First Person Salon at the Gershman Y, June 11th
featuring Celebrated writer Lorene Cary, muralist Donald Gensler and
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Kanter, Director of New Cops
The City’s creative community continues to embrace First Person Arts interactive programming, including the new monthly First Person Salons series, drawing dedicated and enthusiastic audiences. Held at the Gershman Y (401 S. Broad Street) from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. on second Wednesdays, the multi-disciplinary Salons showcase original works by some of the City’s finest local artists in a variety of artistic mediums, from the written word and documentary film to visual and performing arts. Each month, Philadelphians gather for this engaging series to get an inside-peek into the creative process. On June 11th, the Salon series welcomes celebrated writer Lorene Cary, muralist Donald Gensler, and filmmaker Ron Kanter, all of whom live and work in Philadelphia, and each of whom has created memoir and documentary art that has gained local and national recognition.
Founder of Philadelphia’s Art Sanctuary and Senior Lecturer in creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania, Lorene Cary will read selections from her recent memoir writing, followed by a discussion with Salon audiences. A celebrated writer, Cary is the author of FREE!, a collection of true-life Underground Railroad Stories for young readers; The Price of A Child, a 1995 novel chosen as a One Book, One Philadelphia selection; Pride, a contemporary novel, and the best-selling memoir Black Ice, an American Library Association Notable Book.
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Kanter will discuss his newly released documentary New Cops. For eight months, Kanter followed the members of Class 332 through the Philadelphia Police Academy, capturing their transformation from ordinary citizens to professional police officers. Five years later, he returned to document their experiences on the job. Audience members will have the opportunity to hear first-hand from several of the officers featured in the documentary.
Rounding out the diverse group of presenters is muralist Donald Gensler, a frequent collaborator with Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program. Gensler will discuss the process of developing his latest work-in-progress, the mural Independence Starts Here, located at the intersection of Broad and Race Streets, which depicts active people who are living with disabilities.
First Person Arts is a nonprofit organization and producer of the annual First Person Festival, First Person StorySlams series and other programs that tap into the power of personal stories and speak to diverse audiences, including people whose voices are not often heard. First Person Arts is guided by the belief that the sharing of personal experience is a powerful way for people to celebrate uniqueness, bridge differences, and find common ground. For more information, please visit www.firstpersonarts.org.
Upcoming First Person Salon Events
Wednesday, June 14; artists: Lorene Cary, Ron Kanter and Donald Gensler
Wednesday, July 8; artists: TBA
Wednesday, August 13; artists: TBA
All First Person Salons are held at the Gershman Y, 401 S. Broad Street
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. every second Wednesday of the month
$5-10 sliding scale
For more information, contact First Person Arts at (267) 402-2056 or www.firstpersonarts.org. Artists working in all media and at all levels of experience, whose work is based in real-life experience, are encouraged to submit their work for consideration at future Salon events. To apply, visit www.salons.firstpersonarts.org or email salons@firstpersonarts.org.
Press Contact:
Canary Promotion + Design
Emaleigh Doley, (215) 242-6393
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