Candis R. McLean
In these trying times, finding mental reprieve or a source for fun and exciting resources is a premium. Several institutions, galleries, and entertainment hubs in the city will be offering tremendous virtual tours and sessions for weeks to come. Here’s a rundown of some of the amazing options you have right at your fingertips.
For more virtual events, click here.
• CraftNOW: Join CraftNOW Philadelphia and friends at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 1, for the inaugural Virtual First Friday, the first in a series of virtual events hosted by CraftNOW. During Virtual First Friday, spend the evening interacting with fellow arts and culture enthusiasts, and hear from some of Philadelphia’s premier artistic minds during a night of conversation.
For the inaugural event, participating art institutions will include The Clay Studio, The Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Wharton Esherick Museum. Find all of their DIY activities and clay tutorials here.
• The Clay Studio: Looking for something fun and engaging to do with your children at home? The Clay Studio has you covered with virtual DIY activities available now on their YouTube page. In one tutorial, join Megan Millman, Community Engagement Manager at The Clay Studio, as she walks you through exciting, educational, and creative DIY projects using common household items. With simple directions and ingredients, these projects are fun for the whole family!
Follow along as Megan shows you how to create a pinch pot (a simple form of pottery using your fingers to pinch and turn the clay) to look like your favorite furry friend! Or, using tools from around the house, Megan will show you how to create an entertaining and creative game of clay-texture BINGO, designed for hours of enjoyment!
• National Liberty Museum: The National Liberty Museum has added a fascinating and fun endeavor to its NLM@Home offerings. In partnership with NLM@Night, Virtual Trivia Night kicked off last week and will continue.
The National Liberty Museums invites everyone, the home-bound heroes of all ages, to continue to stay connected to the NLM by exploring our online resources. From fun activities for kids at NLM@Home to thought-provoking programs for adults at NLM@Night, the NLM is here to inspire, educate, and engage curious minds. There are liberty learning activities, read and romp at home, a virtual heroes gallery, and more.
• PAFA: In the midst of the pandemic, PAFA is continuing to develop and expand its online public programming, including Continuing Education classes; virtual art talks and discussions with curators and other members of the Museum staff; a robust suite of video content; weekly quizzes; activities for young learners; and more. You can read more about these programs at the PAFA From Home web portal, which is updated regularly with new and upcoming programming.
Upcoming PAFA From Home events includes an online talk between Museum Director Brooke Davis Anderson and Elizabeth Smith of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation about the legacy of Helen Frankenthaler; a talk with PAFA’s Curator of Historical American Art, Dr. Anna Marley, about historical networks of American women artists; and more.
• Philadelphia Park Conservancy: Love Your Park @ Home will run from Saturday, May 9 to Sunday, May 17. Each day, Love Your Park @ Home, hosted by Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, will offer free park-themed activities for the whole family, from virtual bike and history tours to gardening tutorials and much more.
This time last year, more than 100 park volunteer groups were planning cleanup days and special events in many of Philadelphia’s parks. While not possible this year, Philadelphia’s valuable public spaces are still here for everyone to enjoy.
During Love Your Park @ Home, each day’s activities will center around a specific theme. The themes, and a sample of the programming for the day, are:
– Saturday, May 9 (NATURE): Enjoy a free introduction to forest therapy with Wild Philadelphia at 11 a.m.
– Sunday, May 10 (FAMILY): Celebrate mom by giving her some time to stretch and focus on herself with a free virtual greenhouse yoga class with Fairmount Park Conservancy at 1 p.m.
– Monday, May 11 (PARK PRIDE): Connect with your local Park Friends Group for your neighborhood park. Become a member, send them an email, or follow them on social media.
– Tuesday, May 12 (ARTS): Explore all of the public art that Philly parks have to offer with the Association for Public Art’s virtual tours.
– Wednesday, May 13 (COMMUNITY): Write a love letter to your neighborhood park. Share why you #loveyourpark on social media.
– Thursday, May 14 (HISTORY): Tour the Historic Houses of Fairmount Park during a virtual bike tour led by the Conservancy’s Historic Houses Program Coordinator John Sigmund and the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Site Manager for Historic Houses Justina Barrett.
– Friday, May 15 (PLAY): Share a link to your playlist listing your top park-themed songs.
– Saturday, May 16 (WELLNESS): Work up a sweat at home with exercise videos led by We Walk PHL.
– Sunday, May 17 (GARDENING AND GREENING): Learn how to make a native plant container garden for your home with Bartram’s Garden.
In addition, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s virtual programming series “Parks & Rec @ Home” will air daily Love Your Park @ Home-themed videos from Monday, May 11 through Friday, May 15. New programs will be shared at 3 p.m. every afternoon on Parks & Rec’s Facebook page here.
• Philadelphia Film Society: The Philadelphia Film Society will be hosting a Virtual Throwback Quizzo & Movie night this Friday, May 1. Quizzo will begin at 7:30 p.m. and the movie watch party will begin at 8 p.m. Fans of the 1998 classic coming of age film, Can’t Hardly Wait are in for an entertaining treat. Fans will be able to play the quizzo game on the Discord App or on your desktop. The winner will be announced around 9:30 p.m. Fans can also keep the movie conversation going through the feature film using Discord. The next installment will be on Friday, May 15. It will feature Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly hit comedy Step Brothers.
You can follow Candis McLean on Twitter (@CandisRMcLean) and e-mail her at [email protected].
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