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The Barnes Foundation Announces Barnes on the Block After-Hours Summer Block Party

May 7, 2018

Philadelphia, PA—The Barnes Foundation will kick off summer with Barnes on the Block, a day party that will connect and enliven the neighborhood. Taking place on Sunday, June 3, from 4–8 pm, Barnes on the Block will feature free admission to the Barnes collection and Let’s Connect Philly, plus indoor and outdoor activities—a dance party in the Barnes parking lot with music from DJ Rich Medina, food trucks, a local brewery, and more. The party, organized in collaboration with Mural Arts Philadelphia, will activate the Barnes’s entire Philadelphia campus and spill across Pennsylvania Avenue into the parking lot of Target.

“Following the tremendous success of our PECO Free First Sunday Family Days, which draw thousands of visitors to the Barnes each month, we’re excited to grow our roster of programs that bring the community together to engage with art,” says Thom Collins, executive director and president of the Barnes Foundation. “We’re looking forward to welcoming the neighborhood for a celebration of the season, art, and community.”

Visitors to Barnes on the Block will also have the opportunity to see the city’s newest mural take shape as New York–based artist Olek and her team begin stitching together the individual crochet squares—many crafted by Philly residents—that will form a mural paying tribute to a Philadelphia woman. Part of Olek’s 50-state public art project, Love Across the USA—which celebrates the accomplishments and voices of important women throughout US history—the final mural will be unveiled by Mural Arts Philadelphia at the Marian Anderson Recreation Center on June 5.

The block party follows the Barnes’s PECO Free First Sunday Family Day, providing a full day of admission-free access to the Barnes collection and a variety of programs. The full lineup of activities is below:

BARNES ON THE BLOCK PROGRAMS

  • New York–based artist Olek and her team assemble a temporary crochet mural, which is part of Olek’s Love Across the USA public art project, in the Annenberg Court. The Philadelphia portion of Love Across the USA is organized by Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Barnes, and the sponsor is Red Heart. More information.
  • In Target’s parking lot, Mural Arts Philadelphia will host an Octavius Catto Paint Day, inviting art makers of all ages to check out the hands-on art activities station in their Murals on the Move van. Octavius Valentine Catto (1839–1871) was a black educator, intellectual, and civil rights activist in Philadelphia. Murals on the Move is a new initiative from Mural Arts and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.
  • Food-truck takeover in the Barnes parking lot with food vendors including Baby Blues BBQ, the Cow and the Curd, Innovative Catering Concepts, Poi Dog, and Weckerly’s.
  • Dock Street Brewery will be serving up signature and seasonal brews.
  • Dance party in the Barnes parking lot featuring music by DJ Rich Medina.
  • Collectable Barnes Cards—Target, Olek, DJ Rich Medina, and representatives from each food truck will share cards featuring their favorite works from the Barnes collection with guests, encouraging a trip inside to see the collection.

SPONSOR
Barnes on the Block is sponsored by Target. 

ABOUT THE BARNES FOUNDATION
The Barnes Foundation is a non-profit cultural and educational institution that shares its unparalleled art collection with the public, organizes special exhibitions, and presents programming that fosters new ways of thinking about human creativity. The Barnes collection is displayed in ensembles that integrate art and objects from across cultures and time periods, overturning traditional hierarchies and revealing universal elements of human expression. Home to one of the world’s finest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and early modern paintings—including the largest groups of paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne in existence—the Barnes brings together renowned masterworks by such artists as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and Vincent van Gogh, alongside ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and non-Western art as well as metalwork, furniture, and decorative art.

The Barnes Foundation was established by Dr. Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to “promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture.” Since moving to the heart of Philadelphia in 2012, the Barnes has expanded its commitment to teaching visual literacy in groundbreaking ways, investing in original scholarship relating to its collection and enhancing accessibility throughout every facet of its program.

The Barnes Foundation is open Wednesday–Monday, and tickets can be purchased on-site, online, or by calling 215.278.7200. Ticket prices and current hours are listed on our website.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Deirdre Maher, Director of Communications
215.278.7160, press@barnesfoundation.org
Online press office: https://www.barnesfoundation.org/press