9th Annual Dracula Festival at the Rosenbach 10/12–29 The Rosenbach Museum & Library, 2008-2010 Delancey Pl. $5 with student ID Before Edward Cullen took over the world of tween literature, there was Dracula: the terrifying, blood sucking protagonist of Bram Stroker’s novel. Venture down to the Rosenbach Museum and Library to see Stoker’s original research notes and outlines for Dracula and make Victorian–inspired broaches and relief prints. You can even RSVP to go on a hands–on tour of the “Dracula and Friends” exhibit, where a curator will teach you how to get up–close and personal with Stoker’s original notes and other extraordinary pieces of the collection.
Between Figuration and Abstraction 10/21–11/26 Dalet Gallery, 141 N. 2nd St. Free Intrigued by the unconscious, Jonathan Eckel’s latest works are an exploration of the uncontrollable drive that leads to creation. At times abstract, at times figure drawing, his pieces are always vibrant and filled with movement. Eckel’s desire to tell stories and create a visual language out of painting is successful. His dissection of the human psyche is beautifully translated onto the canvas.
Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals Now–10/29 The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, 3215 Market St. Free New York–based artist Christopher Payne presents the culmination of his six–year quest of exploring psychiatric hospitals throughout the U.S. in two dozen large–format photographs. Payne was granted access to over 70 institutions in 30 states, many of which no longer exist, where he studied the way they function as self–contained communities. Challenging the assumption of mental hospitals as brutal, dehumanizing places, Payne’s photographs present asylums through the lens of healing and therapy.
August: Osage County Now–10/30 Arden Theatre, 40 N. 2nd St. $29–45, $5 student rush tickets available at the box office five minutes before the show starts The off–Broadway smash hit about a disappearing dad, a pill and booze addicted mother and a web of twisted family drama is brought to the stage in Philly by The Arden Theater Company. Winner of both the Pulitzer and the Tony, this play walks the line between comedy, tragedy and discomfort that holds families together. Presented with an all–star Philadelphia cast, August: Osage County is a must see this season!
Flirting with Abstraction Now–1/8/12 Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave. Free with student ID Line. Color. Texture. Form. Through seemingly simple techniques, abstract art has the power to convey intense emotions. Flirting with Abstraction brings together 75 works by Philadelphia artists who have used abstract art as a means to express ideas, sensuality and emotion. The exhibit is anchored by some fine examples of abstract art and sculpture that are a part of the Woodmere Collection.
