Fall Arts Preview: Museums
Posted By richards on September 15, 2012
It could be called a season of museum exhibitions on unintended consequences.
Anti-drinking forces, for instance, ushered in a raucous decade of drinking - as well as the federal income tax - as the region's nonart museumgoers will find amply demonstrated this fall.
Shipbuilders intent on creating the fastest, biggest, safest luxury liner launched the Titanic on its fateful voyage to the bottom of the sea, as an exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ship's rendezvous with an iceberg readily shows.
Alchemy, race, ghosts, river disasters, murals, and archaeological insight into the city's past will also be on tap around the region.
And the Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent, closed for more than three years for renovations, has now set Saturday as its grand-reopening date. Items ranging from George Washington's desk to Mike Schmidt's batting helmet will at last be on view.
"American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition" (National Constitution Center, Oct. 19-April 23) In its most ambitious effort yet, the center presents a self-curated traveling exhibition tracing the rise and fall of the U.S. temperance movement. With roots in the early 19th century, anti-drink forces gained clout, ultimately winning adoption in 1919 of the Constitution's 18th Amendment, barring the sale of alcoholic beverages. Enter tumult and lawbreaking, leading finally to the amendment's repeal in 1933. Visitors will be treated to the rise of the women's suffrage movement, revenuers, the federal income tax, the Roaring Twenties, gangsters, speakeasies, and the Great Depression. (215-409-6600 or http://constitutioncenter.org)
"Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" (Franklin Institute, Nov. 10-April 7) The Titanic may have gone to its watery grave in 1912, but it surely has not been forgotten, particularly not during the centennial of its icy demise. The Franklin Institute's exhibition, put together by Premier Exhibitions' Titanic subsidiary, which holds exclusive rights to artifacts from the wreck site, will feature 300 of those artifacts. The 15,000-square-foot show will present room re-creations and many individual stories (some about Philadelphians) tied to items recovered from the cold, cold sea. (215-448-1200 or http://www2.fi.edu)
Mural Arts Month (Multiple sites around Philadelphia, Oct. 1-31) In October, the Mural Arts Program will transform Philadelphia into a museum without walls (yet totally dependent on walls). Exhibitions, mural dedications, celebrity mural tours, trolley tours, artist talks, and a book signing will highlight the extravaganza. Four major projects will receive special attention: The Roots Mural Project; Philly Painting; Peace as a Haiku Song, celebrating the poet Sonia Sanchez; and Aqui y Alla, a collaboration with Mexican artists. (215-685-0750 or http://www.muralarts.org)
"The Alchemical Quest" (Chemical Heritage Foundation, through Dec. 7) Chemical Heritage's museum has mounted an exhibition of rare alchemical texts from as early as the 16th century. As the systematic study of matter, alchemy launched the metamorphosis of magical thinking into scientific method, influencing a range of activities from metallurgy to medicine. The show highlights two pioneers, Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle, illustrating their roles during a dynamic, transformative period of inquiry. (215-925-2222 or http://www.chemheritage.org)
"Drawn into Politics" (The Free Library of Philadelphia Parkway Central Branch, through Nov. 11) In a nod to the election season, the Free Library is presenting an exhibition of 40 political cartoons from the founding of the nation through today, the majority culled from the library's print and picture collection. (Sixty additional images will be available through an online extension of the show.) Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News cartoonist Signe Wilkinson contributed some of her recent works, bringing the show up to the present. Wilkinson will be on hand for a special conversation about political cartooning Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. in Parkway Central's Montgomery Auditorium. (215-686-5322 or http://freelibrary.org)
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Fall Arts Preview: Museums
