Let’s just say Philadelphia’s got talent. It was announced this week that Philadelphia’s Gabriel Quinn Bauriedel, Dan Rothenberg, and Dito van Reigersberg of Pig Iron Theatre Company and furniture designer Matthias Pliessnig were named USA Knight Fellows at a celebration at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. The Pig Iron collaborative and Pliessnig will each receive an unrestricted $50,000 grant from United States Artists (USA), part of a $1 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to USA, a national grant-making and advocacy organization.

Last year, Philadelphia ceramicist Kukuli Velarde was named one of the first USA Knight Fellows. For her community engagement project, Velarde and her husband (whom she met while both were residents at the Clay Studio, 13 years ago) established a ceramic studio in the basement of the West Kensington Ministry.The studio began offering classes this summer. Check out local filmmaker David S. Kessler’s Studioscopic portrait of Kukuli from a few years back below to learn more about her work.

Inspired by boatbuilding techniques and classic modernist furniture, Matthias Pliessnig has made a name for himself with his visually stunning pieces constructed primarily with steamed bent-wood strips. Gabriel Quinn Bauriedel, Dan Rothenberg, and Dito van Reigersberg, co-artistic directors of Pig Iron Theatre Company, create performance works that defy easy categorization.

Find out more about Canary’s work with the Knight Foundation, including our campaign for the three-year, $9 million initiative Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia, right here at canarypromo.com/work/knightarts. Finalists for the first year of the Philadelphia contest will be announced in early 2011. Stay tuned. Read more »

The Rosenbach Museum & Library announced today news of an important acquisition of two rarely seen portraits depicting Rebecca Gratz and her brother, Joseph Gratz, belonging to the beloved Gratz family. Canary is very excited to be working with the museum – a long-time media relations client – to share the news of these culturally significant portraits. The Gratzes were a prominent early American Jewish family who lived in and made many lasting contributions to both the Philadelphia and Lancaster, Pennsylvania regions throughout the 19th century.

We encourage you to visit the Rosenbach Museum & Library in the coming weeks to experience these visually stunning portaits, an important addition to Philadelphia’s art world, and explore the history and legacy of Rebecca Gratz and her family to our city. To learn more, check out today’s Philadelphia Inquirer which includes a great spread detailing this remarkable story by culture writer Stephan Salisbury, Rosenbach acquires portraits of Gratzes, or view our press release online.

Philanthropist, social activist, and Jewish leader Rebecca Gratz (1781– 1869) painted in 1831 by Thomas Sully. As the founder and secretary of Philadelphia’s earliest women’s philanthropic organizations, Rebecca helped define a new identity for American women. Read more »

TEDxPhilly – Right Here, Right Now
Thursday, November 18 – Kimmel Center for Performing Arts, Philadelphia

Founded on the concept of TED, a conference dedicated to the concept of “Ideas Worth Spreading” from Technology, Entertainment, and Design industries, TEDx events are community organized conferences aimed at local audiences. TEDxPhilly chose the theme Right Here, Right Now to celebrate the region while inspiring innovation through a unique TED experience. Canary is excited to be participating in this inaugural event, and we think you might dig it too. Read more »

We’re excited to congratulate Fairmount Park Art Association on a Philadelphia Magazine BEST of PHILLY 2010 win for “Best Cheap Thrill!” with the newly launched Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO!

Launched in June, Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO offers participants an insider’s view of Philadelphia’s outstanding collection of public art with 35 professionally produced audio segments revealing the stories behind  51 sculptures along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a great urban thoroughfare, and the connecting Kelly Drive in Fairmount Park.  Users can access the segments for free and through their own cell phones or hand-held devices, providing a high quality way to access information and experience outdoor sculpture in an innovative, engaging, fun and meaningful way.

Download the Fairmount Park Art Association’s new—and free—audio guide to 51 of our city’s public sculptures at www.museumwithoutwallsaudio.org to your ipod and check it out!

For more info about Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO, check out the Philadelphia Inquirer story about the program or visit their online EPK page on the Canary site, and keep an eye out for their win in Philadelphia Magazine’s “BEST of PHILLY” edition in August.

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