Shop Penn

University City is activated with an assortment of summertime exhibits and live shows. 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.

Sustainable Business Network Mixer - Grant BLVD
August 8

Grant BLVD will be hosting a mixer in honor of Black Business Month where the topics for the evening will include wage equity, entrepreneurship, and pathways to sustaining black wealth. Light bites and refreshments will be provided by Honeysuckle Projects. The mixer will also allow guests the opportunity to shop the current collection featured at the Grant BLVD boutique. 

The Steel Woods – World Café Live
August 16

Cofounded by Wes Bayliss, Jason “Rowdy” Cope and Derek Stanley, The Steel Woods is an American country group from Nashville, Tennessee. The Steel Woods are known for putting on charged concerts with a mix of southern rock and country. Much of the bands lyrical content focuses on the fringe of American society, the outlaws, renegades, and blue collar Americans who form the backbone of the American, more accurately Southern, experience. The Steel Woods has release three albums with a fourth, “On Your Time”, expected to be released later this fall.

Moveables – Institute of Contemporary Art
Opens August 18

Moveables brings together the work of five artists—Jes Fan, Nikita Gale, Hannah Levy, Ken Lum, and Oren Pinhassi—who are rethinking functional design and its intimate relationship to the human body. Whether reminiscent of a living room, lighting rig, toothbrush holder, or chandelier, these artworks invite us to imagine new possibilities for the objects that shape our daily lives, including who they are made for and how they might be used.

David Antonio Cruz: When the Children Come Home - Institute of Contemporary Art
Opens August 18

When the Children Come Home is the first major solo presentation of David Antonio Cruz’s work in Philadelphia—and also the first in his hometown. The artist was born and raised in North Philadelphia by parents who migrated here from Humacao, Puerto Rico. Many of the works included in this exhibition reference sites in Philadelphia that are deeply and personally meaningful to him. The title signifies his collaboration with Monique Long, the exhibition’s curator, and their shared origins in North Philadelphia. The exhibition includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, and performances created from 2004 to present, with an installation produced especially for ICA.

Founders Fest – World Café Live
August 24

If you’re a fan of good music and Founders brewing, you’ll won’t want to miss Founders Fest in Philadelphia. Founders will be taking over downstairs at World Cafe Live for a night of music and beer. The FBC All-Stars will get things started and will be followed by Roger Harvey and the High Lifers. The FBC All-Stars is the brewery’s official band made up of brewers, the production planning manager, warehouse manager, deli manager, taproom manager, two bartenders, and a cook. A number of other members of the Founders team will be around to teach people about all of their tasty offerings for the evening. In addition to an all-star lineup of music, you will get to enjoy an all-star tap list, with some specialties including some specialty, rarities, some taproom one-offs that have never been outside the Grand Rapids taproom, and more.

Nina De Vitry: Album Release Show – World Café Live
August 25

To listen to Nina de Vitry is to take a deep breath at the end of a hard day. It is her calm self-assurance, combined with a warm heart and empathy towards the pain of living, that gives her music its most magnetic qualities. Weaving together the strands of her stories with a dynamic alto voice and inventive yet memorable melodies, she manages to create a sound that is both soulful and unique. Now—with a 6 song EP under her belt, international songwriting acclaim as a two-time finalist in the John Lennon International Songwriting contest, and her debut full length album on the way—it is safe to say that this is only the dawn of Nina de Vitry’s rising star.

Daniel Belquer – RadioKismet
August 26

Daniel Belquer will perform his most recent music project, Drama Queen, at RadioKismet. The performance will also showcase musical haptic suits from Music: Not Impossible built to help deaf and hard-of-hearing people experience music. Each of the 18 tracks of Dram Queen radiates a vibrant mosaic of his 40-year-long musical voyage, spun from his dramatic theatrical compositions. The album is harmoniously interwoven with The Art of Haptics (TAoH), a groundbreaking form of expression. Delving into the realm of Music: Not Impossible, a multi-awarded technology, the music transforms into a tactile orchestra of vibrations, pulsating across 24 touchpoints throughout your body.