A sense of humor can go a long way and businesses can profit by engaging with customers and making an impression by stepping outside the realm of the expected.
“Laughter relieves stress and boredom, boosts engagement and well-being, and” – according to Harvard Business Review – “spurs not only creativity and collaboration but also analytic precision and productivity.”
There is no shortage for outdoor art experiences this year. Earlier this year we mentioned how “The Outings Project” was putting paintings on the street, this summer Longwood Gardens brought us “Nightscape: A Light and Sound Experience” and the Philadelphia Museum of Art is sharing some of it’s masterpieces in a series called “Inside Out” in the borough of West Chester (among other places).
“Manne-Porte, Étretat” – Claude Monet | “Pichincha” – Frederic Edwin Church | Sketch for “A Boat Passing a Lock” – John Constable | “Two Dragons The open air exhibit is part of a series throughout the Greater Philadelphia region, which lets you encounter art in unexpected places and includes works by Andy Warhol, Claude Monet, Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and Thomas Eakins. Video via Philadelphia Museum of Art In addition to providing free art in the borough, the Museum is offering West Chester residents free general admission to the Museum from Friday, October 16, through Sunday, October 18, 2015.
[in Clouds]” – Kano Hōgai | “Groundhog Day” – Andrew Newell Wyeth | “Little Painting with Yellow (Improvisation)” – Vasily Kandinsky
Longwood Gardens is giving visitors a chance to explore its grounds after dark and experience a stunning installation by Philadelphia based Klip Collective, that combines moving images and lights choreographed to music in several areas of the garden.
Ricardo Rivera talks about the conception of Nightscape on Longwood Gardens’ blog, when the Klip Collective years ago created a one-hundred-foot wide veil of smoke in a meadow, to project franticly dancing fireflies, that where to be viewed from a distance.
“To our surprise, people walked right into it. The audience wanted to be surrounded and lost in the chaos of the moment. Seeing how people were drawn to the lights and how they reacted to the experience inspired me to explore the idea of experience as art … and that began the process for Nightscape.”
While the video Longwood Gradens produced is truly amazing, it only gives a glimpse of the beauty. It is only in person that you can truly experience this awe-inspiring presentation. The drumming topiaries were fascinating, but the best part for me personally, was the change of the seasons above the lake.
The installation is on view Wednesdays through Saturdays, until October 31st.
It’s National Pretzel Day and the Philly Pretzel Factory, which has 100 locations nationwide, is expecting to give away 200,000 free pretzels this year. #nationalpretzelday
I recently had a chance to see IN PIECES – a multimedia collaboration between LEGO® sculptor Nathan Sawaya and photographer Dean West – that is showing at the Franklin Institute, as part of “The Art of the Brick.”
At first look nothing seems out of the ordinary, until you notice some detail about the picture that is not like the rest, but made out of LEGO®.
The images have been constructed by combining West’s modern photography techniques and Sawaya’s unique sculptures made out of LEGO®. Key to the series narrative and aesthetic Sawaya’s sculptures are much like the construction of a digital photograph. Thousands of bricks are glued together to form recognizable objects much like the assembly of pixels in a digital image. The similarities in technology not only help shape the aesthetic of IN PIECES, they are key to deconstructing each tableau composition.
For more images visit their website In Pieces
Images from inpiecescollection.com
This year there are only 25 shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, making for a very short holiday season. (Hard to believe with some retailers rolling out Christmas items by the end of August, and Black Friday now actually starting on Thanksgiving.)
As you are plotting how to get a head start on your list, consider forgoing the mall in favor of Small Business Saturday, coming up on November 29. It’s an alternative that seems less hassle and more like a treat – all the while supporting small businesses in your neighborhood. Plus, your purchases have a positive impact, since the money you spend stays in the community.
Image via Small Business Saturday website
Talk about positive brand reinforcement in our own backyard. When 18-year-old freshman Jack Lavery was disqualified due to a technicality from winning a $10,000 price for completing the halftime challenge at a West Chester University Basketball game – making four shots in sequence within 25 seconds – Pizza Hut took to Social Media outlet Twitter and announced that it was offering him the money, plus free pizza for a year.
It’s a little known fact that college students love Pizza and $10,000 is no small change either. The publicity gained from the stunt resulted in a positive brand response for Pizza Hut. Lavery retweeted an encouragement to repay Pizza Hut by eating there for the rest of the year.
Additionally Lavery will be paying it forward, according to the Daily News, as he plans to donate $500 of his prize money to Woody’s Circle of Care, a local non-profit.
This Friday I will be exhibiting my creative “itch” as a first time participant in The Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce’s Fall Gallery Walk.
Over the years I have discovered that the need to express myself creatively means stepping away from the computer from time to time to create something totally hands on.
Having designed print materials for such a long time, I have a passion for paper in it’s many decorative forms. A few years ago I came across a collection of recycled handmade papers and was immediately driven to explore creating something unique. My technique entails the traditional decoupage process of cutting and pasting papers, including newspapers, books, maps, and even paper bark from a birch tree, in combination with paint.
GALLERY WALK | Friday, October 4
Please stop by and say Hello.˚ My exhibit will be from 5pm – 9pm at the Fox Chase Bank on the corner of High and Chestnut Streets.
…if you are a member of the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce that is.
We had the great fortune to be working with the Chamber on their Member Newsletter redesign. The new design of the “Chamber Chatter” features a completely revamped look, as well as a new monthly Membership Spotlight section. Members are encouraged to submit articles that might be of interest to the greater chamber community.
The redesign is the next step in an effort for the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce to rebrand themselves into THE resource for the community, after the launch of their redesigned website and the start of their “Think…Shop…Buy Local” effort, which encourages members of the community to purchase goods and services from business members of the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce.
The recent nice weather prompted a trip to the Philadelphia Zoo, and a visit to the newest attraction – KidZooU.
The exhibit is located in the former Elephant space and features hands on activities, teaching youngsters about conservation of resources and animal diversity through exhibits both inside and out… and of course there is the beloved petting zoo.
The KidZooU new signage feature large colored animals – great for those younger kids for which a trip to the Zoo is full of excitement and learning. The signs visually depict each colorful animal in different forms – picture, brail, sign language and even a QR Code for other languages (German, French, Hindi, Chinese and many more).
The Philadelphia Zoo successfully combines fun and functionality into it’s new wayfinding signage.
