Pathways to Unknown Worlds: Sun Ra, El Saturn & Chicago's Afro-Futurist Underground 1954-1968Through August 2, 2009
Jazz pioneer, bandleader, mystic, philosopher, and consummate Afro-Futurist, Sun Ra (b. 1914 Birmingham, Alabama, d. 1993) and his personal mythology have grown increasingly relevant to a broad range of artists and communities. This exhibition presents paintings, drawings, prints, manuscripts, ephemera, and video produced by and about Ra and his associates—much of it previously unseen. Pathways to Unknown Worlds examines how Ra and his dynamic, continually-evolving ensemble, the Philadelphia-based Arkestra, crafted both their otherworldly image and fiercely independent approach to self-production.
Image: Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy LP cover, music recorded 1963; issued 1967. Courtesy of the Hyde Park Art Center.
Opening Reception with live music by DJ Hiding Place
Thurs April 23 @ 6-8pm
free and open to the public
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Tavares Stratchan: Orthostatic ToleranceThrough August 2, 2009
The surf surrounding Tavares Strachan's (b. 1979, lives New York) hometown of Nassau, Bahamas is the site of an experimental rocket launch. Made of glass from island sand, and powered by sugarcane, the rockets mark a primary phase of the artist's Orthostatic Tolerance project: to explore the heights of space and the depths of the ocean. Video, drawings, photography, and sculpture document the launch and allow a glimpse into the future. Through the rubric of scientific exploration, Strachan engages both the resources and community of his home country, and investigates environmental, cultural, historical, and postcolonial issues.
Image: Tavares Stratchan, from Orthostatic Tolerance, 2009, photograph. Courtesy of the artist.
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 23 @ 6-8 pm
free and open to the public
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Dirt On Delight: Impulses That Form Clay
Continues through June 21, 2009
Odili Donald Odita:
Third Space
Continues through December 6, 2009
* Free admission to the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania for the public is sponsored by the Glenn R. Fuhrman (W87/WG88) Fund.
Visit online at www.icaphila.org
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Institute of Contemporary Art · University of Pennsylvania
118 S. 36th St., Philadelphia, PA 19104-3289 · 215.898.5911