Diminutive in size but extravagant in their rich detail and careful execution, portrait miniatures are under the magnifying glass at this year’s Philadelphia Antiques Show, running April 18 to 21 at Pier One in The Navy Yard.
“Patriots and Presidents: Philadelphia Portrait Miniatures, 1660 - 1860,” a collection of small-scale portraits, chronicles more than a century of antique personal momentos, showcasing 75 portrait miniatures from collections across the region. Read more.

    In many ways, the work of Dr. Seuss  parallels the mission of BalletX; each transforms ordinary, standardized vocabulary into something a bit more exciting. Dr. Seuss  did it with words, as he took reading  lists from the official Dolch vocabulary guide and turned them into zany stories about fantastic, made-up creatures; BalletX does it with movement, using daring choreography rooted in the firmly established lexicon of classical ballet.  
    So it’s logical that the two boundary-pushers would work well in tandem, as explored by co-artistic director Christine Cox during BalletX’s Spring Series production running at the Wilma Theater April 4-11. Affectionately titled “It’s Fun to Have Fun, but You Have to Know How,” from a quote in Dr. Seuss’ famous book The Cat in the Hat, the program features Ms. Cox’s “The Striped Hat,” as well as new choreographer Edwaard Liang’s “Largo” and co-Artistic Director Matthew Neenan’s “Wonder Why.” Read more.

  To enter a room filled with George Tooker’s work is to expose oneself to the odd sensation of being neither here nor there, suspended in an uncomfortable half-life conjured up by the artist. For Mr. Tooker’s best-known works specialize in evoking the feeling that one’s most private thoughts are on display under the garish light of day, stopped in time for viewers to gawk at in a state of frozen animation.