Paint the Dance Floor: Cut Up

Join ICA’s annual dance party headlined by , a London-born DJ, producer, performance artist and co-founder of SELTZER, a night born out of DIY spaces in West Philadelphia prioritizing queer, black, and brown experimental club DJs and artists.

Take a break from dancing to make a custom one-of-a-kind bag charm with at ICA. Learn how to upcycle trinkets, momentos, and broken jewelry in new combinations to make the talisman and good luck charm of your dreams!

The party includes exclusive after-hours views of exhibitions on view and bites by Downtime Bakery. A pop-up bar will be open on the Terrace with beer by Two Locals Brewing Company and non-alcoholic offerings.

Accessibility

ICA is committed to creating a welcoming environment for all visitors. For more notes on accessibility, including accessible parking nearby, visit our Accessibility landing page. If you require any accessibility accommodations or have any questions about the program, contact us at [email protected].

About the Artists

BEARCAT is a London-born, New York-based DJ, producer, and performance artist of Jamaican and Irish descent. She is co-founder of SELTZER, a night prioritizing queer, black, and brown experimental club DJs and artists—a project born out of DIY spaces in West Philadelphia.

Her uncompromising, pulsating rhythm and bass has brought her to perform at prestigious nightclubs and events around the world; as well as creating worlds with sound at museums including the Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Brooklyn Museum. Her most recent highlight was working with Madonna.

BEARCAT’s sets bring together everything from jungle, drum'n'bass, techno, and house to dembow, dancehall, rap, punk, deconstructed pop edits, and grime. She has performed with Madonna, Kelela, Kelsey Lu, Mykki Blanco, and Blonde Redhead, among others. She was one of the first DJs to be represented by the female-led booking agency Discwoman, and as a part of the collective, helped diversify club lineups around the world.

Holly Simple is a Philadelphia-based Artist and Creator of Worlds. Gather and transform found treasures into meaningful keepsakes at Holly's Trinket Bar!Holly's Trinket Bar is an immersive tactile meditation. Rummage through 1000's of vintage and recycled charms and trinkets and choose your favorite pieces. Let Holly create a joyful, jingly one-of-a-kind bag charm, brooch, bracelet or necklace. You can also learn to build your own in Holly's workshops at her studio at the BOK Building - where she has set up a welcoming space for the curious and creative nostalgia seeker! Holly will be setting up a curated trinket experience so you can leave with a physical memory from our event and learn to DIY your own at home!

Downtime Bakery is a bakery and cafe located at 6624 Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy, Philadelphia founded by bakers Dayna Evans and Sam Carmichael. It began as a cottage bakery in 2022 with a focus on sourdough bagels. At the brick-and-mortar cafe, neighbors can get breads, bagels, sandwiches, pastries, and coffee, Thursday through Sunday from 9am to 3pm. We specialize in naturally leavened breads made with organic and locally milled grains, as well as pastries and baked goods made with seasonal, local produce.

Support

Paint the Dancefloor is presented by the ICA in collaboration with the Weitzman School of Design and the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation. This event is part of Arts at Homecoming at the University of Pennsylvania.