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Contemporary art comes to roost at the Audubon Center

Most birders have a “spark bird,” the species that ignited their passion for nature. Visual artist Deirdre Murphy, whose work blends scientific data with bird observations, has a “spark ornithologist.” Murphy credits John James Audubon, who revolutionized the field of ornithology with his detailed illustrations, as an early source of inspiration. “He’s my spark for

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‘The Weight of Time’ puts incarcerated artists’ work in the spotlight

“The Weight of Time,” a Morton Contemporary Art Gallery exhibition of paintings by 10 artists serving life sentences at Montgomery County’s Phoenix prison, lays bare heartache, hope and the crushing force of hour piling upon hour. “I served 20 years with [the artists],” says Eddie Ramirez, who was formerly incarcerated at Phoenix. “We painted together

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Tshatshke Jewelry Studio brings a fresh perspective to locally-driven, sustainable jewelry

Growing up, Maddy Hirsch wanted two things: to make useful things with her hands and to own her own business. Guided by those goals, she enrolled in Temple University’s entrepreneurial studies program, only to feel disillusioned with what she saw as its narrow focus on traditional and tech startups. She transferred to the Tyler School

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Artist examines the relationships between humans and the ecosystems we’re a part of with community-based, genre-defying projects

In 2023, Cheltenham-based artist Rebecca Schultz completed a yearslong art project, “Mapping Our Watershed,” by stitching together tree bark rubbings, monotypes, soil-water watercolors, leaf prints, drawings and other media to construct a map of Cheltenham and the Tacony watershed. In total, more than 60 people contributed 90 pieces of artwork to make up this textural,

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Community-building art projects stitch together the personal, the political and the ecological

Shari Hersh trained as a painter in the 1970s and ’80s. At that time, classical fine arts emphasized personal practice: picture a solitary artist holed up with an easel in a studio. Through her work with Mural Arts Philadelphia and a years-long participation in workshops, readings and discussions that Hersh undertook with her best friend,

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New album aims to spur reflection on human interaction with natural world

Darling Damselfly, a Philadelphia-based band, wants their most recent album, “Galapagos,” to get listeners thinking about humankind’s relationship with the planet — in the hopes of saving it. “Being able to have a better understanding and appreciation of the wonder of [the environment] can help us be more connected and want to work harder to

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