PHILADELPHIA – The Fairmount Park Art Association will bring free hands-on programming, mobile technology and live music for the whole family to Kelly Drive this fall during “Sculpture Saturdays Presented by PNC Arts Alive” starting on September 10 from 10 am to 2 pm. Kids can make their own sculptures, participants can learn about public art through audio tours, and passersby can enjoy live music, from African drumbeats, to Calypso to folk rock and Brazilian rhythms. The goal: to encourage visitors to stop, look, listen and experience the largest collection of public art in the country in a new way.
“Kelly Drive is home to many of the city’s best-known outdoor sculptures, including Frederic Remington’s Cowboy, Carl Milles’ Playing Angels, and Philadelphia’s most famous rower, John B. Kelly. ‘Sculpture Saturdays Presented by PNC Arts Alive’ creates new and unexpected situations for audiences of all ages to engage with the artworks. Being able to meet audiences where they are – on the street – is an opportunity unique to public art,” says Fairmount Park Art Association Executive Director Penny Balkin Bach.
- Kids’ Sculpture Workshops: Kids can stop by the PNC Arts Alive tent near Lloyd Hall (just south of Boathouse Row) for artist-led sculpture-making activities and will receive a professionally-illustrated kids sculpture booklet and art kit to take home.
- Self-Guided iPod Tours: Participants can borrow an iPod Touch loaded with 35 audio programs about the Kelly Drive sculptures or download the MWW: AUDIO mobile app to their own device at the “Synch Station” located at Cosmic Café at Lloyd Hall.
- Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO: Public Art Ambassadors (a trained “mobile docent squad”) will be on hand to distribute Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO maps and to help guide participants interested in experiencing the program on their cell phones, smart phones, or mp3 players.
- Live Music Performances: For the first time ever, live music performances will take place at the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial Sculpture Garden. A diverse group of performers, including The Adam Monaco Band, Trinidelphia, KyoDaiko and more, will play each Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
“Sculpture Saturdays Presented by PNC Arts Alive” is the programmatic component of Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO, the Fairmount Park Art Association’s interpretive outdoor sculpture audio program, which launched in June 2010. Developed by a team of professional audio producers, these 3-4 minute interpretive audio segments reveal the compelling histories of Philadelphia’s public art treasures at 35 stops along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Kelly Drive. The diverse narratives are told by over 100 authentic voices with personal connections to the artwork. Accessible through multiple platforms, Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO is available to the public for free on the street by cell phone, audio download, mobile app for iPhone or Android, or as streaming audio on the program website: www.museumwithoutwallsaudio.org.
SCULPTURE SATURDAYS PROGRAM DETAILS:
Location: Kelly Drive Philadelphia, PA
- Sculpture-making Workshops take place near Lloyd Hall (#1 Boathouse Row at Kelly Drive and Waterworks Drive)
- iPod Tours begin and end at Cosmic Café at Lloyd Hall (#1 Boathouse Row at Kelly Drive and Waterworks Drive)
- Live Music Performances take place at the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial Sculpture Garden (Kelly Drive south of the Girard Street Bridge)
Dates: Saturdays
- September 10, 17, 24 and October 15 and 22 (no rain dates)
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (activities are ongoing throughout the day)
Cost: FREE
Web: www.museumwithoutwallsaudio.org/sculpture-saturdays/
Sculpture Saturdays is presented in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and is made possible by a special grant from PNC Arts Alive. PNC Arts Alive is a five-year, $5 million investment from the PNC Foundation that supports visual and performing arts groups with the goal of increasing arts access and engagement. For more information on PNC Arts Alive and the grant recipients visit www.pncartsalive.com.
The Fairmount Park Art Association is the nation’s first private, nonprofit organization dedicated to integrating public art and urban planning. Founded in 1872, the Art Association works to promote the appreciation of public art through programs and advocacy efforts that commission, interpret, and preserve public art in Philadelphia. We serve hundreds of people directly through our commissioning and educational programs, and thousands indirectly, as they benefit from the accessibility of public art that is one of Philadelphia’s hallmarks and a key contributor to its quality of life.