Posts By emily friedman

Social justice through photography

Harvey Finkle is a documentary still photographer who has focused on social, economic, political and cultural issues for decades. He mostly works in and around Philadelphia, but has also produced several bodies of work abroad. His affecting retrospective at Painted Bride, “Justice Behind the Lens: The Legacy of Harvey Finkle,” – on through August 13 – fills the main gallery and adjacent room with black and white photographs spanning the last 30 plus years.

May First Friday, Frankford Ave

The super hip 2100 block of Frankford Avenue was hopping on First Friday.  With people spilling out onto the sidewalk, the biggest crowd was at Rocket Cat Café, on the corner of Frankford and East Norris.  They were hosting ‘Give Pizza Chance:’ a pizza party at the opening of their pizza-themed art show.  As someone who is allergic to pizza, I didn’t exactly go into this show with much hope of liking it, but its whimsy won me over.

NoLibs First Friday: Adventures (Mostly) in Clay

Several shows this month in NoLibs above Spring Garden step outside the norms of a medium, bringing new life to photos, prints and clay. At PPAC through May 15, .matrix includes work by artists interested in “pushing the limits of the printed image and how it is created, used and disseminated.” This isn’t your grandmother’s printmaking. Much of it purposefully challenges our perception of the single matrix, or surface onto which one unique print is impressed.

Old City First Friday rises from the snow

With temperatures rising, it almost felt like spring last Friday while I roamed around Old City, taking in several First Friday shows.  My first stop was Sound and Silence at Artist’s House, which runs through March 27.  The show is a beautiful, varied collection of works – mostly oil paintings, but also sculptures and lithographs – by more than two-dozen artists.  The title says it all: many of the works depict contemplative subject matter, but there’s also some noise.