Posted by:
admin on October 19th, 2011
Join us at Bartram’s Garden for a lecture with author and illustrator, Allen Crawford, recounting his recent Hidden River Expedition; a forty-mile, three day kayak journey from the historic Quaker town of Holly, New Jersey to Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia.
While on his journey, Crawford re-explored three rivers: the Rancocas, the Delaware, and the Schuylkill (which… in Dutch means hidden river.) At one time, these rivers were bustling waterways that were vital to the regions culture and commerce.
Today, the Rancocas, Delaware, and Schuylkill are recovering from generations of abuse and neglect: wildlife not seen in decades (beaver, sturgeon, oysters) are beginning to return. They are living threads of history: along their banks are the ruins of Native and African American settlements, farms, ghost towns, suburbs, tidal marshes, battleships, industrial ruins, urban parks, bridges, shipyards, mansions, and colonial-era forts.
Crawford will also premier his Hidden River documentary, featuring footage shot and narrated during the expedition.
1-3PM
Bartram’s Garden
54th and Lindbergh Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19143
AITA refreshments will be served.
Also be sure to check out Allen’s Hidden River installation at the Art in the Age gallery this month!
Filed under:
Posted by:
admin on October 17th, 2011
This past weekend we had an amazing time serving SNAP + Cider at Switched on Garden at Bartram’s Garden!
Our tables were right next to John Bartram’s original stone cider press, and we served samples to 700 guests!
Luckily we had a chance to check out Data Garden’s amazing sound installations and performances throughout the night!
Filed under:
Posted by:
admin on October 11th, 2011
Since we first tried it last fall, 0ne of our favorite seasonal mixers with Art in the Age SNAP is apple cider! The sweet cider is the perfect compliment to SNAP’s warm spices, and is delicious served both hot and cold.
This year we’ve decided to kick up our SNAP + apple combo to the next level, with a batch of our own homemade hard cider!
We picked a few bushels of apples at Linvilla Orchards, just a short drive from Center City Philadelphia, and can’t wait to press them with help from our friends at Bartram’s Garden! John Bartram was not only America’s foremost 18th century botanist, but he was also a talented stone carver. His apple press, which dates to 1731, is carved into the bedrock next to the river, that a visitor in 1787 termed “singular.”
The press consists of a carved circular groove, about 25 feet in circumference where the apples were placed. In the center of the massive rock is a hole for a post or mast. A large stone wheel (or two wheels) would attach to the post and ride in the circular track crushing the apples. Either horse or manpower would turn the wheel. There is an escape hole in the bottom of the track that enables the juice to drain into a basin carved into the stone. Although the original press is no longer functioning, Bartram’s Garden now owns a modern press, which they often use to educational lectures and workshops.
We thought before we began the process of pressing our cider, it would be appropriate to give a brief history of cider consumption in America.
History of Cider in America
Early English settlers introduced cider to America by bringing with them seeds for cultivating cider apples. During the colonial period, grains did not thrive well and were costly to import. On the other hand, apple orchards were plentiful, making apples cheap and easily obtainable. Making hard cider was a way to preserve the apple crop, and was even used as currency. As a result, hard cider quickly became one of America’s most popular beverages.
The Founding Fathers were even known to enjoy a glass or two of hard cider. Even John Adams began each day with a draft of hard cider!
Consumption of cider increased steadily during the eighteenth century, due in part to the efforts of the legendary Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), who planted many apple trees throughout the Midwest.
However, a series of events led to cider’s fall in popularity. The introduction of German beer with its faster fermentation process quickly made beer popular. German immigrants were able to set up large breweries for producing great quantities of beer, while the production of apple cider was still limited to small farms. The religiously based Temperance movement then caused many church-going farmers to give up cider. Some even went as far as to chop down their apple trees. When Prohibition became law, the market for apple cider was pretty much destroyed.
Today the tide has turned, with traditional cider making experiencing a major resurgence, both commercial and home-brewed.
Stay tuned for the next exciting steps in our homemade cider experiment!
Filed under:
Posted by:
admin on October 11th, 2011
Join Data Garden at the oldest surviving botanic garden in North America for an interactive exhibition exploring the relationship between plants, music and technology.
Participants will have the opportunity to wander Bartram’s Garden and connect with their natural environment through live music, performance and sculpture that blurs the distinction between biological and digital worlds.
Art in the Age will be serving SNAP + fresh apple cider (pressed at Bartram’s) on the very spot where John Bartram’s personal cider press once sat!
BIO-INTERACTIVE SOUND INSTALLATIONS AND PERFORMANCES INCLUDING
-Charles Cohen – 2011 Pew Fellow
-Vivian Caccuri (Brazil) – Musicologist and Sound Artist
-Electricity for Progress – Electrical education initiative
-Dan Scofield & Miriam Simun (NYC) – Interactive Artists
-Jesse Kudler – Sound Artist
-J. Makary – Filmmaker
-Lord Whimsy – Author, Graphic Designer
-Cosmic Morning – Live Visuals
-DJ Ryan Todd
(+more TBA)
LIVE MUSIC BY DATA GARDEN ARTISTS
-Cheap Dinosaurs (Album Release)
-Ray and the Prisms (EP Release)
-Tadoma
*Tadoma and Ray & the Prisms will be performing a sonic essay on John Bartram with author, Lord Whimsy.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – Invite your friends!
A DesignPhiladelphia Event
For more info visit Data Garden
Filed under:
Posted by:
admin on September 30th, 2011
OCTOBER 7-29, 2011
Opening Reception: First Friday, October 7th, 6-8PM
Join us during the month of October for a celebration of the transcendental spirit.
Art in the Age has brought together a select group of artists and craftsman, similar in their reverence for nature, to showcase their work both intellectual and aesthetic.
Through an eclectic use of mixed media, the artists will create a backwoods oasis within the AITA gallery, sharing their personal passions and unique adventures.
ALLEN CRAWFORD
After twenty long years, Victor Allen Crawford III (a.k.a. Lord Breaulove Swells Whimsy) has at last achieved his dream: unemployability. He is an artist, designer, and author of The Affected Provincial’s Companion, Volume One (Bloomsbury 2006), which has been optioned for film by Johnny Depp’s production company, Infinitum Nihil. His face and his words have graced the hallowed pages of The New York Times, Interview, Frieze, Vice, Tin House, and Art in America.
An explorer of what he calls “the local frontier,” Whimsy spends most of his time among the nooks and margins of the forgotten, the curious, and the speculative that is found beneath, around, and between the everyday. He smells like gusto
BOB MYAING
Bob Myaing is a photographer, outdoor enthusiast, and creator of a blog called Cork Grips, who lives and works in the city of Philadelphia. His photographs document his travels, wanderings, and every day life occurrences. Aside for his interest in photography his other passions include riding and fixing bicycles, flea markets, and generally being outdoors.
GEOFFREY HOLSTAD
Geoffrey Holstad is a commercial artist and working illustrator rooted in Grand Rapids, MI. Known for his distinct style of rustic illustration, Holstad draws inspiration from American Folk Art, hand-signage, a strong work ethic and human endurance. He has also gained a long list of clients; including Ambrose, Poler, Moosejaw Mountaineering, Stussy and The Wilderness Workshop. Holstad is creator of the outdoor lifestyle blog So Sweaty, as well as a regular contributor to Cold Splinters. He’s never had a bad day in his life.
RON P SWEGMAN
Ron P. Swegman is an angler, artist, and author. His first book, Philadelphia on the Fly, introduced a new generation of American outdoor writing with a new set of interests and values: urban angling in the shadow of city skylines; mountain biking to regional fishing destinations; birding as a guide to the fish; and poetic prose writing to describe the practical “How To” strategies for luring fish to the artificial fly. His second, Small Fry: The Lure of the Little, portrays these same themes on a broader geographical canvas. He is a frequent contributor to Eastern Fly Fishing magazine, Pennsylvania Outdoor News, The Flyfish Journal, and his official website.
TRUMAN HANDCRAFTED
Truman is the exploration in product design by Teppei Teranishi, expressed primarily through handcrafted leather goods. All pieces are made entirely by hand, from start to finish, using traditional hand-stitching techniques by Teranishi in his small studio on Vashon Island, a small island across the water from Seattle. By combining age old methods with top grade materials, the goal is to make useful, aesthetically pleasing pieces that are truly heirloom quality.
Filed under:
Posted by:
admin on September 12th, 2011
This past weekend Art in the Age was invited to serve RHUBY samples at the Annual Honey Festival at Bartram’s Garden. The weather was perfect, and Bartram’s Garden was as beautiful as ever!
We mixed up some RHUBY honey-punch cocktails with local honey, and met some really amazing people. We’re looking forward to more events at Bartram’s in the near future!
RHUBY Honey-Punch
Muddle 4 blackberries and add 5 mint leaves to the glass to a large glass full of ice.
Add:
1 part RHUBY
1/2 part fresh lemon juice
4 parts sparkling water
2 tablespoons local honey
Click on the gallery below for photos from the event.
Filed under:
