Whoo hoo! The Phillyist Framed 2008 photo show opening on July 27 was a big hit, thanks to several hundred of you: participants, organizers, and friends. Note: the photos are on display here through the end of July. Come see ‘em! Phillyist, who organized the show, did a fine job enumerating the folks to be thanked (and also posted more pix of the opening event), so let us just crib outrageously and echo their thanks to:

• Our winning photographers who gave their time, and framing money, to be the heart of our show.
• Our judges, local photogs Brad Maule, JJ Tiziou.
• Phillyist staffers Jen, Ross, Pencopal, and Andrew, as well as Phillyist fan and non-staffer Meghan, for being great extra hands and company on the opening night, and especially editor Jill and photo-&-architecture writer/show organizer Matthew Johnson for tons of work putting everything together.
• Sommer and Heather at DCist for helping form the show’s concept, which was modeled off of their similar show DCist Exposed.
• Frankie Bones from Center Stage Entertainment and our awesome DJ, Jared.
• Kylie and the others at the Framer’s Workroom (2103 Walnut).
• Pete at the Photo Lounge (1909 Chestnut) for our printing needs.

A photo of the July 4, 2003, street fair
at the old firehouse, taken from Cedar Park.

Originally uploaded by Studio 34: Yoga | Healing | Arts

A good May 27 CityPaper article tells the story of how our neighbors a few blocks down Baltimore Avenue helped turn Cedar Park from a trouble magnet to a community focal point. They enlisted the aid of Philly’s Community Design Collaborative, who recommended, above all, the removal of the ugly chainlink fence that surrounded the vestpocket park. It took (too much) time and effort to get the city to agree, but eventually the fence came down. Local politicians, groups and individuals kicked in nearly a quarter-million dollars to renovate the park, and today it gleams.

One nit to pick: the article says the park got cleaned up once a year, for a spring street festival. This July 4, 2003, pic of the old firehouse across the street from the park shows that there was at least one other annual tidying.

5-7-07 074

Originally uploaded by jimc167

We have a soft spot for trolleys; we did, after all, name our business after the Green Line’s Route 34. But we’re big fans of public transit in general. Herewith, five good sites for keeping up with SEPTA news, learning about its history, and even appreciating occasional moments of commuting transcendence:

1. SEPTA Watch: The best blog we’ve found about our transit system. Recent posts have aired reader complaints, spotlighted a nice collection of Reading Viaduct photos, and, remarkably, noted in non-eyeglazing fashion that SEPTA is among the investors who got snookered in the mortgage crisis.
2. Philadelphia Trolley Tracks: Come here for a good collection of historical info, maps, photos, charts, and more about the streetcars of our fair city.
3. The SEPTA discussion board at Railroad.net: Here’s where people who are REALLY INTO trains in general, and SEPTA in particular, hang out. It’s not unusual for a post to be read by a thousand people, or to receive a dozen or a hundred (more or less) well-informed replies.
4. The SEPTA Haiku: The author of this wonderful site writes one 17-syllable poem each day about a person seen while riding the train. This was originally a project for Fun-A-Day 4, which challenged artists to create one work every day in January; she’s just kept going.
5. SEPTA Made Better: OK, so it’s probably against some rule to post helpful signs when SEPTA does not; for example, noting exactly when tokens are available for sale at a given station. But it shouldn’t be. SEPTA riders can’t fix squeaky bus brakes, but they can print and post the signs posted at SEPTA Made Better.

26th: Day 10

Originally uploaded by michelleholshue

In May, we’re launching Thank You Thursdays, offering free yoga classes to thank various kinds of folks who make our community better. Here’s how it works:

On the fourth Thursday of each month, we honor health-care workers — nurses, doctors, and everyone else who helps keep us healthy. If you’re one of those wonderful people, you’re invited to a free 75-minute yoga class at 8 p.m. on Thurs., May 29, and the final Thursday of each month thereafter. Tell your friends!

Eventually, we’ll extend the idea, inviting various groups for the first, second, and third Thursdays of each month. Stay tuned.

Love

Originally uploaded by lsc21

Hi, all! We’re working with Phillyist, the renowned citybloggers who post your photos in their Photoist feature, to bring you their first group photo show. It’s called “Phillyist Framed.” You submit your candidate photos to their Flickr pool, and the keen-eyed judges at Phillyist will pick the best ones to go on display at Studio 34, starting with an opening night event on June 27.

Here’s what Phillyist posted on Tuesday:

Think you have what it takes to be a renowned photographer? Always wanted to display your photos, but never had a place to do it? Maybe you’re not quite that ambitious, but you’ve got one killer shot that you’re sure could stand with the best of them?

We at Phillyist have been impressed with your Photoist entries, so we want to give you a chance to display your photography in a more formal gallery setting. Here’s where Studio 34 Yoga comes in. The new West Philadelphia business includes creative arts as part of its overall wellness goal and has graciously partnered with us to display your photography in the 2008 Phillyist Framed photography show.

The opening night event will be on June 27, from 7-9 PM, and your work will be on display for about a month after that. We’re fired up for what we know will be an awesome show.

There will be frequent update posts from now until opening night, including the selections for live entertainment and photography judges, but we’re ready to accept your entries right away! So click through to the continuation to read the rules and instructions for submission.

Phillyist Framed 2008 Entry Rules

1. Fill out the quick application form. Entries will be submitted through Flickr, so we need your info to link your contact details to your Flickr user name. This will help us reach you if your photo is selected as a winner. We won’t distribute or spam your email, but we may send you info pertaining to the show.

2. If you don’t already have a Flickr account, sign up for one and join the Phillyist Framed 2008 Flickr group, where you’ll submit your work to the group photo pool. There is a limit of 3 photos per person, and remember not to mark your photo as “private” so that all of the judges can view them. The pool will close for entries at midnight sharp on the night of Wednesday, May 21, 2008.

3. Remember that this is Phillyist, so we ask that you live and take your photos in the general metro area.

4. We’ll require standardization from everyone. So if your photo is one of the 30 entries chosen for the show, you will be responsible to get it printed as an 8×10 (or a similar size if it’s irregular —10×10, etc.) and matted and framed according to our set standards:

— Black metal moulding 16×20 frame with regular glass
— White acid free mat
— White acid free foam core backing

We know some of you have never had your work professionally framed before, but we want your work to look its best, so no homemade jobs unless you’ve got some experience doing this. Most framing stores can charge a significant amount and take quite a bit of time to frame your work, but we’re working with a few frame shops to get the winners significant discounts. We’ll give you more details about where to go for framing after you’ve been selected.

5. We will contact the selected photographers no later than Friday, May 30, 2008. Some photographers may have more than one image selected. If you haven’t responded to us by Monday, June 1, we will select another image. (If you know you’ll be out of town that week, just let us know beforehand.)

6. You’ll have just over three weeks to mat and frame your photograph. During the week before the opening reception, you’ll deliver your photograph for hanging in the show. We’ll need them on location by Tuesday, June 24. We’ll give more details about delivery locations and hours once you’ve been selected.

7. Bring your family and friends to the opening reception on Friday, June 27, 2008 at 7:00 PM to hang out with other Phillyist readers, celebrate our awesome contributors, and spy on gallery-goers as they gush over your work.

Still have questions? Post them in the Flickr Discussion Group or email phillyistframed AT gmail DOT com.

We can’t wait to see all of your entries!

In slip, things seen and unseen are explored by Philadelphia’s contemporary dance company Moving Research at Studio 34.

Six dancers share the space around a sculptural installation, moving in and out of sight of the viewer, eluding capture and stasis. Audience members follow the dancers or choose to stand and watch the dance as it flows past them. Each viewing experience is unique and personal. To see all the dancers’ movements simultaneously is at most times impossible. Choreographed by Meg Foley, the dance weaves and slips through itself and the audience.

Tickets: $15 (or $10 for students and DancePass holders). Buy them at DanceBoxOffice or at the door.

Performances:

• May 8, 8:30pm
• May 10, 8pm
• May 11, 3pm
• May 16, 8pm
• May 17, 8pm
• May 18, 3pm

Photo by JJ Tiziou.

Last Friday, James Peniston and JJ Tiziou had the first of two planned photoshoots for their public-art proposal for SEPTA’s new station at 46th and Market. Here’s JJ’s report, cross-posted from his How Philly Moves blog:

one down, one to go

By jjtiziou | April 21, 2008

Our first photo session went great!

Many thanks to the wonderful dancers who participated, the great volunteers who ran it all without a hitch, and the folks at Studio 34 who hosted us in their gorgeous new space.

Our second photo session is scheduled for next sunday the 27th at the CEC.

Also, rumor has it that I’m throwing together a little exhibit at Studio 34 this friday (the 25th) - there just might be some fresh prints of some of last week’s images in the mix!

I’m swamped with a backlog of postproduction and correspondence, so please excuse delays, but I’ll get a proper update with photos and video of how it went up shortly..

-jj

Battle In Clark Park, originally uploaded by Phillybits.

We’ve been fooling around with Flickr, the photo-sharing service. We started up our own photostream, then poked around to see who’s taking photos in the neighborhood. Turns out there’s a pretty active bunch of photogs around West Philadelphia. Here are some good places to check out their work (some of these require signing up for a free Flickr membership):

1. West Philly pool: Start here, where more than 50 folks have gathered almost 700 pics of West Philadelphia people, buildings, and more.
2. Clark Park in West Philly pool: Fun, foliage, and, of course, kids with foam swords in one of the community’s beating hearts.
3. Chris_In_Philly_’08’s West Philadelphia set: This prolific photog has done a nice job all by himself.
4. 46th & Baltimore: Hey! A pool for our very block! Started by a Temple University architecture student who focused a thesis on the old West Coast Video store, it now includes a very respectable 125 pics.
5. Circa UCity, Philadelphia: Says the moderator: “This is a neighborhood project, intended to share how we saw ourselves and our neighborhood back in the 80s, 70s, 60s.” Got any old pics? Consider joining the group.

Extra non-Flickr credit: Don’t miss Joe Minardi’s multipart photo essay “West Philadelphia, Streetcar Suburb,” one of many excellent works on the PhillySkyline website.

Cedar Park festival on Baltimore Avenue, originally uploaded by Chris_In_Philly_’08.

Here’s another thing we love: Baltimore Avenue and the neighborhoods that surround it. And we’d love to share them with more people.

Over the past few months, we’ve been meeting with a bunch of neighborhood business owners, looking for ways to promote Baltimore Avenue as a place to spend the day — a destination like Center City’s South Street or Manayunk’s Main Street. We call our nascent group the Baltimore Avenue Business Association (yes, BABA for short) . We want to develop inexpensive means for all of us to support each other and bring more people to our street.

To quote Pam Williams of Cafe Pier One, “I’d like to make Baltimore Avenue more vibrant so that if local residents want to eat brunch, they’ll walk down three blocks rather than drive out of the neighborhood.”

Actually, that’s quoting Pam in a very good article by the U. City Review’s Aisha Mohammed in March. Please go read it, then come back.

Hi, you’re back! Great.

BABA has begun meeting the first Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.: March’s meeting was at Abbracio Restaurant, April’s here at Studio 34, and May’s will be at Philadelphia Community Acupuncture at 701 S. 50th Street.

We extend a warm welcome to everyone who owns a business on Baltimore from 40th to 52nd, and those within a block of the avenue, to attend. (We’re not trying to be exclusive; we’re just trying to focus our efforts as we get started.) For more info, join the BABA Google group.

Here’s some of the businesses represented by folks at the March and April meetings:

• Abbracio Restaurant
• Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant
• African Audio Video
• Dock Street Beer
• Philadelphia Community Acupuncture
• Cafe Pier One
• Queen of Sheba Pub and Diner
• Studio 34: Yoga | Healing | Arts
• The Kulture Shop
• Vietnam variety store
• VIX Emporium
• Wayne’s Garage

Transportation Mural , originally uploaded by Chris_In_Philly_’08.

Here at Studio 34, we love trolleys. We named the studio for the line that runs on Baltimore Avenue in front of our building. Streetcars are a greener form of transit than automobiles, and Route 34 is a living link to the foundation of West Philadelphia as a commuter suburb. So we also love this mural on the side of 4514 Baltimore, a few doors down from our studio. Entitled “A Celebration of Philadelphia Trolleys,” it was completed in 2002 by local artist Karl Yoder with funding from the University City District organization. The mural depicts two scenes: at top, a view from a trolley crossing the Strawberry Mansion Bridge; at bottom, a trolley outside the Reading Terminal Market. It’s a terrific and welcoming image to folks approaching the 4500 block of Baltimore Avenue from Clark Park and points east.

Somewhat ironically, the trolley mural faces a gas station. Along those lines, one may discern a metaphor in last year’s automobile crash into the mural’s lower-right corner. That corner was recently patched up. Unfortunately, the cement patch has obliterated Yoder’s name and the mural’s title.

Here’s what it used to look like…Anyone know whether there are plans to repaint that section?

Mural 1- In celebration of Phili trolleys, originally uploaded by Tanu Neel.