First Friday: On Friday, February 2, from 5 - 8 pm, we will attend First Friday in the gallery section in Old City. We may go again on Friday, March 2, for those unable to attend in January. Come to the first one if you can. For our itinerary, see below.

The Music Department faculty frequently present free concerts. See the department's website for details.

The Art and Music Departments, and the Dance and Theatre Departments, have many student and faculty shows and recitals that you will want to see.

The Rowan Art Gallery at 301 High Street shows faculty work and student work, and work of various guest artists.

The College of Fine and Performing Arts website lists most faculty and many student performances.

Here's our itinerary for First Friday

Please note: More than 10 people at a time is too large a group for a gallery. Split up into smaller groups, stay in touch by cell phone, and do your best to cover the stops on the itinerary. Here's my cell: (215) 704-0444.
Art galleries come and go. I try to keep this list current, but some galleries listed may have closed, and new, interesting ones may have opened. If you're in a different group from me, explore and stay in touch.

We'll start at the Larry Becker Gallery, 43 North 2nd, on the east side of Second street, north of Market and across from Old Christ Church at 5:00 p.m. We'll wait for you until 5:15, but after that it will be up to you to find us!  Next door is the Third Street Gallery (I'm told the name is not a piece of conceptual art). Then cross the street to the Muse gallery (60 North 2nd), and continue working your way up the street to Nexus (137 North 2nd), The Clay Studio (139), Vox Populi (141) and Pentimenti. From there, go up to Race Street, turn left and walk west to the Wexler Gallery at 201 North 3rd Street; it has great fine art furniture and glass, as well as paintings and photographs, and like the Clay Studio is a great place to see how the conventional fine art/craft distinctions are breaking down. Now head south (left) on 3rd and head back down to Cherry. Stop anywhere you want on the way, (I especially recommend Biello Martin Studio, 148 N. 3rd) and The Wood Turning Center, 141 North 3rd. Be sure to check the Snyderman and Works Galleries (303 Cherry). Here are a few extras you may want to check out, depending on your interests: The Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine Street (mainly a performing arts center, but also shows some visual art). There are also a couple of pop culture and comic galleries on Market between 2nd and 3rd. Hot Soup, 26 South Strawberry Street (between 2nd and third, between Market and Chestnut) is another craft centered gallery specializing in blown glass and other glass art. There's a lot to see!

We'll spend some time in class debriefing from our tour. For a list of Philly galleries, with some idea of what's showing at them, go to http://art-collecting.com/galleries_pa_philadelphia.htm . Most of the galleries on our tour appear on this list, and you can see images of some of what we'll see on the tour.

Directions: Get there by car, train, or a combination. To drive into Philly, take the Ben Franklin Bridge.  As soon as you get off the bridge, stay to your right, turn right at your very first chance, and loop around so you are heading back the way you came (not across the bridge, of course, but back east). That will take you to Fourth Street, which goes one way south. Take it to Race, turn left, then right on Second and head toward Market.  

If you miss the quick right turn off the bridge, keep going, turn left on 6th or 8th, go south to Race, turn left, keep right so you don't get back on the bridge, and proceed as above. To take PATCO, park your car at one of the stations (Haddonfield is a good one), take the train to 8th and Market, and walk back to 2nd street.

Parking: First Friday parking is no longer free after 5 p.m., but discounts are available to make it very affordable, and even at full rate in the lot next to the Larry Becker gallery it's not bad if you split the cost between a carload. Here's a link to the Philadelphia Parking Authority site for more info: Philadelphia Parking Authority. I've often found a metered spot somewhere closer, (e.g., on Race between 4th and 3rd) and fed the meter until 6:30, when it's free no matter where you park. There are also several lots in the immediate area, where you can park for the night for under $15. If you car-pool, this is inexpensive for all. There's a lot immediately south of the Larry Becker Gallery on the left side of the street, and there are others on Church Street, the right turn off Second Street just a few yards further south. Parking regulations keep changing, so don't take this website as the last word; keep your eyes peeled.