April 29-May 5, 2004	[2004 issue index]
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Touching the Void: A show about nothing unites the arts community. "The Big Nothing": At the epicenter of nothingness, two floors and both main gallery spaces of the ICA will be filled with... "Erasure": Inspired by Robert Rauschenberg's Erased de Kooning Drawing of 1953 -- a shocking and symbolic destruction of the art of one generation by an artist from the next... "9 Mütter XX04":The Mütter Museum has always encouraged a deeply philosophical and aesthetic appreciation of the unique complexity of the human organism. "Responsa: Eileen Neff, Jennie Shanker and Richard Torchia": According to curator Matthew Singer, this exhibition is based on the traditional Jewish questioning... "The Big Nothing" Films: Here's what all the other kids are wearing…

"Open": This exhibition might well be the one with the most nothing. Entr'acte: It will be an eventful kind of nonevent, and certainly preferable to no event at all. "Who Died": An 8-year-old boy's book on optical illusions helped inspire Nick Cassway's latest project, a series of white-on-black portraits meant to cause retinal afterimages. "The Sublime Landscape": American art has always been about nothing. "R is for Rosenbach": The Rosenbach's 50th anniversary exhibition is already open, and the folks in the museum's education department are working on forging connections between the show and the themes of "The Big Nothing." "Black Holes"/ "Mixmaster Universe": We can't see a black hole – it really is a black hole, after all – but we can see things getting sucked away into nothingness, so we know it's there. "Dust": Lighting for Urban Rooftop Environments (LURE) is sponsoring a series of temporary media-based public art projects around the city. Nothing Ventures, Nothing Gains: Your guide to the hows, whens and wheres of "The Big Nothing."

news

Standing by His Mayor: George Burrell discusses life, art and the ever-present City Hall probe.—Amy L. Webb

Firing Back: Waiting for whatever comes next, the imam's wife fears for her safety.—Brendan McGarvey

Gale Warning—Daryl Gale

Fine Print: Less words, more story.

Never Say Die: The pretenders gone, Dennis Kucinich still insists he has a shot.—Daryl Gale

The Bell Curve: City Paper's weekly gauge of Philly's Quality of Life

columns:

Political Notebook:Political Notebook—Mary F. Patel

Cityspace:Walk This Way: Your feet won't fail you on an architectural tour of Philly.—Darren Fava and Paula Spilner

Cityspace:Woman Power—Liz Harris

opinion

Pretzel Logic by Howard Altman
Rieger Mortis

Loose Canon by Bruce Schimmel
Cider Rules

Slant by Ralph F. Diluigi
Insult to Injury

Letters to the Editor: by the readers

special section

arts

A Leg Up: The Pennsylvania Ballet, already $6 million toward its goal, announces a new capital campaign and plans for a new home.—Janet Anderson

Marianne Dages—A.D. Amorosi

The Rape of Lucretia—David Shengold

"Jeff & Ben's Guide to the Fairer Sex"—Debra Auspitz

Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare read—Gary M. Kramer

Mister Mann Frisby discusses and signs—A.D. Amorosi

Opera:Grand Duchess of Gerolstein and—David Shengold

Theater:Popsicle's Departure, 1989—Toby Zinman

artspicks

movies

Small Town Romance: Neil Young's concept-album misfire becomes the movie it was meant to be.—Sam Adams

Dying for Our Sins: Denzel gives himself for the New Moral Order in the rancid Man on Fire.—Sam Adams

Chicks With Cliques: Lindsay Lohan learns the ropes in this acerbic high school comedy.—Cindy Fuchs

Screen Picks—Sam Adams

music

Ripe for the Picking: Why a folk-rock band from Down Under planted seeds in the Philly area.—Mary Armstrong

Sound Advice: Get Out

DJ Nights—Sean O'Neal

musicpicks

Orrin Evans' Luvpark—A.D. Amorosi

Tonhalle Orchestra—Peter Burwasser

Rogers Sisters—M.J. Fine

Peaches—Sam Adams

Saint Joan—Maura Johnston

Sleater-Kinney—Catherine Lewis

The Trouble With Sweeney—Patrick Rapa

Holger Czukay—A.D. Amorosi

naked city

Making the Man: The gentlemen's mini style guide for the summer season.—A.D. Amorosi

Icepack—A.D. Amorosi

mixpicks

Equality Forum—Juliet Fletcher

Art After Dark—A.D. Amorosi

Simpsons Quizzo—John Vettese

food

Tall Tale: Alfred Portale, once vertical-cuisine king, adds a new chapter to Striped Bass' history.—A.D. Amorosi

Striped Bass—Recipe by Alfred Portale and Striped Bass