Exploring Philadelphia’s Titanic connections
ONE HUNDRED years ago Sunday, the “unsinkable” oceanliner Titanic made headlines when it struck an iceberg and sank, carrying more than 1,500 passengers to their deaths. Philadelphia connections among the victims and survivors will be explored this weekend in an exhibit at Independence Seaport Museum. The main focus is the Thayer family, which donated many artifacts to the exhibit relating to family members who were passengers on the doomed ship. The Thayers were part of upper-class Philadelphian society. John B. Thayer Jr. was a first-class cricketer and Pennsylvania Railroad vice president. Thayer died, but his wife, Marian, made it onto a lifeboat and survived. Their son, John B. “Jack” Thayer III, dove into the water as the ship went down and clung to an overturned lifeboat. Jack, 17 at the time, wrote one of the most accurate accounts of the disaster and helped Robert Ballard find the shipwreck more than 70 years later.
ONE HUNDRED years ago Sunday, the "unsinkable" oceanliner Titanic made headlines when it struck an iceberg and sank, carrying more than 1,500 passengers to their deaths. Philadelphia connections among the victims and survivors will be explored this weekend in an exhibit at Independence Seaport Museum.
The main focus is the Thayer family, which donated many artifacts to the exhibit relating to family members who were passengers on the doomed ship. The Thayers were part of upper-class Philadelphian society. John B. Thayer Jr. was a first-class cricketer and Pennsylvania Railroad vice president. Thayer died, but his wife, Marian, made it onto a lifeboat and survived. Their son, John B. "Jack" Thayer III, dove into the water as the ship went down and clung to an overturned lifeboat. Jack, 17 at the time, wrote one of the most accurate accounts of the disaster and helped Robert Ballard find the shipwreck more than 70 years later.
Other Philadelphia families in the exhibit include the Cardezas, the Wideners and the Ryersons. On Saturday and every Saturday through Memorial Day, exhibit visitors may tour the museum's Olympia, a National Historic Landmark ship built with Titanic-era technology. Also Saturday, Seaport will show the 1958 film "A Night to Remember" all day long. And in the afternoon, there's a program,"What Floats Your Boat," for children.
Independence Seaport Museum, Penn's Landing, Titanic Day, Saturday, "Titanic Philadelphians," through Dec. 31, open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $12; $10 for seniors, kids, students and military; under age 2 free, 215-413-8655, phillyseaport.org.
— Kailey Kluge
INDIAN CLASSICS
Most Americans know little about Western classical music. Fewer still are familiar with the classical Indian Carnatic style, which dates from the fifth century. This weekend the Agnes Irwin School presents one of India's most famous Carnatic violinists, R.K. Shriramkumar, whose family has embraced the tradition for more than a century.
Developed in Southeast India, Carnatic music uses two components: ragas and thalams. Ragas are set melodies that portray different moods or themes, and thalams are sets of rhythms that can be applied to a raga. There are thousands of ragas and thalams for composers to work with and combine to create the classic form. The violin became an important instrument in Carnatic music when it was introduced to India in the 19th century.
Agnes Irwin School, West Wike Theatre, 275 S. Ithan Ave., Bryn Mawr, concert 6 p.m., preshow discussion with R. K. Shriramkumar 4 p.m., $25, 267-797-7006, sruti.org/concerts/2012/RKShriramkumar/RKS.asp.
— Mary Sydnor
BLOSSOM TIME
Morris Arboretum is joining in cherry-blossom mania Saturday with two of Japan's most revered traditions, taiko drumming and a tea ceremony, held against the leafy backdrop of one of the Asian country's most cherished exports.
The Kyo Daiko drumming crew is the only Philadelphia group dedicated to the art of Japanese drumming, developed in feudal times for use in battle to motivate troops, communicate orders or set a marching pace. The form remains essential to Japanese culture, with its breathtaking melding of choreography and drumming that starts off slowly and builds in intensity. The arboretum's celebration wraps up with a Japanese picnic tea, or chabako, to be held outside (weather permitting).
Morris Arboretum is hosting the Japanese Cherry Blossom Celebration in partnership with the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia, an annual event honoring Japan's 1926 gift of 1,600 flowering trees to Philadelphia. The arboretum's famed collection of Japanese plants and gardens include 35 varieties of cherry trees.
Morris Arboretum, 100 E. Northwestern Ave., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, 215-247-5777, www.morrisarboretum.org.
— Alissa Falcone
BODY BEAUTIFUL
William Middleton's "Body Aesthetic" is composed of "electric sculptures" that use glass and light to represent the beauty of the body as an external form and cellular system. The sculptures represent the process by which stimuli are processed through the brain to form detailed perceptions of the world around us.
Middleton collaborated with glass artist James Harmon and Mindy Weinstein, professor of neuroanatomy at the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research .
The recreation of neuronal forms in glass and light reflects an intellectual appreciation for the complexities of their structure and function. The integration of art and science enhances the understanding of both disciplines and reveals the beauty of human form and perception. n
Twenty-two Gallery, 236 S. 22nd St., through May 6. Reception 6-9 p.m. Friday; artist's talk 1-3 p.m. Sunday, 215-772-1911, twenty-twogallery.com.
— Alyssa Stein
Art Attack is a partnership with Drexel University and is supported by a grant from the Knight/NEA Community Arts Journalism Challenge, administered by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.