Wagoneer Utility ToteFor those perpetually on the go, a roomy tote keeps everything on hand. This handsome bag from Arden + James is big enough for a laptop, gym clothes and whatever else busy bodies might need, and it’s made from locally sourced materials.$160 Burnside Bike RackLoma Living’s simple, modern design in mahogany or maple
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by Sierra Turner & Grid staff Philadelphia’s diverse and vibrant arts community is one of the reasons that we’re topping “best of” lists across the country. Community-centered art programs that expand who has access to the power of art need your assistance. So, pick up a paintbrush, help someone tell an important story or serve on the board of
More“Vivere” by Joe Boruchow Art That Hits Home by Heather Shayne Blakeslee Income inequality and pollution in Philadelphia might not seem like they would serve as inspiration for the city’s creatives, but celebrated Philadelphia papercut artist Joe Boruchow has been doing political work for years. He routinely draws attention to what he sees as the
MoreA Movable Visual Feast by Emily Kovach Gourmet food trucks are everywhere in Philly, dishing up creative, restaurant-quality fare around town at lunchtime, festivals, concerts, farmers markets and street fairs. While it’s the cuisine cooking inside the trucks that entices us—melty deep-fried cheese curds, overstuffed tacos, authentic Southern barbecue and decadent cupcakes, just to name
MoreMixing it Up by Marilyn Anthony East Mount Airy visual artist Paul Carpenter’s art teacher once described him as a weird mashup of an artist and a jock. Carpenter’s most popular T-shirt design, a Phanatic-inspired figure elaborately decorated with a richly imagined Philadelphia landscape, surely proves his point. Carpenter, 30, grew up in Springfield Township
MoreIllustration by Corey Brickley Lost and Found by Christina P. Day The day we came across a fake breast in a pink box, we thought it was funny at first—until further digging revealed the owner had endured breast cancer. A refrigerator arrived with a rock-hard frozen turkey still intact in its yellow netting. The day
MoreReport Shows Oil Trains are an Environmental Justice Issue Marginalized communities bear a disproportionate risk in the operations of oil train rails in Philadelphia, according to the report “Environmental Justice and Oil Trains in Pennsylvania.” Released in February by ForestEthics, ACTION United and PennEnvironment, the reportstates that people of color and historically poor communities in
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photo by Sang Cun by Alex Jones The view from the north side of Vine Street just east of Broad is all high-rises and highways: concrete, brick and asphalt as far as the eye can see, with neat rows of street trees lining the road as a perfunctory nod to nature. But, north of the
MoreCan recycled art at the Philadelphia Zoo help protect habitat and change habits?
by Heather Shayne BlakesleeNine-foot-tall recycled-cardboard gorilla sculpture created by Canadian artist Laurence Vallieres for the Philadelphia Zoo’s Second Nature: Junk Rethunk exhibit.
The newest animals at the Philadelphia Zoo aren’t in cages, although some of them—including a life-sized alligator sculpted from bubblegum—will remain safely behind glass.
MorePhiladelphia has a long history of creative artists and crafters (don’t think that whole key-tied-to-a-kite thing was all for science). Craft fairs, which are extensions of that creativity, function on two levels—as a supportive forum for artists, and as a community event that brings people together.
Here's a round-up of highlights from two prominent Philadelphia craft fairs