SHOP PENN Playlist for August
University City is activated with an assortment of summertime exhibits and activities. There is something for everyone on the west side of the Schuylkill this August. The “Shop Penn Playlist” is a snapshot of the top events being offered by institutions, organizations, and venues throughout the district this month.
Novelty Candle Experience – Cork & Candles
All Month
The Cork & Candles Novelty Experiences invites you to transform wax into unique realistic candles inspired by favorite themes such as food, decadent sweets and desserts, refreshing beverages, seasonal nostalgia, and household décor. Each month, they introduce an exclusive new candle design, giving you the opportunity to roll up your sleeves and explore advanced candle-making techniques in this unique educational and playful experience. For the month of August, they offer a Cereal Bowl candle. Back-to-school fun meets childhood nostalgia in a candle topped with wax milk and playful cereal pieces.
Weekly Improvised Music Drop-in Jam Session – The Rotunda
August 6, 13, 20, 27
Music lovers of all skill levels can unleash their creativity at The Rotunda's weekly improvised music drop-in jam session, happening every Wednesday from 12pm-2pm throughout August. Whether you're a seasoned musician or just starting out, this welcoming community event invites you to bring any instrument and dive into spontaneous musical collaboration with both friends and fellow music enthusiasts you've yet to meet. The inclusive atmosphere embraces every genre imaginable, making it the perfect midweek creative outlet in the heart of the Shop Penn district.
Hung Liu: Happy and Gay – Arthur Ross Gallery
Opens August 15
Born in Changchun, China in 1948, Hung Liu experienced war, famine, and political turmoil before emigrating to the United States in 1984. Known for paintings based on historical Chinese and American Dust Bowl-era photographs, Liu portrayed refugees, street performers, laborers, soldiers, prisoners and displaced women and children. As a painter, she challenged the authority of archival photographs by cropping the original compositions, enlarging them from handheld objects to monumental canvases, and imbuing the images with color and texture.
The Philly Bookstore Crawl – Last Word Bookstore and House of Our Own Books
August 23
The Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl is a yearly celebration of Philadelphia’s wildly vibrant and wonderful bookstore scene, at the end of every August. All day Saturday, August 23, participating bookstores around town will host unique events including giveaways, author signings, and more.
Revolution at Penn (Last Chance) – Penn Library
Closes August 29
Revolution at Penn? examines conflicts around the formation, structure, and mission of the university in the era of the American Revolution: from debates about its mission in the 1750s and 1760s, to a devastating schism that tore the school apart in 1779, to eventual compromise and reorganization as the University of Pennsylvania in 1791. Political pamphlets, broadsides, maps, prints, manuscripts, and a full-scale replica of a colonial coffee house evoke the contentious era and provoke new questions about the place of universities in America, then and now.