Yes, South Philly.
"I do, I love it very, very much," she said. "You know, I'm extraordinarily comfortable here. I'm comfortable in the city for the most part. In the mix. Despite the old structure of de facto segregation and the way that South Philadelphia has a strong history of racism, as all neighborhoods in Philadelphia have, and very significant ethnic differences that are also sometimes equally as painful as racism . . . this part of South Philadelphia has managed to be both integrated and to hold on to some of the structure of the original immigration."
For a self-described "lesbian anarchist," that sense of comfort is important, because at the moment it's been "crazy time" preparing for the show.
"Literally I'm going to claw the eyes out of my head," she said with a sweetness of voice that belied any allusions to Greek tragedy - we're talking simple stress here. "I keep thinking at some point I'll be relaxed. It will not be like an 18-hour day. It'll be like a 12-hour day. . . . No dice."
The show - "Zoe Strauss: Ten Years," curated by Peter Barberie, the museum's photography curator - opens Saturday for a run through April 22.
This will be no ordinary Art Museum effort.
For one thing, the extravaganza starts with a dance party on opening night.
And aside from selecting the roughly 170 images in the show, Strauss has somehow managed to get the museum to agree to sponsor more than 50 billboards all over town featuring her work.
"I can barely handle it," she said. "I'm so excited about it. It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable that this is happening. It's like a dream come true. . . . It's probably a three-hour drive to see all of them. They're all in Philadelphia in a number of different neighborhoods. No text. So each will be just a single image."
