Bowerbird is pleased to present  Liminal States Series, a new series of late night, live streamed concerts intended to be listened to as you fall asleep. Aiming to center and calm, the musicians will seek to lead listeners to that magic space between awake and asleep. Tune in and bliss out. Electronic musician Chris Powell will perform from his home in Philadelphia.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Chris Powell (aka Pow Pow) is a self-taught rhythm scholar, producer, and electronic music-maker living in Philadelphia, PA. As a main contributor in the Philadelphia art and sound collective Need New Body, which fused improvisation with popular song structures, Powell began a career of international recording and performance, creating music at the nexus of art and entertainment. Since 1999, he has collaborated, recorded, and toured worldwide with a diverse spectrum of artists and musicians, including the Sun Ra Arkestra, Yoko Ono, and the Boredoms. Powell’s work in the eclectic and high energy Philadelphia band Man Man has helped focus his talent as a leader in the live performance context. Powell’s body of work has most recently expanded to solo modular synth performances as well as creating instruments with NYC/Philly based synthesizer company Critter & Guitari.

Admission to this online event is Free / Pay What You Wish ($20 suggested). REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. A link will be sent to you the day of the event. The performance will start at 11:00pm Eastern Time and will run approximately 40 mins. 

Please register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chris-powell-tickets-156001634087

Other events in the Liminal States Series:

Birdie Busch

Thu, Sep 16 @ 11pm[ link soon ]

VDA: Building and Sustaining Anti-Racist Arts Organizations

A panel discussion with three Philadelphia arts leaders on their experiences with building and sustaining anti-racist organizations. 

MEET YOUR PANEL

- Kristal Sotomayor

- LaNeshe Miller-White

- Samantha Rise-Roberson

 This event is FREE but registration is required in order to receive the Zoom link. Please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vda-panel-building-and-sustaining-an-anti-racist-arts-organization-tickets-164378621883

Join 100,000 Folds in honoring and mourning COVID-19 victims through origami.

About this event

Join 100,000 Folds in honoring and mourning COVID-19 victims through origami. This community sculpture project is folding 100,000 pieces of paper - one for each of the first 100,000 deaths in the United States from the pandemic. During this event, gather virtually with artist Joanna Hutchinson to learn to make the folded pieces, and build community while folding with others. The folded paper units will be assembled into larger sculptures to be displayed in Philadelphia upon completion, when it is safe to do so. Participants in this online folding session will get a sneak preview of some of the plans for the final sculpture. Participants will receive a package of 50 custom cut sheets of paper to fold during this event, sent to the mailing address provided through the USPS. After the event, participants are asked to send their folded work to the artist by USPS. This online event requires students to have a device to join the class with reliable internet access. If you are interested in participating in the project, but not the online event, you can sign up to work independently at 100thousandfolds.com. Co-hosted with The Rotunda. This is a free event, but donations are welcome. All donations will go to support PHL Covid-19 Fund, supporting community efforts to help those directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

About the Instructor

Based in West Philly, Joanna Hutchinson is a part-time sculptor, avid crafter, and enjoys a career in finance. She likes bringing people together: for friendship, community, and art making. 100,000 Folds is a way for the artist, and others, to mourn and reflect around the coronavirus crisis.

This workshop is FREE but registration is required in order to receive the Zoom link. Please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/100000-folds-a-collaborative-sculpture-project-tickets-161180121081. Registered guests will receive the link prior to the workshop. 

Bowerbird is pleased to present Liminal States, a new series of late night, live streamed concerts intended to be listened to as you fall asleep. Aiming to center and calm, the musicians will seek to lead listeners to that magic space between awake and asleep. Tune in and bliss out. Musician and artist Birdie Busch will perform from her home in Philadelphia.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Philadelphia musician and artist Birdie Busch joins other co-conspirators that seek to make great music, inspire people, and see what happens. Critics from American Songwriter to Village Voice have found her of kindred spirit from everyone from Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett to American Gothic writer Eudora Welty, and seem to just keep referring to what she does as her own thing and appreciating that strange place where it resides. It’s this comfort to contain multitudes that keeps her energized and curious, putting out music on adventurous independents like Bar/None, Styles Upon Styles, and Perpetual Doom.

Admission to this online event is Free / Pay What You Wish ($20 suggested). REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. A link will be sent to you the day of the event. The performance will start at 11:00pm Eastern Time and will run approximately 40 mins. Please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/birdie-busch-tickets-156532239141

M.O.M. - Music Over Matter - Live from ElectricLatté Land!

M.O.M. - Music Over Matter - was founded by Jan Jeffries and performs Maha music. In Hindi, "Maha" means "greater spirit." In Hawaiian, it refers to the spaces between the strands of a fisherman's net, and suggests the space between musical notes...the spaces where individual expression comes to life. For M.O.M., that individual expression is based on the power of love and an awareness of the forces of nature.

M.O.M. will be bringing their voices and drums to you on Friday September 17 and you can watch live at https://youtu.be/YPDxvealyDw 

Philly’s 15th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival 

Saturday September 18 and Sunday September 19. 1-7pm each day. Streaming live on The Rotunda's YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRotundaPhilly

Featured artists so far:

Cassendre Xavier (singer-songwriter-guitarist/poet)

O (performance artist/healer)

Kai Oceans (spiritual/speaker)

Gigi McGraw (storyteller, playwright)

Narissa Bond (singer-songwriter)

More info to come soon! 

Philly’s 15th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival 

Saturday September 18 and Sunday September 19. 1-7pm each day. Streaming live on The Rotunda's YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRotundaPhilly

Featured artists so far:

Cassendre Xavier (singer-songwriter-guitarist/poet)

O (performance artist/healer)

Kai Oceans (spiritual/speaker)

Gigi McGraw (storyteller, playwright)

Narissa Bond (singer-songwriter)

More info to come soon! 

Vision Driven Artist Workshop Series: Developing an Artist Statement

Create your own artist statement and get an understanding of what makes a good one in this Rotunda-sponsored workshop.

MEET YOUR FACILITATOR

Michele Kishita is a Philadelphia-based artist who uses landscape as her primary subject. Her paintings are strongly influenced by the graphic stylizations and compressed spaces of Japanese ukiyo-e prints. Kishita’s paintings are in a number of private/corporate collections, including Toyota, Capital One, and Kaiser Permanente, and her work is featured in Create Magazine, on the Poetry Foundation blog, and the Studio Break and Thyme in the Studio podcasts, as well as in several literary journals. She has participated in artist residencies in New Mexico, Russia, and Iceland and exhibited at the Sharjah Art Museum in the United Arab Emirates and the Museum of Non-Conformist Art in St. Petersburg, Russia. Kishita received both her BFA and MFA in painting from the University of the Arts and is represented by James Oliver Gallery, Susanna Gold, and Carrie Coleman Fine Art, and affiliated with Cufflink Art.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

- Connect with other local artists and brainstorm new ideas about your work.

- Learn about artist statements and what it takes to create an artist statement that stands out.

- Practice writing or editing your own statement.

Register via the link below.

Registration is FREE and required in order to receive the Zoom link. Please register at  https://vdartiststatment.eventbrite.com 

The Frog Prince & Other Favorite Stories

Denise McCormack

September 13-October 42021 Fringe Festival30 minutesPay What You CanAccording to McCormack, “This show brings together some of my very favorite stories that are remarkably stretchy to fit all viewers.  Each tale has a multitude of layers meant to cater to whimsy-seekers, imagination-dwellers, and analogy-diggers.  I hope that they are enjoyed and discussed long after the program ends.”SHOWTIMESAvailable on Monday, Sept 13 until end of Festival  for on-demand viewingGet tickets HERECREDITSDenise McCormack is president of the Patchwork Storytelling Guild, Producer of the Lehigh Valley Family Storytelling Series, NJ state liaison of the National Storytelling Network, former editor of Story Art magazine, a publication of the National Storytellers League, as well as a member of various other local and national organizations for the arts and where storytelling plays an integral role. McCormack tells professionally throughout the tri-state area, touting the efficacy of storytelling for entertainment, education, social justice, and community, as well as for its substantial benefits to health and well-being. She holds an M.Ed. in the areas of language, learning, and literacy and delights in working with all ages.

Denise McCormack’s mantra: There is a story for every time and purpose under heaven.

To find out more, go to http://www.denisemccormack.live.

AUDIENCE INSTRUCTIONSThis show is designed to be engaging for children and adults. It is pay-what-you-wish to make it accessible to all.ABOUT THE ARTISTSDenise McCormack is a storyteller. Stories, even and especially the simple folk and fable, shine a light on little things that have far reaching implications, including the power to draw us together in community. Among McCormack’s favorites are tales of aged heroes and strong, wise women; creation tales, myths, and epics that speak of values and perseverance; and both prose and poetry that bring to the life the magic of our glorious world. McCormack has been a featured teller and workshop presenter at local and regional fringes and festivals, including the National Storytellers Network conferences and Philadelphia stages, and educator conferences. She has also developed and facilitated local story slams and swaps.

 Moreover, trying to keep up with her creative initiatives over the course of the pandemic has resulted in digital media and audio/video productions which expand and connect community and story.Get tickets HERE

The Thing About PhillySaturday, September 25th, 2021Rain date: Sunday, September 26th, 2021

This event will take place OUTSIDE on The Rotunda's front plaza. The building will not be open. 

Enjoy a free performance that features storytelling, history, and hijinks.  Series 1 will highlight South Philly's Aquarama Theater of the Seas and West Philly's Foo-Foos Sandwich Shop - Home of the Mamma Jamma.

Background Information

The Event

The Thing About Philly is a hybrid artistic project. It combines storytelling/ history /reader's theater /skits & a panel discussion all in one to highlight hyper-local histories, which are, histories that may become lost to posterity because 1. They occurred/existed in a distinct section of the city- meaning only a select group of people knew about it OR...

2. Due to time's passing, only a small percentage of people remember it and it is not a national historic site that would have a lot of information documented about it.

The Histories That Will Be Featured in Series 1

1. Foo-Foos Steak Shop: Home of the Mamma Jama (1970s)- A West Philly favorite that was owned by an infamous man who sold more than steaks

2. Aquarama: Theater of the Sea -1962-1969 which existed in South Philly at 3300 South Broad Street (cross-section Hartranf St.) (Now a CVS). It started to go downhill with alleged ties to the mob and management issues

This event will take place OUTSIDE on The Rotunda's front plaza. The building will not be open. 

Patchwork: A Storytelling Guild  PATCHWORK CELEBRATES A PATCHWORK OF STORIES on Saturday, September 25  @ 7 PM EST.  This live event is  open to the public and will be broadcast virtually.  Patchwork offers Pay-What-You-Can ticket options for greater accessibility for all. Pay-What-You-Can: GET TICKETS

According to Denise McCormack, president of Patchwork and host of the event, 

“A Patchwork of Stories for Grown Ups  means to offer a unique balance of tales that complement one another for an hour of entertainment bliss. Each story has been carefully selected and crafted by the teller to be shared and enjoyed virtually and in real time for a wholly intimate and up-close experience.  This novel hybrid is truly the stuff of fringe tradition, a grand experiment in accessible and meaningful performance art." 

Featured in this amazing lineup are, in alphabetical order, Michele Belluomini, Judith Onesty, Denise McCormack, Les Schaffer, and Ed Stivender.

This program is sure to delight story lovers everywhere, and we encourage everyone to spread the word!  We want to put a smiles on everyone's faces.

About The Tellers  

DENISE MCCORMACK is deeply committed to sharing the history, benefits, and practices of storytelling in a broad spectrum of applications for education and community to business, health, and well-being. Among her many roles, McCormack is president of the Patchwork Storytelling Guild, and an active member of various local and national organizations wherein storytelling and the arts play an integral role. She is also a storytelling/speaking coach and creative designer and producer for video/audio; digital and print projects. For more information, go to: www.denisemccormack.live 

MICHELE BELLUOMINI

Michele Belluomini  has been telling stories to children and adults for the last 15 years. 

She has performed in schools, libraries, and museums, as well as at universities in the Philadelphia area. 

Michele presented solo performances on the "Fringe" stage at the 2006 National Storytelling Conference in Pittsburgh and at the 2012 National Storytelling Conference in Cincinnati.  She has also performed in a host of Patchwork Tellebration festivals, the New Jersey Storytelling festival, and the Lehigh Valley's Story Fusion. 

LES SCHAFFER

"I’ve always told stories –believing that a good story will get you out of just about anything, feeling that storytelling can save the world. Now that I’m solidly an octogenarian, these values are even more critical for me."

Les' stories range from biographical to folk and fairy tales and he means  to encourage each of his listeners, to create, cherish and pass their own stories along to the generations that follow us.

A resident of  Richmond, VA,  he  is a co-founder of Richmond's Tell Tale Hearts Storytellers Theatre he leads the Story Warriors, a youth storytelling group, teaches storytelling and related topics to Senior Citizens at his local LifeLong Learning Center, and works with fellow teller Judith Onesty as TwoTellers Telling Tandem Storytellers.

I tell at regional Story Slams and co-host a slam for Older Tellers A co-founder of Richmond’s Tell Tale Hearts Storyteller’s Theater, TwoTellersTelling Tandem Storytellers, I’m a current Board member of the Virginia Storyteller's Association (VASA). I’ve presented workshops, one-man and tandem-telling shows at Storytelling Conferences around the country.

A story-listener recently said that my telling is “…like scenes from a Christopher Walken movie."" I think that was a compliment. "

ED STIVENDER

Ed Stivender, a self-described 'Daydreamer moonlighting as a Storyteller' has been entertaining audiences around the globe since his Jonesborough debut in 1980. Dubbed "The Robin Williams of Storytelling" by The Miami Herald, and "The Clown Prince of Storytelling" by Festival Founder Jimmy Neil Smith, he is well known for the mixture of wit and whimsy that earned him the NAPPS Circle of Excellence Award in 1996. Author of "Raised Catholic - (Can You Tell?)" he is available for custom Zoom parties and coaching. This season he will be found on the line-ups for the Timpanogos, Jonesborough, Weber State (Utah), and Azalea (Georgia) Festivals.

JUDITH ONESTY

Judith Onesty has been telling stories ever since she ran into a bunch of cowboy poets and storytellers. She loves telling stories about her family, going all the way back to her great grandparents. The thing that she loves the best about storytelling is the special heart to heart connection that is made with the listeners. In 2013, Judith won first place in the Virginia Tall Tales/Liars Contest and she was also a Featured Regional Teller at the National Storytelling Conference.

Pay-What-You-Can

GET TICKETS

Ella Gahnt - Vocal Director / Vocals

Michelle "Songbird" Ray - Vocals

Monica Fleurette - Vocals

Shekhinah B. - Creative Cultural Producer / Vocals

Will "Fingaz" Winborne Jr. - Keyboardist

Jason Fifield - Director / Videographer

E Mack - Audio Production

Terrance - Audio Tech

Venue - Loft Events Philly