NEWS
Blake Bradford GoFundMe campaign
Longtime educator, writer, arts administrator and advocate, Blake Bradford, is in hospice and he and his young family are seeking help for crushing medical bills. On the GoFundMe page, it says “…the prognosis seems dire, but Blake remains hopeful while on hospice care at his parent’s house in Villanova, where they are all living while they figure out their next step.” At Artblog, we know Blake as a friend. He is wise, collegial and passionate about the arts and about people. Before the Barnes Foundation moved to the Parkway, in 2009, I sat down with Blake, then the Director of Education, to get an inside look at how the institution would stay true to its mission in its new digs. The interview reveals a thoughtful, passionate educator who, sadly, would not remain long at the Barnes after its move.
Congratulations, Anne Minich, who is included in the exhibition “Feminism and the Legacy of Surrealism” at Thomas Erben Gallery! The show is up to Feb. 19, 2022. Anne is a friend of Artblog and we’ve long admired and have written about her work. Studio visit interview in 2012 2005 review
From the Gallery press materials: “The work of Anne Minich is bound up with the creation of a personal mythos that attaches a spiritual, otherworldly significance to a certain period of the artist’s life. Borrowing its composition from church architecture, Aqua Bride (mid-1970s) is a double self-portrait that delves into the eros and corpus of Catholic theology, identifying Minich herself with the passion of Joan of Arc.”
Congratulations, Robert Cozzolino, beloved former PAFA Curator of Contemporary Art and current Patrick and Aimee Butler Curator of Paintings at the Minneapolis Institute of Art who received this year’s Alfred H. Barr Jr. Award for show catalogs for “Supernatural America: The Paranormal in American Art,” from the College Art Association. The book is a companion to the exhibition by the same name, organized by Cozzolino, and opening Feb. 19 at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Congratulations, Jessica Rizzo, former Artblog contributor, graduate of Penn Law,and attorney and a founding member of the Crypto Practice Group at the law firm Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads, who published a terrific article on the regulatory vacuum surrounding NFTs on Wired! Read Jessica’s Artblog articles.
Congratulations, Airea D. Matthews, Philadelphia’s New Poet Laureate for 2022-2023 – Airea D. Matthews From the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Poet Laureate Governing Committee:
As Philadelphia’s sixth Poet Laureate, Airea D. Matthews embodies the collaborative and maverick spirit of Philadelphia’s literary community. Reading or listening to Airea’s work is an embodied experience, where language is a thick, sinewy, and fierce offering. Airea is a poet who is unafraid of the shadows or strangeness of questions. Her work experiments with the edges of narrative and embraces the complexities and joy at the center of a life of poetry. Her poems seem to beg the question of what a poem is, what shape it can take, and what music it can invent.
Airea received her BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds an MFA in Poetry from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan, and an MPA in Social Policy from Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Airea currently directs the Creative Writing Program at Bryn Mawr College where she is an Assistant Professor and is part of the graduate faculty of Warren Wilson MFA Program for Creative Writers. She is also a Visiting Professor and Scholar at Rutgers University in the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice. Airea is the mother of four children, one of whom is Wes Matthews, a former 2018-2019 Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate…Read more here.
EVENT
Here’s a jolly musical revue coming to McCarter Theatre via the Princeton Triangle Club (a community effort written and acted by students, and directed and choreographed by professionals). From their press material: “After a long hiatus, Princeton Triangle Club will be premiering our first on-stage show after 2 years at the end of this month! The show, a musical review called “Singin’ in the Train,” will be at McCarter Theatre January 28th-January 30th.” With limited seating due to Covid, the January shows are sold out. However, tickets are available for performances on May 20 and 21. Tickets here.
More from their (darling little) press materials:
For 131 years, Princeton’s Famous Triangle Show has entertained audiences as the nation’s oldest touring collegiate musical comedy troupe. Based at McCarter Theatre– “the House that Triangle Built” — in Princeton, NJ, Triangle creates original musical comedy every year written and performed by students, directed and choreographed by professionals. The Club boasts a rich history and long list of distinguished alumni including F. Scott Fitzgerald, class of 1917, Jimmy Stewart ‘32, Brooke Shields ‘87, Ellie Kemper ‘02 and Catherine Cohen ‘13. This year’s members include over 100 students working across disciplines — cast, pit orchestra, tech, business and writers — who have diverse academic interests and include Triangle as a central part of their undergraduate life. Triangle is also proud to have alumni working on its professional team, including music director Peter Mills ‘95. This year’s show is directed by Rachel Dart, a New York City-based director and founder of Let Us Work, an group that aims to combat and end sexual harassment in theatre.
Singin’ In The Train: The Biggest Musical About The Dinkiest Train is Triangle’s ode to the Dinky, Princeton’s very own, very small NJ Transit line! When the Dinky’s future is threatened (this happens in real life!) by a Princeton alum gone mad with power (this never happens in real life!), she’ll come face to face with the true meaning of trains… by way of bandits, trolls, and plenty of singing and dancing. Showcasing the work of thirteen of Princeton’s most talented student writers and featuring Triangle’s signature kickline, Singin’ In The Train is an experience you won’t want to miss! (Like trains. You… you miss trains, sometimes. Forget it.)
