New in Town (welcome!)

This week I kept seeing artists do very impressive things. A beatboxer had 10 seconds left in a competition and instead of wrapping things up, he took it up a few notches and packed an entire tiny symphony into those 10 seconds. I saw an artist deliver a gorgeous, vulnerable show while navigating very challenging technical difficulties. And I saw an artist come straight from the airport into a full body Cannonball dive. Artists trying to do hard things!, new things!, impractical things! I'm in awe. Kudos to everyone giving it a try, even if there's only 10 seconds left, even if the lights aren't working, even if there's not enough (or any) money.

New in town

Welcome to the newsletter's new occasional feature, where there'll be a spotlight on someone living in Philadelphia who recently moved here, or recently moved back, or just elicits surprise when they tell people they live here.* (Are you in one of these categories? Or know someone who might like to let folks know they're here? Nominate you or your buds!: solidseam at gmail.)

I am truly delighted that Chels Fryer agreed to be the first guest! I met Chels at one of the Cannonball PLATFORM discussions and instantly felt that we are so lucky to have them in the area and in the field. Chels (they/she) works at Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and it sounds as if care is a central component of their practice.

What brought you to Philly?

A couple of things! Primarily, I was looking for community in the pandemic. My immediate neighbors were able to band together, however my artistic community felt so scattered. Folks were moving, going rural, or going to LA, and everyone was moving. The generative artistic community just seemed not necessarily to be centralized in New York anymore. And then when I was in Philly to see friends and family, I had a thought: it feels like people create work here all the time, no matter what. I feel truly honored and grateful to have found an artistic community in Philly, especially in Germantown, a community that shares the same values like social impact, social justice and art for change that I’m really excited about.

Germantown love

Germantown, it’s such a cool area. I can’t brag about it enough! Something I was excited about was that Germantown is really on a precipice. It’s surrounded on all sides by very affluent neighborhoods and we are pretty much a predominantly Black neighborhood. The culture and the community are so vibrant and so excited to take the resources that are suddenly starting to become available. We’re gentrifying a lot, and it’s growing tremendously; however, there is a sense of an established foundation. This is what our agreed accountability is. This is what our agreements are as a community. Please join us, but join us with respect, also know that you’re going to pitch in, and these are the different avenues in which you can. So, I was excited to be able to, not only find this artistic reflection of how society can be, but also a real sense of community that’s really interested and invested in mutual aid.

What kind of people would you like to connect with?

I would love to connect with individuals who are working at that intersection of social impact and art, especially grassroots organizers. I think that’s an avenue that we’re kind of missing in our arts ecosystem, some of that amazing grassroots organizing, community building work to empower our arts communities to feel that they can impact change. Oftentimes, I feel like we answer the question ‘how impactful was this piece of art?’, by asking ‘how many people saw it?, how many people said they liked it?,’ but really, there are moments in life where you are changed and it’s via art. How can we use that power to really navigate what our world could look like?

Fringe chaser

Maybe after Fringe is over, you won't be feeling exhausted or sad, but instead you'll be feeling energized and hungry for more. If so, you should go to this discussion hosted by Andrew Simonet asking the big questions, "what even is performance in 2024?" and "what are the possible futures we're building today?" I am also interested in these questions, but I can't be there, so if you go, please share some tidbits! All the details here.

One thing I loved this week

I felt so energized and productively prodded by the Cannonball PLATFORM discussions I got to be part of. One of the juiciest was last Saturday morning, Exploring The Future Of Arts Presentation: What Does Performing Arts Presenting Look Like Today, And What Should It Look Like Tomorrow? (with Ben Grinberg, Skye Fort, Tommy Kriegsmann, and Chels Fryer, moderated by Sarah Lewitus).

Ben Grinberg spoke about changing the tenor to messier conversations, where we can collectively talk about what’s working and what’s not, and ways we have failed. Those institutions who can admit mistakes have a better chance of survival. Let’s develop new areas of comfort, getting more comfortable talking about the mess.

There was talk about decomposition vs. collapse (UArts as a spectacular example of the latter), while decomposition offers possibilities for compost and renewal. How can institutions learn a safer way to fall, just like dancers and actors learn in the studio. Meropi Peponides asked the valuable question: how are we collectivizing so it’s not just a few artists deemed exceptional by gatekeepers who benefit when resources are suddenly available?

In general it was just so nice to gather together and try to hash things out for a bit. There seems to be a gap in convening energy in Philly right now, and it's great to see Cannonball active in that space along with so many others.

Sisterly Affection (a bit of Philadelphia appreciation)

When I was moving back to Philly, a friend asked me what I was most looking forward to. What popped into my mind first was window cats. I know there are window cats in other cities, but I think there must be a higher rate here. Maybe related to row houses? Anyway, please enjoy this creamsicle guy hanging out with some spiders, getting ready for October.

If you are new to the newsletter, welcome! You can check out the 'about' page if you'd like a little context for where I'm coming from. Each newsletter closes with a Philadelphia moment, institution, or window cat of the week because I love it here. And you can always hit me up with what you're curious about, steamed about, excited about, etc. at solidseam@gmail.com.

*We are using a fluid definition for these terms. What is time?