Come Out and Play In Kid-Friendly Exhibit at Schuylkill Center

In play, anything is possible. Broomsticks become wild stallions. Piles of snow appear as majestic ice castles. And 18th century farmsteads serve as ideal art studios.

If that last one sounds a bit out-of-the-ordinary and perhaps way too specific, that's because, well, it is.

Starting Sunday the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education will begin hosting a two-month-long outdoor art exhibition that responds to the history and physical space of its second site, Brolo Hill Farm, which was at one time an active farmstead. The exhibit in Upper Roxborough, entitled "Ground Play: Nexus at the Schuylkill Center," includes pieces from six invited artists from Nexus, a nonprofit artist cooperative based in Kensington, who worked with one theme in mind: play.

"I think the title for the exhibition came after we had all written about our proposals—the idea that the site was like a big playground for us as artists," contributing artist Leah Reynolds said. "I think this selection of work is really interesting when experienced together, because we are all working in such different ways—a small sample of the diversity of artistic practices these days."

Ground Play Day, the exhibition's opening event, takes place Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m. and will feature live performances, as well as a series of family-friendly activities, including papermaking, a scavenger hunt, animal presentations, and mobile making.

"What we tried to do for Sunday's event was have art activities related to the pieces," said Jenny Laden, associate director of the art program at the Schuylkill Center. "The show isn't a backdrop to the activities; it's the other way around. The day is meant to highlight the show, and I think people will enjoy that, because it makes for a fun way to experience the artwork."

Artists Susan Abrams, Nick Cassway, Jebney Lewis, Michael McDermott, Jennie Thwing and Reynolds each took their own unique approaches to the landscape, working in various artistic styles and with a multitude of media.

"The members of the cooperative all like to play and experiment with materials and ideas, particularly things that have been overlooked," Cassway said. "Coming together, we tried to find things about the site like that to use for inspiration."

Their efforts have results in an exhibit filled with an eclectic collection meant to invite deeper appreciation for the environment and history of Brolo Hill Farm. For instance, Cassway's contribution "Into the Woods" is a group portrait series of 36 drawings that use the language of road signage to literally become warning signs throughout the environment and give viewers a sense of physical or psychological dislocation. The series should be viewed at night with a flashlight for optimum impact.

"Looking at the space, I was struck by how country it feels; you're in the woods, so it doesn't seem like Philly at all. This idea of "in the woods" can be physical, but culturally it can also represent a psychological trip. It can refer to places you go physically or mentally where you don't belong. That's why I'm hoping people will view the artwork in the dark with a flashlight, because it will play off the reflective surfaces of each piece and heighten the experience."

Ground Play is just one of the roughly half dozen exhibitions the Schuylkill Center puts on each year. It is the second of 2010's two outdoor exhibitions—the first, "Elemental Energy: Art Powered by Nature," which includes six sculptural installations, each of which engages a natural element, wraps up Sept. 26. "Ground Play: Nexus at the Schuylkill Center," will run through Nov. 28, but let's not get too far ahead. The opening comes first.

"I think people will really enjoy this," Laden said. "It's a way to see interesting art, but also a way to get out and escape into the woods on a great day. What could be better?"

If you go: The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education is at 8480 Hagy's Mill Road. Sept. 19: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Ground Play/ Family Friendly Activities; 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Artists' Tour and Performances. Visit the center's website fore more information.