Part 2 – Jeffrey Stockbridge K&A Pop Up Portrait Studio
Jeffrey Stockbridge’s 10+-year community project, Kensington Blues, with moving photos and testimony from those living in Kensington, some of them living right on the streets under the El, is now a lauded book by the same name. We told you about the project here.
Stockbridge did another Kensington community project over the last month, shooting portraits for free of community members who wanted their pictures taken. See three from the new series at his Instagram. The project wrapped with a closing party June 30. And we are really looking forward to seeing more of these Kensington photos. See his website for more photos and information.
Here’s what the artist said about the month-long project.
Over the past month I’ve been set up in an old barber shop on the North corner of Kensington and Allegheny Avenue shooting portraits of the community for free. It’s been a wild and rewarding experiment. Come by and have a look if you’re free!
Special shout out to the guys at @phillyinktattoo pictured above. A big thanks to @shift_capital for donating the space and @dustedbackdrops for the beautiful backdrops!
OPPORTUNITIES
Via Belinda Haikes… The College of New Jersey seeks visiting professor of Art and Art History
The College of New Jersey invites applications for a one year, temporary Assistant Professor in Graphic & Interactive Design in the Department of Art and Art History. Date of appointment: August 18th, 2018.
THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY
The College of New Jersey is a highly selective public institution that has earned national recognition for its commitment to excellence. TCNJ emphasizes the undergraduate residential experience and offers targeted graduate programs. The College’s seven schools – The Arts and Communication; Business; Humanities and Social Sciences; Education; Science; Nursing, Health and Exercise Science; and Engineering – offer degrees to nearly 7,000 students. With a 13 to 1 student to faculty ratio, TCNJ seeks to enroll approximately 1,375 entering, full-time freshmen each fall, 95 percent of whom live on campus.
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN GRAPHIC & INTERACTIVE DESIGN
We are seeking an inspiring, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic designer to teach in TCNJ’s Graphic Design program. The annual teaching load for this position is 4 to 5 courses with some administrative services. The individual appointed to this position will teach primarily in the areas of senior research methods, web and/or portfolio courses, and should be able and willing to teach basic graphic design courses.
Minimum qualifications:
MFA or PhD in Graphic Design, Interaction Design, or Visual Communication Design from an accredited institution completed by the date of appointment.
At least 1 year of college teaching experience.
