Philadelphia Antiques Show 2018

Philadelphia’s Hidden Gems by Kristina Gray and Christian Roden The Fabric Workshop and Museum Location: 1214 Arch Street Admission: $5 suggested donation Hours: Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat-Sun, 12pm-5pm wwwfabricworkshopandmuseum.org 215.561.8888 S teps away from City Hall, the Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) boasts a collection of over 5,000 objects that document the workshop’s distinctive history. The FWM was established in 1977 with the intention to create an environment where artistic experimentation could flourish among leading creatives in the contemporary art scene. This goal was achieved through an Artist-in- Residence program, in which artists are invited to utilize the Workshop’s resources and produce works, while also sharing insights into their artistic process with the public. Since its creation, the FWM has provided studio spaces, materials, equipment, and professional staff to aid artists in carrying out their vision. Although the program originally focused on projects that incorporated fabric- based materials, the FWM now invites artists to integrate a variety of diverse media in their pieces. The popularity and subsequent success of this program can be traced through their collection, which contains works by many important figures in the contemporary art world such as Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Ann Hamilton, Robert Morris, Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Louise Bourgeois and Carrie Mae Weems. Among the many unique designs and installations on display in the museum are other less common ob- jects and media like the workshop’s famous “artist boxes.” These boxes are assembled by artists at the com- pletion of their residency, and contain photographs, video footage, swatch- es, prototypes, sketches, samples, and other various materials. They serve as invaluable resources for the future study of these artists’ work as they provide comprehensive docu- mentation of their creative process. The Fabric Workshop and Museum front window display at 1214 Arch Street, Philadelphia. Ursula von Rydingsvard, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. PODERWAC 2017 . Leather, cotton, steel, and polyester batting. 129 x 102 x 45 inches. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño. A lthough Philadelphia boasts an array of world-renowned museums and historic sites, from Independence Hall to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the city offers many other attractions that generally escape the hordes of tourists. Venturing just a short distance off the beaten path will bring you to wonderful variety of museums and collections that add to the city’s rich cultural scene. Here, we suggest a few lesser known, albeit no less interesting, institutions that must make the list for your next visit to the City of Brotherly Love. ✷ 145 ✷