(upbeat music) - Welcome to the show.

I'm Shirley Min.

This week's show is chock full of stories you ought to know.

The creative juices are flowing for a 68-year-old who's reignited his passion for music.

- [Harry] I decided to pick up the guitar.

- Travel with us back in time to the city within the city of Philadelphia.

Plus, plans and preparations are underway as Philadelphia gets ready to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America.

Next year, the country celebrates its semi-quincentennial, and ahead of the 250th celebration, the National Park Service here in the City of Brotherly Love is making some improvements.

(bright music) - I'm Steve Sims.

I am the superintendent of the National Parks of Philadelphia.

That includes four national parks, Independence National Historical Park, Gloria Dei Old Swedes National Historical Park, Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, and Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial.

We have such a richness of story in all of these spaces, and our job is to ensure that they're available and accessible to the public and that we preserve them and maintain them in perpetuity.

It's about 55 acres in total of space, about 48 buildings, five national historic landmarks, and one World Heritage Site.

The renowned historian Wallace Stegner coined the term that "National parks are the best idea that we ever had," and I tend to agree with that because the national parks provide the story of America in all of its different facets.

I truly believe that every individual has a connection to a national park.

The beautiful thing about that connection is that you also become co-owners of these spaces.

As co-owners, you really have that responsibility to steward and to protect these places.

You're literally part of the National Park Service mission.

As we approach America's 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we have a lot of infrastructure projects that we have underway to make the park accessible and available for the visiting public to experience.

First one is the rehabilitation of the First Bank of the United States.

It's a $30 million rehabilitation funded through the Great American Outdoors Act.

The other projects that we have going on, we've actually completed the rehabilitation of the Benjamin Rush Garden.

Benjamin Rush Garden now is the home of the Bicentennial Bell.

Some people know it as the Queen's Bell.

So this bell was donated to the United States in 1976 by Queen Elizabeth.

We also just completed a project in Washington Square where we rehabilitated the Washington Square Guardhouse in partnership with Independence Historical Trust and the Society Hill Civic Association.

We've also installed an accessibility ramp on Independence Square, and you'll find that accessibility ramp just north of Walnut Street on Fifth Street.

And so for the first time, we now have access to Independence Square without somebody having to go through security screen.

We also have a project to rehabilitate the West Wing on Independence Square, so it's the building to the west of Independence Hall.

The West Wing rehabilitation will not only rehabilitate the structure, but also rehabilitate the great essential exhibit as its name, the Articles of Confederation, Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution in there as well as the original Syng inkstand, which was used to sign these documents.

(bright music) Some other ones that are ongoing is we have a $15 million energy improvement project to really make our systems more efficient and be good stewards of our environment.

And with regards to the environment, we also have another project in the works for bird-deterrent film to go on some buildings because we do have bird strikes.

Another preservation and protection project that we intend to implement this year is an upgrade and improvement to the fire suppression system of the buildings on Independence Square.

We currently have a project on Independence Square to improve the drainage, and good drainage actually protects those buildings as well.

And we wanna make sure that we are doing everything that we can to make sure it's protected in perpetuity.

(gentle music) Through the Inflation Reduction Act, we are hiring additional gardeners and masons and mechanics so that we can make sure that your parks are clean, green, and maintained.

When something's well cared for, You know that it's important and it's meaningful.

It's truly an honor to be a steward of these places.

This is the birthplace of our nation, and so when people walk away with a good feeling, a connection, they're bound to be supporters of the National Parks system because national parks exist because of the public, and they belong to the public.

And so it's our job to make sure that they're stewarded, but also provide that opportunity for connection.

And through that connection, national parks will continue to exist and be an essential fabric of our nation.

(upbeat music) - Here's how you can learn more about what the National Park Service is planning for the country's 250th anniversary.

In 1838, steps away from Independence Mall, Philadelphia was home to over 20,000 free Black people.

Let's take a look at what this bustling community looked like.

- Hi, I'm Morgan Lloyd, co-founder and president of 1838 Black Metropolis.

- And I'm Michiko Quinones, co-founder and Director of Public History and Education at the 1838 Black Metropolis.

(bright music) - And what we're going to do is take you through a journey from a freedom seeker's perspective on the Underground Railroad.

What we like to say is the 1838 Metropolis was a metropolis full of thousands of Black free people, 18,798, and this is one of our most important streets, Quince, but also extending out to North Liberties, down to South Philly, and all the way out to west.

- This street was a very important center of Black life.

It was a center of stability so that you could feel safe to do what you needed to do when you arrived in Philadelphia.

We are standing in front of the house of a woman named Hagar Ballard.

Hagar was a millionaire.

She was a Black woman who lived here and she lived here with three or four other women.

And the women who lived here, many of whom were dress makers, were contributing back to people who may have arrived, people who arrived with nothing, or people who were here and needed help in order to survive.

- One of our favorite things to talk about while on this street is imagining what life would be like as a freedom seeker coming into this free Black neighborhood.

Here, we have Henry Morgan, grandfather to the renowned artist Meta Vaux Fuller who would spend her childhood here running up and down the street.

You would also have a street filled with music.

There is musicians from Francis Johnson's band, Black life in a way you had never seen before.

- [Michiko] One of the things we like to think about is how extraordinary it was to have the courage to seek your freedom and to start a brand new life.

This family that lived here was the Shire family.

They had three children.

Both of the parents indicate that they were not native, which means they probably were freedom seekers.

- This is one of our shining stars on the block.

Now this is the home of Daniel Colley, a member of the Vigilance Committee, and a well-known Underground Railroad conductor.

So now from the perspective of a freedom seeker, you now also see that this street, the ordinary, extraordinary people that lived here, they were so impactful that one of the most prominent heads of the community decided to move here.

(bright music) One of the most sacred spots for the 1838 Black Metropolis team is this church right here.

This was the Black Lutheran Church that was led by Pastor Jehu Jones.

And not only did it have a fantastic congregation, but also it helped to work against a potential voting bloc that was about to take place within the Black community.

Thought leaders and prominent abolitionists, including Pastor Jehu Jones, like James Forten and Robert Purvis.

They gathered together in this space to ideate on what they could do to help prevent this voting bloc.

- The burning of Pennsylvania Hall sent a very clear message to this community, that municipalities probably could not be trusted.

I am standing in what was the municipal center of a city of 20,000 free Black people.

The first place they would go would be Benezet Hall for almost a hundred years.

This building was used by the Black community to just launch businesses, churches, and institutes.

- We are an educational nonprofit that's an extension of the National Park Networks based here in Philadelphia.

- [Michiko] And this was a community of people who would clothe and feed you from the minute you got here and then help you get established in all of the other wonderful Black institutions that existed at this time.

(dramatic music) - New works from Philadelphia-based artist Mark Thomas Gibson are on display at Ursinus College now through April 26th.

Gibson spoke with us about what he wants his art to convey.

(gentle music) - The Berman Museum of Art is on the campus of Ursinus College, which is about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

And the purpose that we serve on campus since we were founded in 1989 is to not just enrich the academic experience of students on campus, but to really be an integral part of the education that they receive while they're here, regardless of their major or their discipline.

We really take it quite seriously to offer not just an art education or an art history education, but a social and civic introduction to how art can be considered and activated in today's society and in the learning environment.

I knew years ago that if I had the opportunity to work with Mark Gibson, that I wanted to jump at it.

- [Mark] The initial idea for this show was a talk about time return, this idea of how things happen politically in our culture in almost what seems like a cyclical manner.

- [Lauren] We knew that the exhibition would be going up right after the election, and so given the kinds of social and political topics that he often engages with, that was gonna have an impact.

- I want people to start to think about how they sit inside of this world with one another.

I don't want it to just take tragedies and I don't want it to take violent moments for us to kind of connect to each other and to look each other in the eye.

(bright music) The Town Crier began in 2021, July 3rd actually, where I had for a week been trying to figure out a way to take time or take all the events that were happening in the news and all the things that were still happening to us.

I mean, it was still at the tail end of Covid or like our at home orders were lifted at that point, but we were still very strange about our relationship to other human beings and our bodies and space with others.

So the Town Crier made a lot of sense for me because I think we all were kind of still getting our information, our news from these kind of digital sources.

And at a distance, I'm thinking about other individuals who'd used illustration, caricature, political humor, satire as a way to kind of talk about their moment in time, their moment in history, and that's what formed the Town Crier.

- There's so much information to read, you really need to spend more than the typical 0.6 seconds in front of each piece of work to understand what is being said.

But when you begin to read the text, it's new information, it's vital information, it's critical information that he is trying to ensure won't be lost.

- [Mark] I think it's a part of the fun of it is that this character is constantly screaming about everything, like everything has an exclamation point to it.

All have the same level of weight to it.

When I allow the character just to do the work of noting history and just speaking to what is occurring without talking about the morality always of these events as they occur, I find that then the thing actually gets to become like a little bit more of a living document than it otherwise would be.

(tense music) - The newer work that he created for this exhibition, the sort of wave motif is evident in most of these paintings as well as in the animated film that's on view in the main gallery.

And that speaks to me to the ebb and flow of history.

With this work, Mark is thinking about how do we come together in a moment like this where events are crashing around us like waves, information is flowing speedily, is there a way that we can connect on an emotional level, find vulnerability, find community that will enable us to see beyond the scrim of everything that's happening now and create some kind of action or change for the common good?

- These two pedestals have posters on top of them.

They kind of are two events happening at the same time in the narrative.

What we have here is this little sculpture that I made.

I call it "Paperweight."

It was designed to hold the posters down for the show that I made, and the idea here was to think about our leaders, any of our leaders in history and how they sit.

They're all just mortal human beings.

I was thinking about it as a reflection on time and how the time that we live in will pass.

(gentle music) Similar to like the Town Crier's bell, which is to alert people to a moment in time.

I've installed like two brass bells into the bases of them.

(bell ringing) Not to just make it so that every time someone grabs them, we can like go like, "What are you doing?"

Because you're supposed to take the posters.

It's moreso that to kind of like make you alert to the idea that you're here, you're alive, you're in this moment together, to make you kind of stop for a second and realize that you're just not a passive viewer.

I think when we kind of get in this claustrophobic space, when we're thinking about our time and relationship to the world and where we sit at this moment, things feel very, very out of control.

Things feel very explosive.

But if you can start to think of things more expansively, maybe then there's a little room for hope, a little bit of room for dreaming, a little bit of room for perceiving the possibilities around this closed system.

- Some of these ideas engaged within this exhibition are a little challenging.

They're politically fraught.

They may take a stance on one side of the aisle or the other that not everyone's gonna be familiar with.

How do we come together in conversation around an idea that's uncomfortable and have a civic dialogue around that and create space for connection.

That critical role that art plays, how can it make us think about a better future?

(upbeat music) - You can visit the impressive outdoor sculpture collection on the campus of Ursinus College and visit the Berman Museum free of charge.

The Pandemic was a wake up call for Harrikiri, the 68-year-old musician who rediscovered his love of making music.

(upbeat music) When Harry Simmons puts on his sunglasses, he transforms into Harrikiri.

Harrikiri is the 68 year old's alter ego.

- When I'm performing, I'm Harrikiri.

So when I'm performing, I just do my thing and enjoy myself.

♪ Reaching in to see ♪ ♪ Occupies my brain ♪ - [Shirley] For a long time though, Harry's passion for music took a backseat to work, family, and the daily grind of life.

That is until Covid.

- And I found myself sitting on the couch you're sitting on right now.

It's like, "Where do we go from here?"

How am I going to take hold of my life and maintain mental and physical stability?

So I made a promise to myself that I would do three things.

Cook, I decided to walk five, six miles daily, and pick up the bass guitar and start writing songs, and all three things I do to this day, and it has really given me purpose, yeah.

So I started writing songs, found a producer, and now we're 25 plus songs later.

- [Shirley] Over the summer, Harry performed during West Philly PorchFest.

(crowd cheering) PorchFest is a DIY music festival where musicians play free shows on porches.

- PorchFest went over very well, I must say.

- [Shirley] Harry sang to a much younger audience.

We're talking at least three generations feeding off the energy of Harry's music.

- It's been pretty amazing, I have to say.

It sounds dramatic, but it kind of has enriched my life.

I'm very creative, so I like to be among people that are creative, and these are the Gen Z-ers and the Millennials.

So yeah, so it's been very inspiring.

- [Shirley] Harry's songs are catchy.

♪ You'll always be my star ♪ - [Shirley] But he's not trying to be music's next superstar.

What he really wants is to be an example to other folks his age.

- I want to inspire people.

We all have a passion for something, but it's tough sometimes to get off that couch and get cracking.

- [Shirley] He's proof that it's never too late to find what excites you and to go for it.

♪ Throwback to the '80s ♪ ♪ When love was a flash in the pan ♪ ♪ With panties ♪ - Harry's songs are available where you get your music.

Just search for titles under Harrikiri.

What is the proper way to hold a wine glass?

Which bread plate is yours?

To get those answers and more about fine dining manners, we head to the South Jersey School of Etiquette.

(bright music) - At South Jersey School of Etiquette, I empower children and adults to be their best selves.

I have a room full of adults, and I will teach them how to navigate the table.

Welcome and thank you.

In front of you, you will see a cloth napkin.

This itty bitty piece of cloth has a lot of different meanings.

This cloth starts a meal, it ends the meal, you're allowed to wipe in a V formation, and you place it on your lap to collect crumbs.

Take a look at the table.

So if you make a B and a D, your bread's here, your drinks are here.

We're good there, yes, okay.

Courses, so based on what we see here, there are two, three, four courses, four courses.

So each fork is paired with a knife, and you're going from the outside in.

So here's the appetizer fork and knife.

Here's your entree.

Soup, that's the third one, and then here's your dessert.

Dining styles, there are two very different dining styles.

- Continental and American?

- Very good.

- Oh!

- American way or zigzag.

I'm gonna cut that chicken, place my knife at the very top of the table.

That blade is facing me, not any of the diners.

Zigzag the fork, my left hand is in my lap.

Continental is you eat off the back of your fork and you're allowed to rest your wrist on the table.

So I'm gonna dine and eat off the back.

How do you hold the glass?

That's a good question.

Always by the bowl.

(bright music) The proper way to eat bread is to break off a bite-sized piece, butter it.

How to eat soup.

I'm going to take my spoon, clear the spoon over the rim of the bowl, and then bring it to my mouth.

Depending upon the type of bowl that you have, you are allowed to drink the soup.

You should ask me, "Oh, Crystal, can you pass me the salt?"

Nope.

The rule is the salt and pepper, they're married.

So even if I ask you to just pass me the salt, they travel together.

There's a technique called fencing where you put your knife at the top of the plate and you use your fork to scoop it up.

Having that foundation of good manners and proper etiquette allows you to make that impactful first impression.

Manners do matter.

- In this week's Flicks, Patrick Stoner talks with the stars of the Oscar contender, "The Brutalist."

(dramatic music) - These are yours?

- Yes.

Yes.

- [Person] All of them?

- Yes.

- Tell me, why is an accomplished foreign architect shoveling coal here in Philadelphia?

- In my faith, it is not so simple.

- [Patrick] Adrien Brody stars in "The Brutalist."

When a Hungarian Jewish architect who barely survived the Holocaust comes to post-war America and begins to do his thing, which involves a style of architecture called brutalism and reflects his character.

I asked Adrien if he tended to take these characters home with him.

- That's a really interesting question.

I mean, some aspects, yes, of course.

You spend 18 hours, 16 hours every day, six days a week inhabiting someone or living through moments and specific emotional things of another time period.

Inevitably, that's gonna affect you and your being.

Being present is the key.

It's not only a professional responsibility, it's a generosity of spirit.

- [Patrick] If I described it as almost feeding off of each other, would that be way off?

- No, no.

You lift each other up by being there together.

If the other person you're speaking to is elsewhere, it's kind of poured into a void.

If it's received and reciprocated, then now you're cooking.

- "The Brutalist" is a reference to the kind of construction, initially, it's concrete, right?

Concrete is a material, but it's a rough, gray, gritty material.

And so is this film.

- It is, and it is a very durable, practical, shapeable material and fortress-like.

And there are elements of the metaphors of the structure that Laszlo creates that are reminiscent of himself and the shell of a man that he is with this cavernous interior and these walled-off things trying to protect him, and how the traumas of the war have deeply affected post-war psychology in influencing architecture.

With all this kind of walled-off exterior, there is this expansive ceiling height, illumination, and accessibility to a higher power through what he's designed in the ceiling structure.

And that is also this kind of yearning for grace and connection with hope.

- Adrien, thank you so much.

I appreciate your time.

- Thank you.

My pleasure.

- The 97th Annual Academy Awards takes place on March 2nd.

That is our show.

Thanks so much for tuning in, and have a good night.

(upbeat music)