Thinking and Acting Globally

You may remember a while back when I wrote about AJ Nanayakkara and his wife Kelly Fisher who founded Global Abilities to help those with disabilities in developing countries. (you can read it here) Well, the idea was picked up by Life In Action, a national magazine put out by the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, and I was asked to write a new piece on the subject.

That piece was published in the April edition. Read it here.

You'll be happy to know AJ has already been able to build a few tuk-tuks to help those with disabilities in Sri Lanka get around.

Nicole Johnson Co-Chairs Young Friends Winter Gala; Wants to Add More Color to Membership Palette

The Young Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art held their annual Winter Gala—a fundraiser for education/community programs and art acquisition—this past Saturday night. Over 400 guests, dressed to the nines, drank and danced in the Great Hall of the renowned art museum, and took advantage of the opportunity to see the Van Gogh Up Close exhibit in a more intimate setting.

Gala Co-Chair Nicole Johnson. Photo: A.N. Torres

Even amongst all these revelers, it wasn't hard to find gala co-chair Nicole Johnson. She’s tall, stunning, more statuesque than the actual statue of Diana that stands at the top of the Great Hall’s staircase, and she’s one of the few African Americans in attendance.

In between greeting guests arriving for the V.I.P. reception, Ms. Johnson took some time to talk with me about her involvement with the Young Friends and to share some thoughts about the prestigious organization.

KO: Nicole, first off, how did you get involved with the Young Friends?

NJ: It was by accident. I had moved away from Philadelphia a few years back for work. I had always loved the art museum, so when I came back to Philadelphia, I decided to become a regular member. When I came to sign up, they told me about the Young Friends. It sounded like a great way to reconnect and meet people in the city who liked art like I did.

Nicole Johnson. Photo: K. O'Connor

KO: Was it?

NJ: It was. Young Friends is also a great to give back to the community. One of the programs funded through tonight’s gala is bringing kids from Camden, New Jersey to the museum free of charge. We bus them over and for many it’s the first time they’ve been here. It’s really great to see the kids enjoy this space and all that’s in it.

KO: What’s the make-up of the Young Friends? Women to men, black to white, that kind of a thing.

NJ: Women to men? It’s more women than men, but we have some great men who are on the board with me. Racially, I think it’s been ok. I think there’s a little more to go in terms of integrating, but we have people with different, diverse backgrounds.

KO: You mentioned there’s a little more to go as far as diversity. What do you think is the reason the numbers aren’t quite what you’d like to see?

NJ: I don't have a really good answer. We have a lot of racially diverse people who attend Young Friends parties and other activities, but they're not becoming Young Friends members. We've talked about it,  how to bringing in more diversity. I've even worked with African American organizations in Philly to try and get some interest in what we're doing here at Young Friends, but that hasn't helped much. The Museum does a great job of being inclusive. People of all kinds come here to see the art, but something is missing. A possible explanation might be that, perhaps, people are growing up in environments where they aren't exposd to art, they don't see a lot of it and therefore never develop an interest. Maybe some people think you need to be an art expert to belong and they get intimidated. Even the building can be intimidating I suppose. You don't have to be an art expert to join. I'm not sure what the solution is, but as open a group as we are, we would definitley like to be more diverse.

KO: Maybe your program to expose kids from Camden and other places to art, somtimes for the first time, will help boost those diversity numbers down the line?

NJ: That would be wonderful, to have those trips to the museum inspire a life-long appreciation for art to the point of being actively involved in the art community!

KO: This being Black History Month, I'll ask, have there been other black chairs of the Young Friends gala or other events?

NJ: You know that’s interesting. I asked someone that same question tonight and apparently there have been others who have chaired or co-chaired the gala and other events and have served on the board. So, I’m honored to say that it has happened! I'm honored that I'm not the first one. It shows you that the Young Friends has always been for everybody.

WP: And how did you become co-chair of the Winter Gala? Is this something you volunteered for? Did you get elected?

NJ: I was asked by fellow members of the board and I was happy to do it. I enjoy planning parties and events and being involved.

KO:  Along with community outreach and education programs, the Young Friends use funds raised to acquire art for the museum. What kind of pieces are you buying?

NJ: There's a joke in the Young Friends about how we seem to always be buying silver! We buy other stuff and spread it out over all the collections. If you walk around the museum, and look at the little descriptions on the wall, you'll see pieces in all the galleries that say "made possible by the Young Friends" or something to that equivalent.

KO Last question. What is your favorite piece in the museum?

NJ: The Burning of the House of Lords and Commons by Joseph Mallord William Turner.

KO: I lied. Here's the last question. Why is it your favorite?

Burning of the House of Lords and Commons

NJ:  It's the first painting I ever felt a connection to. It was vibrant and I felt like I was right ther at the scene. It just took my breath away.

Van Gogh Up Close Opens at Philadelphia Museum of Art

On February 1, Van Gogh Up Close opened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I attended the press preview of the show. I've attended a lot of them over the years, and I knew this one was special. There must've been 70 or so reporters taking in the talents of Vincent van Gogh.

I was there for the Weekly Press, but they've been unable to publish the story. It's been pushed back twice. I'm thinking space and budget issues.

So, the story is here. The whole story.

Check out the video as well, for a quick "tour" of some of the beauty to be enjoyed.

Want To Escape A Colorless Philly Winter? Van Gogh to the Philadelphia Museum of Art Immediately

Despite the unseasonably warm temperatures we’ve been experiencing here in Philly, it is still winter. Yes, the sun has been shining more than usual, but it’s shining on a city void of color. The Schuylkill doesn’t have a speck of blue in it. The Trees in Rittenhouse Square are naked and the grass is brown and lifeless. We feel as grey as the concrete we trudge on.

But there’s an easy way to change your spirits and reacquaint your eyes to color.

On Wednesday, February 1 the doors opened to Van Gogh Up Close, a major exhibit organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Canada (the only two places where the exhibit will be in North America) that concentrates on Vincent van Gogh's work with landscapes, still lifes and flowers, the majority of which were painted between 1886 and 1890 in Paris, Arles, Saint-Remy and Auvers, France.

We’re talking over 40 paintings by one of the world’s greatest artists created in the most beautiful city on the planet and the rolling, expansive French countryside. It’s a combination guaranteed to make you feel better, folks.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Press Preview of the new exhibit January 27. It was a windy, rainy day and the dreariness I felt walking into the Philadelphia Museum of Art went away much quicker than the dampness in my clothes once I entered the gallery.

Right away, you’re greeted by Sunflowers (1888 or 1889) and the yellow of the petals—and the peculiar red center of just one sunflower—against a pale blue background set a tone of warmth and relaxation that is carried though the other paintings of flowers in the room.

Shortly after, you come across Outskirts of Paris: Road With Peasant Shouldering a Spade (1887).  The peasant walks down the middle of a dirt road with his yellow hat cocked to the side, flanked by green grass speckled with wildflowers, a row of green trees, and picket fencing as he heads away from the town in the background to more rural locales. The explanation that accompanies the painting talks about van Gogh’s expertise with perspective and how he can create a strong sense of depth in his paintings. That’s true, and evident to even someone like me who is certainly no aficionado, and the art can be appreciated for its technique. But what made this painting my favorite in the whole exhibit was that I found myself in it. The picket fence along the road angles off in the right foreground and I felt like I was taking in the warmth of the sun, the wind slightly bending the trees and the casualness of the peasant’s stroll and all the colors as a lazy guy leaning against the picket fence.

And that’s just the experience of two paintings in the exhibit. Multiply these feeling of happiness…or let’s just call it Spring…by another 44 paintings.

Sound too good to be true?

See for yourself.

Then tell me that when you look at Vineyards at Auvers (1890) you don’t find yourself wondering if  you can get some fresh goat cheese from one of the little white cottages at the bottom of the hill, or from someplace behind you in the village…

…before remembering that someplace behind you is a gallery hall and your winter coat, not a bundle with wines and baguettes, is clutched in your hand.


*Van Gogh Up Close will run at the Philadelphia Museum of Art till May 6, 2012 and costs $25.00. The exhibit features 46 paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and more than 30 comparative works such as Japanese woodblock prints and landscape photographs. Learn more at here. 

Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Dinner

On Monday, January 30, the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association held their 108th Annual Awards Dinner.

I'm a member of the PSWA.

The dinner is a good time for sports fans with sports celebs like Hunter Pence, Charlie Manuel and Claude Giroux among those in attendence.

Last year, I gave Shane Victorino our Humanitarian Award. This year, I held the time keeper's bell while Jacqui Frazier Lyde, daughter of "Smokin" Joe Frazier rang it, giving her father a traditional boxer's salute of a ten count on the bell.  It's always done when a boxer passes away.

Jacqui decided to ramble on about herself, Title 9 and half a dozen other things before getting to the bell ringing...and then rang it too many times. But, the actual ringing once we got to it was poignant.

You can see highlights from the dinner here:

Like Art? Van Gogh to the Philadelphia Museum of Art as Soon as possible!

Folks--

A link to my story on Van Gogh Up Close, the new exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, will hopefully be up next week, along with a video and pictures. Weekly Press pushed the story back.

Wine Enthusiasts Fund Student Opportunities at PAFA

This past Saturday, I covered Bacchanal, a wine festival and auction that raises scholarship money for  Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) here in Philly.

There's something about PAFA events and auctions. When I covered the lighting of their Claes Oldenburg sculpture, my wife/photographer bid on a decorative shovel used in the groundbreaking of Lenfest Plaza, where the sculpture is.It's hanging in our guest bedroom. And when the music stopped at the end of Bacchanal, and the wine had been enjoyed, and the story for the Weekly Press had been flushed out, I found myself being handed a double magnum sized bottle of merlot (Columbia Vineyard) that I had to lug back to the car because the wife "just had to go home with something from the auction."

Good thing she didn't just have to go home with one of the bottles of wine or trips to Italy that went for tens of thousands of dollars.

Even better thing she didn't just have to go home with a guy who needed someone to take on a newly acquired trip to Italy.

My story for the Weekly Press focuses on an artist, Sasha Diehl, a PAFA student who receives some of that Bacchanal bucks. That scholarship money allows her to create with some of the best art instructors in the U.S.

To read the Weekly Press story, click here.

You can also learn more about Sasha's love of art, and see some of her work, and get an idea of what Bacchanal is all about by watching the videos below.

Global Abilities Helps Disabled in Developing Countries


Last Saturday, I spent some time with AJ Nanayakkara at the Global Abilities fundraiser at World cafe Live in Philly. He and his wife Kelly started Global Abilities to help those with disabilities in developing countries.

AJ Nanayakkara and his wife Kelly Fisher

AJ has been in a wheelchair for 17 years, the result of a spinal cord injury received when practicing karate flips with his martial arts partner. But AJ says he's fortunate to be living in America with his disability because of the resources available to help him and others live happy, productive lives.

Not the case, says AJ, in countries like Sri Lanka, where AJ lived till he was 10 years old. Sri Lanka is the first focus of Global Abilities.

I interviewed AJ for a piece that ran in the Weekly Press Wednesday. You can read it here.

Want to learn more about Global Abilities? Go to GlobalAbilities.org


Sri Lanka is so tiny it would hide in the frayed fold of a map. You'd mistake it for a cluster of dirt on a globe that squeaks when you spin it.

It's a little island off the southern tip of India and between 1983 (when AJ and his famikly left) and 2009 a brutal, bloody civil war left 70,000 dead and thousands of others with disabilities--the same people  who AJ and Kelly are now trying to help. It has a population of 21.3 million.