Category Archives: Photos

February 14, 2012 · 3:48 pm

LOVE, by Robert Indiana

Author: Lisa Marie Patzer

Today is Valentine’s Day, and being highly aware of the controversy surrounding this holiday, I am going to cleverly avoid talking directly about the notion of celebrating romantic love and instead write about one of the most famous works of art at the University of Pennsylvania.

LOVE, by Robert Indiana, University of Pennsylvania

LOVE, gifted by Jeffrey and Sivia Loriato to the University in 1998, was installed on Locust Walk across from Sweeten Alumni House. LOVE is a sculpture by American artist Robert Indiana (born Robert Clark) and is one of several variations of the sculpture Indiana created between 1966 and 1998. The image was originally designed as a Christmas card (I realize I’m stretching the Valentine’s Day connection) for the Museum of Modern Art in 1965.

In the book Artists and Prints: Masterworks from The Museum of Modern Art, Judith Hecker states, “Few Pop images are more widely recognized than Indiana’s LOVE. Originally designed as a Christmas card commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art in 1965, LOVE has appeared in prints, paintings, sculptures, banners, rings, tapestries, and stamps. Full of erotic, religious, autobiographical, and political underpinnings—especially when it was co-opted as an emblem of 1960s idealism—LOVE is both accessible and complex in meaning. In printed works, Indiana has rendered LOVE in a variety of colors, compositions, and techniques. He even translated it into Hebrew for a print and a sculpture at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.” (166)

The original sculpture was made of steel and has been on exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Art since 1970.

LOVE, Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1970

Since 1970, Indiana has created numerous versions of the sculpture both nationally and internationally.

LOVE, Museum Langen Foundation in Insel Hombroich bij Düsseldof, Duitsland

LOVE,Tower of Shinjyuku Island, Japan

LOVE, Vancouver Canada

LOVE, Valencia, Spain

AHAVA (LOVE in Hebrew), , Israel Museum Art Garden, Jerusalem, Israel

LOVE, Love Park, Philadelphia, PA

Come visit us at Alumni Sweeten House and see the LOVE sculpture on campus.

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Filed under Fine Art, Lisa Marie Patzer, Philadelphia, Photos, The Arts at Penn, Uncategorized

January 30, 2012 · 9:59 am

Monday Moment of Zen

Author: Kiera Reilly, C’93

Winter blues got you down? Here’s your daily moment of Zen, thanks to the beautiful weather in California.

Manhattan Beach, CA

We welcome all alumni come visit us in the winter months for some sunshine. This weekend, the Engaging Minds academic program visited Los Angeles on Saturday and San Francisco on Sunday (San Francisco sold out). Check back for photos on our Phanfare site later on this week. Until then…

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Events, Kiera R., Making History, Photos, West Coast Regional Office

Tagged as California, Engaging Minds, kiera, Kiera Reilly, West Coast Regional Office

December 22, 2011 · 4:02 pm

Sunrise

Author: Sabrina Shyn, C’13

I’m getting ready to leave campus for winter break to visit my family in Korea. Before I leave, I wanted to share with you all this photo I took at daybreak on Locust Walk.

Best wishes to all my friends, teachers, and staff at Sweeten Alumni House! See you next year…

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Filed under Campus Life, Photos, Sabrina Shyn, Student Perspective

December 16, 2011 · 9:02 am

Remembering Travels to Egypt

Author: Kiera Reilly, C’93

Penn Alumni Travel visited Egypt in January 2010. Given the Penn Museum’s strong collection in Egyptian antiquities, coupled with leading researchers and professors, we wanted to include Penn professors on our program. We were lucky to have the husband-wife team of Penn Egyptologists Jennifer Houser Wegner , Ph.D., C’91, and Joe Wegner, Ph.D., G’89, and their son Alexander join us. Joe is Associate Curator, Egyptian Section, Penn Museum and Associate Professor, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Jen is Associate Curator, Egyptian Section, Penn Museum and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. They gave lectures during the trip and provided additional insight as we visited the ancient sites.

Our group had a wonderful time exploring the ancient antiquities of Egypt, and we were fortunate to also have a local alumna meet us in Karnak when we toured the temple there. She showed us some closed to the public areas and explained how they are trying to preserve and put the temple back together (large portions of it are just piles of rocks).

At the end of our trip, when we were back in Cairo, we met with Dr. Zahi Hawass, Ph.D., G’93, GR’87. Dr. Hawass at the time was the Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council on Antiquities.

When the revolution happened in Egypt earlier this year, our group was very concerned about our guide and her family. I remember during the trip when she was asked about politics and government she would tell us that no one really pays attention because “nothing will change.” Mubarak’s son was being groomed to take over for him and things would continue as they are. What a difference a year makes! As the news developed, we all sent her messages, worried about her and her family living in Cairo. Her first message to us sounded desperate and fearful about what was happening. Then a few weeks later when Mubarak had stepped down, her tone was much more jubilant and hopeful.

Hopefully, we will be able to return to Egypt one day and explore once again its many wonders, but this time with a democratic government.

Cairo Mosque – the group at a mosque in Cairo

Travelers in front of the tombs at Abu Simbel

At Karnak, legend has it that you walk around the scarab several times (I think 8) for good luck

The Karnak temple is only partially preserved. We were taken back to this section where everything is just in pieces. Archaeologists are trying to figure out how to put it back together.

Close to Karnak is Luxor temple – we finished our tour there at dusk.

The famous Pyramids at Giza, and also the Sphinx.

We were not allowed to take a group photo with our Penn banner in front of the pyramids, so we took individual shots.

At the end of our trip, fellow alumnus Zahi Hawass came to speak to our group and autograph one of his books.

Our group at the traditional galabia party (that’s the outfit we’re wearing) on our ship on the Nile.

The Karnak temple – this shot was taken mainly to capture the woman with a burqa walking by

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Kiera R., Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel

Tagged as Egypt, kiera, Kiera Reilly, Penn Alumni Travel, travel

December 5, 2011 · 7:00 am

The Frankly Pennies

Author: Leigh Ann P.

Surely you all read my previous post about party culture at the Sweeten House. If not, I’ll wait.

Finished? I’m sure you were wildly entertained! Did you leave a comment?

Last week our fearless Frankly Penn blog founder, Aimee LaBrie, hosted a fabulous soiree (can it be a soiree if it’s at 4 PM?) honoring all of us blog contributors – both of the frequent kind and of the once-in-a-lifetime kind. Aimee created awards for each and every blogger and presented them at the event along with personalized gifts. Everyone is so excited about their awards, and a few people around Sweeten have displayed them proudly in their workspaces.

Nicole is so excited about her award, she has it displayed right beneath her office nameplate!

Can you spot Lynn’s award among all of her daughter’s artwork?

Lisa V. doesn’t ever want to spin her chair around and NOT see her Frankly Penny.

Mine is covering up my William + Kate tea towel. Am I finally tired of them?

Jason’s only regret is that the certificate is too small for the frame he had picked out for it.

Hoopes’s award is displayed proudly on his credenza, along with his blogger pride pencil! No wonder he’s proud: who else has an award featuring a cat climbing a ladder?

This is the best award Cecilia has ever received!

Have you ever received an award for anything? Let us know in the comments! If you want to be awarded next year with a Frankly Penny, you could be! All you have to do is contribute to the Frankly Penn blog. Contact Aimee LaBrie at alabrie@upenn.edu for more information.

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Filed under Aimee L., Awards, Cecilia R., Hoopes W., Jason S., Leigh Ann P., Lisa Marie Patzer, Lisa V., Lynn Carroll, Mari M., Nicole M., Photos, The Sweeten Life

November 23, 2011 · 2:46 pm

Room with a View

Author: Sabrina Shyn, C’13

This is the view I get to see every night in winter when I look out my window at dusk from Rodin College House.

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Filed under Campus Life, Photos, Sabrina Shyn, Student Perspective

November 15, 2011 · 2:49 pm

University City High School Urban Garden

Author: Lisa Marie Patzer

After talking with the great staff at the Urban Nutrition Initiative, I decided to check out one of their gardens. The University City High School Urban Garden located at 36th and Filbert is a short walk from Penn’s campus. Below are a few pictures I took on my visit.

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Filed under Lisa Marie Patzer, Philadelphia, Photos, Uncategorized

November 9, 2011 · 2:43 pm

Adventures in Spain & Portugal

Author: Emily Siegel

I was recently one of the fortunate Penn Alumni Relations staff to accompany one of our Penn Alumni travel tours, Paradores & Pousadas: Historic Lodgings of Spain & Portugal. It’s a bit daunting to think about what is blog-worthy, or for that matter, interesting to those who weren’t able to go on the trip with us. Sure, I could post pictures and tell you about all the neat places we went, but that just won’t capture how special this trip truly was. The dynamics of the group on this tour were just fantastic – everyone looked out for one another and took the time to get to know each and every one of their traveling companions. The group became so tight, that by the third day of the tour it was declared that we would gather for happy hour every evening before our scheduled dinner.

When I returned home from our two-week extravaganza, I was reflecting on whether or not I’d be interested in doing this all again. Sure, the easy answer is YES – who wouldn’t want to explore more of the world? But truth be told, I hesitated a bit at first. The group of people on this tour made it the special tour that it was, and I’m just not sure I could ever re-create an experience as wonderful as the one we had. But as cheesy as this may sound, I then remembered I’d be traveling with our Penn Alumni and friends, and I’m certain that it would again be its own uniquely special trip!

So, for those who want “the details” on where we went and what we saw, some pictures for you to enjoy.

We started off our trip in the vibrant city of Lisbon, Portugal. We spent our days sight-seeing monuments, monasteries, and royal summer homes, and in the evenings we enjoyed delicious meals and even a Fado show!

After Lisbon, we were off to the small town of Monsaraz for a quick day trip. The town only has a population of 150 – isn’t the cutest town you’ve ever seen?

Before we knew it, our time in Portugal was over and we were off to Spain. First stop, Merida – a town with some of the most well-preserved Roman ruins.

Did I mention we had a group of alumni from Puerto Rico with us on this tour? I didn’t? Well, they were such a fun bunch, they deserve a pic!

One of my favorite sightseeing days in Spain was visiting Seville, where we had plenty of time to explore and soak up the architecture and culture.

While I loved Seville, Ronda was hands-down my favorite city that we visited in Spain. We stayed at the top of a gorge, and I was lucky enough to find a friend on our tour who was just as interested in hiking and exploring as I was:

As I mentioned up above, our group was serious about their happy hours.

The final leg of our trip took us to Granada where we visited the famous Alhambra.

Before arriving at our final stop in Madrid, we popped into Toledo for an afternoon tour and we were able to catch a great shot of the city on our way out.

We ended our trip with a bang in Madrid where we spent our days exploring palaces, museums, and enjoying tapas in Plaza Mayor.

And of course, no Penn Alumni Travel trip is complete without a picture with our Penn Alumni banner:

Such a good looking group! I would travel anywhere, anytime, with these folks again. And if you’re interested in getting in on the fun, check out our upcoming Penn Alumni Travel Tours.

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Filed under Alumni Programming, Emily S., Events, Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel

Tagged as Penn Alumni Travel, Spain, travel

November 7, 2011 · 2:10 pm

Travel to the Dalamatian Coast

Author: Kiera Reilly, C’93

In July, Penn Alumni Travel is once again offering Coastal Life Along the Adriatic Sea, a cruise along the beautiful Dalmatian Coast. Beginning in Venice, the trip makes stops in Sibenik, Split, Hvar, Korcula, Pula, Rovinj, and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor Montenegro; and Boznia-Herzegovina. The featured guest speaker on the trip is Gen. Wesley Clark, (ret), NATO Supreme Allie Commander Europe, who led military operations during the Kosovo War.

The Dalmatian Coast is a beautiful coastline – with limestone buildings, palm tree-lined streets, and glistening blue water of the Adriatic.

Here are some photos from my trip there in 2008. This series is from Dubrovnik.

This photo was taken in Hvar, Croatia.

And finally, Korcula.

You too can experience and wonder for yourself next July.

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Kiera R., Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel

Tagged as Croatia, kiera, Kiera Reilly, Penn Alumni Travel, travel

October 7, 2011 · 4:41 pm

Penn Alumni Travel goes to the Italian Lake District

By Kiera R.

In June, Penn Alumni Travel is once again offering a trip to the Italian Lake District. Travelers will stay in Chernobbio, a short boat ride away from the town of Lake Como (known for its movie-star resident George Clooney). While we can’t guarantee bumping into Mr. Clooney in town, we can promise a wonderful stay in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

I traveled with a Penn group on this program in 2007 and was recently reminiscing about Lake Como with someone else who traveled there. We were both encouraging our dinner companion to visit.

Here’s why:

There’s water

Surrounded by mountains

The setting itself is breathtaking. It’s calming, it’s peaceful, it’s relaxing, it’s beautiful.

The town of Lake Como is small and charming – lots of people are walking around the streets, visiting the market, eating at outdoor cafes.

I always enjoy spotting Fiats – this is an old model sandwiched between more modern cars.

One day there was an excursion to Milan. We visited da Vinci’s “Last Supper” which was truly amazing, and I climbed up to the roof of the Duomo to get up close views of the statues on the roof and a wonderful view of the city.