The Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial presents the third exhibition in the 30th season of the four-part Wind Challenge Exhibitions at Fleisher—the Delaware Valley’s premier juried artist exhibition program. This season’s twelve Challenge artists were selected from a field of 273 applicants to exhibit in one of four three-person exhibitions.

Lee Miller (1907-1977) was one of the most original and ambitious photographers of the 20th century. She performed with unique success on both sides of the camera, starting her career as a fashion model in New York, working as a studio assistant to Man Ray in Paris, independently creating haunting, surrealist-inspired images as well as portraiture, and serving as a war correspondent during World War II.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art will present the first-ever exhibition devoted to Nepalese Art of the Malla period (1200-1769) — an artistic “Golden Age.” Marvels of the Malla Period: A Nepalese Renaissance 1200-1603 (December 22, 2007 – June 2, 2008), on view in Gallery 232, explores a time of remarkable creativity, when the fame of Nepal’s artists spread to Tibet, Bhutan, India, and even the Chinese court of Kublai Khan.

For Hindus in India and across the world, Krishna is understood to be both God and man. He is an incarnation of the god Vishnu and the supreme deity as well as a beloved baby, a flirtatious youth and a kingly counselor. For many centuries, Krishna’s divinity has been woven together with his human story in exquisite poems and images.

In 2006, the Philadelphia Museum of Art acquired Office Love (2001), a large tapestry by the South African artist William Kentridge (born 1955), whose work encompassing drawing, video, sculpture and theater, has made him one of the most eloquent artistic voices to emerge in South Africa after the fall of apartheid.

Three new installations in Fairmount Park’s remarkable historic mansion, Mount Pleasant, are opening visitors’ eyes to little-known aspects of Philadelphia’s past. The newly furnished rooms focus on Lifestyle, Craftsmanship and Biography, providing useful contexts for the stunning house John Adams once described as “the most elegant seat in Pennsylvania.”

What happens to artists’ works after they leave the annual Craft Show that benefits the Philadelphia Museum of Art? Most of the innovative glass, metal, clay, fiber or wood objects are snatched up by buyers eager to build their personal collections; sometimes, however, a work may catch the eye of a curator and join the Museum’s craft collection.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art will present a survey of video and film by contemporary artists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, the first of its kind in the United States. Live Cinema/Return of the Image: Video from Central Asia (on view November 16, 2007 through February 17, 2008 in Gallery 179) looks at recent developments in the artistic production of a region that has been largely underrepresented in the international art world.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Art After 5 series continues to bring the best in jazz and world music to area audiences, from classic sounds to innovative emerging artists. Each Friday evening the Great Stair Hall is transformed into an intimate cabaret, with table service, cocktails, elegant café-style appetizers, and desserts.

One of the most prominent Italian painters of the late 19th century, Antonio Mancini (1852-1930) was at the forefront of Verismo, the Italian response to realism. A brilliant colorist and technician, Mancini is known for his daring and innovative painting methods characterized by unusually thick impasto and the inclusion of glass, metal foil and other materials onto the surfaces of his paintings.

On the evenings of October 26th and 27th, Mr. Cassiere will part the Veil of Death as he guides you through an encounter with the Other Side. Limited to no more than 8 persons per session, this is sure to be an experience you will never forget. Come and speak to the dead, explore the ethereal plane, and learn what lies Beyond…if you dare!

Visitors to the Philadelphia Museum of Art will hear performances by students from The Curtis Institute of Music one Saturday each month, November through May, as part of Music in the Galleries program. Small chamber ensembles and soloists from Curtis give informal concerts in a designated gallery each month.