Walking the Edge: Jan 26 – April 1
You’re invited to discover Walking the Edge, the new community exhibit at The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education that I was delighted to curate in conjunction with the upcoming 11th Walk Around Philadelphia.
For this show, we invited the public to submit artwork about walking perimeters, borders and boundaries along the city of Philadelphia and in other urban landscapes and natural spaces.
With over 100 artists’ works represented, this is a rich installation with a lot to take in…
We had a wonderful crowd for the opening, but it’s probably best to come back some other time to take in the show with fewer folks in the space…
When the gallery isn’t full of humans, you’ll be able to better take in the outline of Philadelphia’s city limits makes out on the floor, and maybe pick up one of Jolie Chylack’s Walkabout Talk About sticks which are currently in the exhibit before being distributed to trailheads in the Wissahickon in April.
A few works to keep an eye out for that you might miss amidst everything that’s going on in this densely-packed space:
- Marie Elcin‘s piece in a hanging frame near the entrance is double-sided– make sure to catch both sides!
- The video loop is almost 2hrs long; if you watch the whole thing you will have circumnavigated the entire city a few times in sun, snow and rain – and one segment of it features the first high school students who completed the entire ~100 miles around the city.
- Some of the pieces depicted in smaller photographic prints around the video installation represent much larger works that we weren’t able to all represent at full size in the gallery. Make sure to check back on the center’s website for a gallery where you’ll be able to get a closer look at all these pieces and find out more about the artists who made them.
In the far corner of the gallery, you’ll find some beautiful sculptural works by Varvàra Fern & Lauren Silver, as well as a few larger photographic prints.
When you take a look at Yelena Yankovskaya’s beautiful aerial photograph of the city’s northern border, can you notice how the city is noticeably brighter than the suburbs? Or make out the notable bright lines of Cheltenham Ave, Broad Street, N. 5th St, Front St & Rising Sun Ave?
Michael Romano‘s large panoramic print is a single frame taken on the not-Philadelphia side of the border, just across the Schuylkill River from Manayunk, whereas Julie Regnier’s collection of sketches draws from her trek around the complete perimeter.
While most of the pieces on the photo wall draw more directly from the perimeter walk…
… the facing wall has some works that are more interpretive or allude to other interpretations of borders and boundaries.
From the exhibit wall text:
As you contemplate this exhibit, we invite you to consider where and how you might encounter borders and boundaries in your own world. Where and how are they created? When and how can they be helpful? In what ways might they be hindrances? How might your experiences differ from those of others with different backgrounds?
Catch the show!
You can read more about the exhibit in these articles:
- “Circumnavigating the city on foot: A tutorial on boundaries” – Carla Robinson, Chestnut Hill Local
- “Walking the Edge explores borders and boundaries through art” – Ally Englebert, The Hawk
- “Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education hosts community art exhibition” – Rick Cawley, Roxborough Review
“Walking the Edge” will be up through April 1st and the gallery is open 9am – 5pm, Monday – Saturday.
Make sure to plan some time to enjoy the Center’s hiking trails while you’re out there!
Here’s a lil graphic you can use to share the invite w/ pals:
Join the walk!
Feb 1 – virtual launch / info session
Weekend 1 ( Fri / Sat / Sun )
Feb 10 – 61st and Baltimore towards the airport
Feb 11 – Around the airport
Feb 11 – Happy hour at Player’s airport hotel bar
Feb 12* – airport towards Pier 68/Navy Yard
Weekend 2 ( Fri / Sat / Sun / Mon )
Feb 17 – Pier 68 towards Bridesburg
Feb 17 – Lunch at Guardhouse Cafe
Feb 18 – Bridesburg towards Torresdale
Feb 18 – Lunch at 3 Monkey’s Cafe
Feb 19 – Torresdale towards Somerton
Feb 20* – Somerton towards Elkins Park
Feb 20 – dinner at Cheltenham Ave H-Mart food court
Weekend 3 ( Fri / Sat / Sun )
Feb 24 – Elkin’s Park towards the Schuylkill Center
Feb 24 – Evening rest @ Schuylkill Center
Feb 25 – morning sendoff @ Schuylkill Center
Feb 25* – the Schuylkill Center towards St Joe’s
Feb 25 – Happy hour / dinner at Landmark Americana
Feb 26* – St Joe’s towards 61st and Baltimore
March 1 – Ways of Walking event @ Schuylkill Center
March 2 – virtual reportback
March 9 – virtual exhibit talk via @Schuylkill Center
April 1 – Exhibit closing reception @Schuylkill Center
