Fishtown Shadfest

This Saturday was the second annual Fishtown Shadfest. Being that Fishtown is my Philly neighborhood and that the weather was beautiful, I walked down to the Penn Treaty Park to take part in the festivities.







Fishtown in located just to the northeast of Center City. Traditionally a blue-collar neighborhood, it is now home to a number of artists and musicians. Chez Headley falls into the newbie artist category.

The name Fishtown is based upon an old-timey urban legend. The neighborhood was a center of the Delaware River shad fishing industry (this is true). When Charles Dickens visited Philadelphia in 1842, he declared that the neigborhood smelled awful and gave it the name Fishtown. This is the old-timey legend: Fishtown had received its name years before Dickens visited.

Shad.











I had a good time, despite going by myself, not knowing a single person. Good people watching and dog watching. I signed up for a library card, looked at the artists' things for sale, listened to some musicians. Though about taking the fire-tipped metal pole from the fire-spinning dude (who sucked - he kept dropping it) and showing him how it was done. Lemonade and grilled shad sandwiches. Sat by the Delaware with a book, watching kids fish (don't eat them!). Got a wee bit of a sunburn.

Best Tag Ever

Being that I live in Philly now, and in a neighborhood full of character (not scary - scary does not equal character - scary equals scary), I see a number of tags on buildings and newspaper boxes and whatnot during the daily commute.

Most of them suck.















This is by far the best. It is done on one of the small colored glass tiles that make up a gigantic mosaic/mural about the Delaware River. I read in my mind like Liza Doolittle would: beyond 'ope.

Philly Cherry Blossoms

The cherry blossoms were out of control last weekend, just in time for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival! There are commercial sponsors for the festival, but I think it's kind of tacky tp mention them. So I'm leaving them out.

In 1926, the Japanese government donated 1,600 flowering cherry trees to the city of Philadelphia, as a friendly gesture. And in 2007, the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia finished planting another 1,000 cherry trees. They also care for the cherry trees in the public parks. So things have been pretty lovely around here.

I didn't go to the cherry blossom festival, but for the past few weeks I've enjoyed walking past a few really large and lovely trees on my morning commute.

AIPAD Favorites: Part Four

Robert Polidori. Big prints, bright colors. He's from Montreal, and I saw a really large and awesome show of his last summer at the contemporary art museum there.




































































Of course I like this work: I enjoy both house museums and peering into other people's houses.

AIPAD Favorites: Part Three

Katia Liebmann. Cyanotypes on a heavy watercolor paper.

AIPAD Favorites: Part Two

Kate Breakey. She collects dead animals and makes photogenic drawings out of them.

AIPAD Favorites: Part One

Mike and Doug Starn. These are best in person: usually really big, often multicomponent, always really textural.