Buzzing On

What digital information floats in cyber space, and what of it is worth your time? Find out as The Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts presents “This Space Is Intentionally Left Blank” by Texas artist Kerry Adams, on view through April 21. Adams’ installation integrates traditional installation art and technology through the use of tablets that display live Twitter feeds. The installation encourages the viewer to engage with the exhibition by posting comments to Twitter with the hashtag #leftblank while within the installation. The exercise creates a literal dialogue with visitors about the ubiquitous nature of technology and the role of individuality and community in daily life. Introducing text, electrical cords, and tablet computers as aesthetic, sculptural elements, the exhibit hinges upon social media and physical engagement. According to the artist, being able to tweet to her exhibition “will allow you to add to the dialogue about attempts to communicate, failed communication, and the moments we miss right in front of us as we search for what is out of reach.” Ironically, as viewers approach the tablets to read the messages, a motion sensor forces the Twitter streams to turn off, metaphorically enabling us to unplug from the screen-based chatter and to re-engage with our present surroundings. According to Pear Analytics, most tweeting includes spam, self-promotion and babble. Only 3.6 percent of tweets are considered newsworthy and 8.7 percent of pass-along value. In “This Space,” Adams’ work would seemingly suggest the gallery as a test site for face-to-face conversation. 656-6466, thedcca.org

High-Flying Fun

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Dreamliner scandal aside, the timing couldn’t be better for Delaware Theatre Company’s production of “Boeing Boeing” by Marc Camoletti. Starring Sara M. Bruner, Gisela Chipe, Sarah Doherty, Heidi-Marie Ferren, Jeffrey C. Hawkins and Jason O’Connell, and directed by Steve Tague, the 1960s French farce relates the hijinks that ensue when playboy Bernard juggles the arrivals and departures of his three fiancées, each a flight attendant, each unaware of the other until an old friend’s surprise visit causes a rough flight. See it through Feb. 10. 594-1104, delawaretheatre.org

Time for a Show

“Ragtime, A Musical,” features a tapestry of tunes, including marches, cakewalks, gospel, and ragtime that make the show as vibrant and diverse as America itself. “Ragtime” tells the stories of three groups in early 20th century New York City: upper-class suburbanites, European immigrants, and African-Americans. Director Jeffrey Santoro of Wilmington brings it to life like no other. See it at Wilmington Drama League Feb. 1-Feb. 10. 764-3396, wilmingtondramaleague.org

I’m Your Puppet

We’re not going to lie—you have to see “Pinocchio” at Delaware Children’s Theatre before it ends Feb. 10. See the puppet dance into true boyhood to the delight of his maker, Geppetto, in the stage adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s classic novel. 655-1014 dechildrenstheatre.org

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He Should Have Seen in Coming

In “The Psychic, directed by Patrick Erhardt of Seaford for the Possum Point Players, Adam Webster (played by Steven Dow of Milford), a down-on-his-luck writer, puts a sign in his apartment window in desperation to make the rent: “Psychic Readings $25.” The sign draws the interest of the beautiful Laura Benson (Judy Venturini of Lewes), her shady husband, Roy (John Zinzi of Harrington), Roy’s mistress, Rita Malone (Kim Klabe of Rehoboth Beach), gangster Johnny Bubbles (Sam Vasquez of Bridgeville) and ace Detective Norris Coslow (Jim Killion, of Lewes). What happens? Adam finds himself entangled in a hilarious murder mystery. What fun. See it at Possum Hall in Georgetown through Feb. 3. 856-4560, possumpointplayers.org

The Father of Illustration

“Before Howard Pyle and N.C. Wyeth rose to the height of their profession as illustrators, there was Felix Octavius Carr Darley, whose skill in book and magazine illustration made him one of the most popular artists of his time and earned him a reputation as the Father of American Illustration,” says Audrey Lewis, an associate curator at the Brandywine River Museum in nearby Chadds Ford. Go there to see his work in “The Magic Pencil of the Amazing F.O.C. Darley.” The self-taught Darley, active till his death in 1888, drew for works by such literary giants as James Fenimore Cooper and Nathanial Hawthorne. He settled in Claymont at a time when his work was so popular, books were advertised as “illustrated by Darley.” Take a look through March 10. 610-338-2700, brandywinemuseum.org

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Mackie’s Back in Town

Who is the bigger criminal: the man who robs a bank or the man who founds one? It’s a question for the times and the central theme of “The Threepenny Opera.” See it presented by UD’s Resident Ensemble Players through Feb. 2. “Brecht and Weill’s ‘The Threepenny Opera’ is of one of the high-water marks of 20th century writing for the theater,” says producing artistic director Sandy Robbins. Meet the unforgettable Mack the Knife—lover, murderer, and criminal mastermind—whose life takes a dangerous turn when he marries Polly Peachum, whose disapproving father wants him hanged. You’ll recognize tunes such as “Pirate Jenny” and “Mack the Knife,” and you’ll get a chance to see the work of director Matthew Earnest, whose talent has recently earned high praise from The New York Times. 831-2204, rep.udel.edu

A Picture of Today

The year 2012 might have been Delaware Art Museum’s 100th anniversary year, but the celebration continues with “State of the Art: Illustration 100 Years After Howard Pyle” Feb. 9-June 1. The exhibition features more than 60 works from eight of the most important contemporary illustrators. In 2011, the museum launched its centennial celebration with a major retrospective dedicated to illustrator Howard Pyle. “State of the Art” marks the celebration’s end and reflects on Pyle’s legacy. In the century since his death in 1911, American illustration has diversified into a wide range of art forms, including animated films, computer-generated images to graphic novels and conceptual art. “No single exhibition could possibly do justice to the noisy, rambunctious history of illustration over the past century,” says curator David Apatoff. “I’ve chosen instead to feature eight individuals whose diverse talents demonstrate that illustration is no longer the singular profession it was in Pyle’s day. It pervades our culture, reaching out to us from billboards, television, store windows, and computer screens.” Meet the artists.

Bernie Fuchs began his career creating realistic paintings for automobile advertisements. By the 1960s, he was at the forefront of illustrators whose impressionistic works redefined the field. He eventually became known around the world for his sense of color and design. He passed away in 2009.

Milton Glaser is among the world’s most celebrated graphic and architectural designers. His achievements range from the “I ♥ New York” logo to complete graphic and decorative programs for public spaces. He has been the subject of one-man shows at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Mort Drucker is one of MAD magazine’s most famous artists. An influential caricaturist, he is renowned for his pen and ink work. His TIME covers are in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Phil Hale pushes the boundaries between fine art and illustration by making powerful compositions and combining traditional realism with moody, complex, evocative themes. Though highly regarded for his covers for books by Joseph Conrad and Steven King, Hale is recognized around the world for his fine art.

Sterling Hundley combines traditional artistic media with digital tools. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vibe and The New York Times. Hundley has won gold and silver medals from the Society of Illustrators in New York and the Illustrators Club in Washington, D.C. He is an instructor at The Illustration Academy and a professor in the Department of Communication Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University.

John Cuneo’s drawings have appeared in many major publications, including The New Yorker, Esquire, Sports Illustrated and The Atlantic. He is highly regarded for the humor in his work and has been awarded several medals from the Society of Illustrators.

Peter De Sève began as an editorial illustrator in the 1980s and is well known for his covers for The New Yorker, along with his illustrations for TIME and Newsweek. He has also created character designs for animated films produced by Disney, DreamWorks Studios, Pixar, and Twentieth Century Fox, including “Mulan,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Ice Age.”

Ralph Eggleston was the art director at Pixar for “Toy Story,” the first full-length computer-animated film, as well as for “The Incredibles.” He was also the production designer for films such as “Finding Nemo” and “WALL·E.” His work has been recognized for its color, composition and sense of fantasy.

Curator David Apatoff began his career as a professional cartoonist and illustrator. He has illustrated children’s books and worked in a commercial art studio. He is the author of “Robert Fawcett, The Illustrator’s Illustrator” and “Albert Dorne, Master Illustrator,” and he writes the popular blog Illustration Art (illustrationart.blogspot.com). He has written extensively for Illustration Magazine and other publications. Apatoff practices technology law for a multinational law firm in Washington, D.C.

This promises to be one cool exhibition, with something for everyone in the family. 571-9590, delart.org

The Heart of The Bard

This just in from our friend David Stradley, artistic director of the Delaware Shakepeare Festival: “I wanted to let you know of a fun event that Delaware Shakespeare Festival is partnering with World Cafe Live on during Valentine’s Week. The event is called Shakespeare + St. Valentine and it will be held Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Upstairs Live venue. It will be a really fun mix of actors reading great Shakespeare love scenes (some serious, some not so much), a few Shakespeare pop songs, some special guests reading sonnets, and chances for audiences to flex their Shakespearean wooing skills.” That sounds like an amazing way to celebrate. 994-1400, worldcafelive.com

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