PIFA 2016 Opens With A Gala To Remember for the Ages, Dinner, a Performance and Lighted Horses Perform in Rittenhouse Square

Good Thursday day, hope you are well. Oh I can’t believe I missed yesterday’s post. I was overwhelmed with how many events I shot over the weekend and juggling where I should put them, and who could take them and I forgot about me and my little blog. Well today we’re getting a most extraordinary event that only happens every two years in Philly. It’s Philadelphia International Festival Of the Arts or PIFA for short. These photos, and some of which I am not publishing here, may go in the June issue of Philadelphia Magazine. I’m posting the video of the Kinetic Tree experience, listen along while you read the entry, and towards the end it finally opens.
and a breadth of local and international performances and installations,
all curated by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. With more
than 60 events across genres and art forms, PIFA is bookended by Article
13 – a grand-scale fire and sand installation that tells the story of
immigrants around the world – which serves as the grand opening of the
Festival and culminates with the celebrated PIFA Street Fair.
AND 75% of the performances are free Anne Ewers, President & CEO of Kimmel Center, Inc told the guests gathered in Verizon Hall for a concert after dinner was served. With her on stage were the Gala co-chairs: Alfred P. West, Founder, Chairman and CEO of SEI Jami Wintz McKeon, Chair of Morgan Lewis and Bockius
The evening began with a Cocktail Reception, generously hosted by M&T Bank and Wilmington Trust. Then a delicious Garces Catering dinner was served. This was the clever first course, which represents the theme of PIFA 2016 – “We Are What We Make”, this is a soup, with ingredients on the sides of the dish. After the servers pour the broth you add any of those ingredients you like.
Each table carried the theme of the various shows that would be performed during the PIFA 2016 gala. This table has an inspiration of the Kinetic Tree, the PIFA Plaza Installation
The gala brought out the who’s who in the philanthropic, art patron society of Philadelphia
Including the most philanthropic athlete of our time, here in Philly, Connor Barwin, who was sporting snazzy sneakers with his black tie. This seems to be the latest trend, as Elizabeth Wellington from the Philly Inquirer would tell you. Look for Connor to attend the Mural Arts Wall Ball coming up 5/26/16 at The Fillmore.
Presentations, Kimmel Center, Inc. for curating many of the programs
you’ll see during PIFA.