Saturday, June 12, 2010
Current Events / Visual Arts Vintage views at the Independent Music + Art Festival
Posted by Chi Sherman on Sat, Jun 12, 2010 at 10:05 PM
- In honor of Gay Pride weekend, a marriage equality necklace by PlumMetallic
You want a prime people-watching opportunity? The Independent Music + Art Festival (IMAF) on the grounds of the Harrison Center for the Arts (1505 N. Delaware Street) delivers. The spectator opportunities were, in a word, juicy. I saw messenger bags slung across the shoulders of horn-rim-wearing hipsters, tattooed teens in tank tops and ankle-strangling skinny jeans, and a flower child sporting bejeweled bell bottoms with chunky Mary Janes. Had the art and music not been so captivating — and the humidity so unrelenting — I might’ve just sat on the wall and watched people the entire day.
Among the performers who entertained the crowd, like Lord of the Yum Yum and Philadelphia-based Denison Witmer, I saw great art. Among the 80-some modern crafters from the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange, who partnered with the IMAF, were vendors who sold baked goods, jewelry, throw pillows, and repurposed books. Small white tents housed black-and-white photographs, animal sculptures, and the folks from PlumMetallic, who made pendant necklaces from bottlecaps and chain. Their wide selection of jewelry and magnets included Marilyn Monroe, Margaret Cho, President Obama, and even the characters from “Twilight.” Mass appeal for the win!
- Jeremiah Kuch
- Frank's Song
I especially liked Jeremiah Kuch’s mixed media collages. He describes his work as “a disarray of color with a bit of history.” His subjects include everyone from Barbra Streisand to Nguyen Van Lem, featured in a Pulitzer-Prize-winning photograph by Eddie Adams. In a phrase? Weird but awesome.
My goal for next year is to actually have money to spend on some of the fantastic goods I saw. Luckily, the festival is going strong. This was its eighth year, in which time attendance has grown from 100 beings — Joanna Taft, Executive Director of the Harrison, told me that humans and dogs were counted the first year — to more than 5,000 people. 70 volunteers in turquoise shirts. Blonde-wood folding chairs holding the posteriors of a racially-diverse crowd. Barbecue and beer. I look forward to seeing you next year, IMAF.
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