abscond + squat + perambulate
Last week I forgot to share a moment of Sisterly Affection. Did my appreciation for Philadelphia subconsciously swerve? Happy to report that it's back this week, hopefully not-to-be-forgotten in the future.
I also forgot something important when I rounded up some of my favorite books of the year involving artists and making work... I forgot to ask you about what you read and loved this year, related to art or not. I source most of my to-be-read pile from year-end lists and recommendations, so I'm here for it if you want to sing a book's praises.
I can also report that we have a winner of last week's book giveaway of Artists on Creative Administration, edited by Tonya Lockyer. And that it was very fun for me, so we'll probably try to find more things to give away in the future.
University of the Arts fire sale
We knew it was coming, but damn it's depressing that UArts' 9 properties will be sold this coming week. In the heart-chilling words of the vultures, “The real estate represented in The University of the Arts portfolio allows an investor a generational opportunity to reshape the heart of Philadelphia’s CBD." Yeah. Can't wait to see what that new shape is going to be.
That did lead me to a blog post from Thaddeus Squire, Regarding the Demise of UArts. It's not quite the 8-part Netflix documentary I'm still hoping for, but it's more detailed and in-depth than anything else I've seen on the failings of the institution.
Elphaba and her hat
I would also take much more than two minutes from behind the scenes of the dance club scene from Wicked, but will settle for a few seconds of Cynthia Erivo dancing in a little green beanie for now:
Words of the Week
I'm still processing my experience with Nature Theater of Oklahoma's No President, but I unambiguously appreciated the paper program, which included a detailed glossary of 22 words from the text-abundant performance. These were a couple faves (direct quotes from program):
Myrmidon: a follower or subordinate of a powerful person, typically one who is unscrupulous or carries out orders unquestioningly. The Myrmidons were a legendary people of Greek mythology, native to the region of Thessaly. During the Trojan War, they were commanded by Achilles, as described in Homer's Iliad. According to Greek legend, they were created by Zeus from a colony of ants and therefore took their name from the Greek word for ant, myrmex.
Absquatulate: leave quickly; abscond, decamp, skedaddle, vamoose; to leave abruptly, to make off with something or someone. Attended since the 1830s in American English, a jocular mock-Latin word. Blend of abscond + squat + perambulate, as ab- ("away (from)," as in abscond) + squat + -ulate (as in perambulate), hence meaning "get up (from a squat) and depart (quickly)."
On the Horizon
There's a new exhibit, Soft/Cover, opening at the Fabric Workshop and Museum this coming week (December 9), and it includes dance artist Brendan Fernandes and all around bad-ass John Killacky. The Fabric Workshop shares: "Soft/Cover surveys the many surprising ways artists have used fabric and screenprinting to create objects that relate to the body." Sounds quite dance-adjacent and fun! It runs through next August, so there's plenty of time to get there to check it out.
Sisterly Affection (a bit of Philadelphia appreciation)
Yesterday I went to the home-spunniest of quilt shows, the 4th annual Quilt Show at the Kingsessing Rec Center in West Philly. Anyone can have their quilt included and displaying quilts on a chain link fence is brilliant because viewers can see both sides of the quilt. 72 quilts were on display and small groups clumped around the tennis courts with a DJ in the middle, their booth padded in vintage quilts. Extremely delightful.
