In this month's Pew Fellows news highlights, Raphael Xavier and Eileen Neff receive 2016 Guggenheim Fellowships, exhibitions by visual artists Alex Da Corte and Ryan Trecartin make a splash in national venues, and Tania Isaac and Meg Foley each present new dance works in Philadelphia.
Awards and Accolades
The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation awarded 2016 Guggenheim Fellowships to dancer and choreographer Raphael Xavier (2013) and photographer Eileen Neff (1994). In its 92nd competition for the US and Canada, the foundation recognized scholars, artists, and scientists "appointed on the basis of prior achievement and exceptional promise," according to the Guggenheim Foundation. Read more>>
Composer Jennifer Higdon's (1999) opera Cold Mountain, which premiered with Opera Philadelphia in February 2016, was nominated for an International Opera Award for "Best World Premiere," awarded by Opera Magazine. Read more>>
In the News
Visual artist Alex Da Corte's (2012) survey exhibition Free Roses currently on view at MASS MoCa has received acclaim from several national media outlets, including The New York Times, Artforum, and The Boston Globe. Philadelphia Magazine also profiled the artist, writing, "at a time when Philly is regaining its footing as an 'international city,' Da Corte is its unofficial ambassador for contemporary art." Read more>>
Visual artist Ryan Trecartin's (2009) joint exhibition with Lizzie Fitch, currently on view at Andrea Rosen Gallery, has received positive reviews in Art in America Magazine and Artsy, which wrote, "as time elapses within the exhibition, a sense of suspense prevails, leaving the viewer yearning for answers and consumed by the chase." Read more>>
On View and On Stage
Choreographer Meg Foley (2012) presented action is primary, an exhibition and performance series documenting her improvisational practice, in which she performs a dance each day at 3:15 p.m. The Philadelphia Inquirer featured the project, stating that "the dances are graceful, energetic, comical, and strange." Read more>>
Visual artist Jane Irish (2011) debuted A Rapid Whirling on the Heel, an exhibition of new paintings at Locks Gallery, on view through May 31. Two ink on paper works by Irish were recently installed in the Center's lobby, Thay Overdoor (2014) and Banyan Overdoor (2014). Read more>>
Composer and musician Kinan Abou-afach (2013) premiered One Breath, One Soul, a new composition for Al-Bustan Takht Ensemble and Palestinian vocalist Dalal Abu Amneh. WHYY invited the artists to perform an excerpt of the piece on-air. Listen here>>
Choreographer Tania Isaac (2011) debuted (In)Visible, a new dance piece created in collaboration with dancer Meredith Rainey, at Annenberg Center Live. In a review, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that the choreography contained "seamless, complementary movements that suggested these people had been working together for years—although this was their first collaboration." Read more>>
Visual artist Micah Danges' (2015) work is included in Mine Moonlight: Artists Working in Philadelphia's River Wards, a group exhibition at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, on view through December 31. Read more>>
Poetry Spotlight
Poets Sonia Sanchez (1993), Afaa Michael Weaver (1998), Yolanda Wisher (2015), and Lamont B. Steptoe (2006) participated in the First Annual Philly Love Poetry Festival, which included four days of poetry readings and workshops. Read more>>
Poet CAConrad (2011) participated in "Readings in Contemporary Poetry," a group poetry reading at Dia Art Foundation. On April 30, he will speak on the panel "Master/Mistress/Mystery: The Poetry of Gender Nonconformity" at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival. In an article for The New York Times Style Magazine, acclaimed author Eileen Myles included CAConrad's The Book of Frank among her 10 favorite books, calling the work "a total masterpiece." Read more>>
Poet Afaa Michael Weaver's (1998) "Passing Through Indian Territory" was featured on The New Yorker's Poetry Podcast. Listen here>>
Poet Yolanda Wisher (2015) presented "City of Poetry," an evening of poetry, music, and interactive workshops at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia Magazine recently interviewed Wisher about her appointment as Philadelphia's third Poet Laureate. Read more>>
Poet Major Jackson's (1995) "as Reflected Over Lake Champlain from Waterfront Park" was selected as Poets.org's "Poem of the Day." Read more>>