Creative Philadelphia

Renderings courtesy of the artist

PHILADELPHIA – The Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy’s Percent for Art Program (OACCE) and the Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP) are pleased to announce a new site-specific public art commission by Philadelphia-based artist, Colette Fu. This commission is part of a $36 million major renovation at the Free Library's Parkway Central Branch. First opened in 1927, the Parkway Central Library serves as the flagship branch of the Library system, currently welcoming more than 1 million visitors each year. FLP presents a vast array of cultural enrichment and educational programming, alongside comprehensive professional development tools and services.  As part of its ongoing Building Inspiration: 21st Century Libraries Initiative, FLP plans to renovate the stacks area of the Parkway Branch – which will allow the Library to open up two floors, tens of thousands of square feet, for public use. Design has been completed by Safdie Architects.

Image is by artist Marguerita Hagan, Diatom Kittonia Elaborata, ceramic, 5.25 x 5.5 x 2.5 inches.

January 16 – February 24, 2017 Art Gallery at City Hall, Room 116 Reception: January 18th, 5-7 pm

Art In City Hall, a program of the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy presents Small Sculpture, a juried exhibition featuring the work of 36 local artists connecting the intimacy of size and scale with aesthetic and conceptual exploration.  The exhibit was selected by Leslie Kaufman, the president of Philadelphia Sculptors and a member of the Art In City Hall Exhibitions Advisory Committee. 

Leslie Kaufman:

        Out of all the ways in which artwork can be categorized, size is probably not the first feature that comes to mind. We look at art for its meaning, purpose, style, and context, among many other qualities, but usually only think of its size when we look at the available space we have in which to view or         exhibit it.  Yet, as many artists find out, they are often attracted to a particular scale, and often tend feel most comfortable creating works of a similar size. Artists who prefer making small work may think that the vocabulary they create would be less intelligible if produced at a larger scale. Other artists               who produce a more diverse oeuvre of differently sized works may have to reconfigure their thinking to accommodate the reduction in dimension. But either way, size does matter.   

Participating Artists:

Hratch Babikian

Clifford Bailey

Leora Brecher

Joe Brenman

Michael Bugler

John Costanza

Eiko Fan

Uta Fellechner

Marguerita Hagan

E Sherman Hayman

Rebecca Hoenig

Lydia Hunn

Leroy Johnson

Asake Denise Jones

Karen Kieser

Neila Kun

Penelope Tsaltas Lisk

Roger Loos

Itzik Lorant

Virginia Maksymowicz

Michelle Marcuse

Heather McMordie

Michael Morgan

Howard Neifeld

Pat Owens

Carly Reed

Raymond Rorke

Colleen Rudolf

Romaine Samworth

Holly Smith

Stan Smokler

Michele Tremblay

Laura Lyn Stern

Pamela Tudor

Ted Warchal

Remo Williams

City Hall Public Stairwell & Art Gallery at City Hall, Room 116 December 12, 2016 - January 6, 2017 

On April 15, City of Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced the inaugural Philadelphia International Unity Cup, a soccer tournament celebrating the rich cultural diversity of the City of Brotherly Love through the worldwide appeal of soccer.

Mayor Kenney: “When you bring people together around one commonality, it’s the foundation for important cultural exchange and understanding that increases tolerance across the city.”

The 32-team World Cup-style soccer tournament would compose of mainly diverse immigrant groups across Philadelphia, and culminate in a final championship game played on November 5, 2016 at Citizens Bank Park.

To complement this tournament, the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy in partnership with the Office of Immigrant Affairs, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Small But Mighty Arts, Office of the City Representative, and the Mural Arts Program organized a “parade of nations”.  The central pieces to this parade were art banners designed by artists working with communities involved in the tournament.  Through numerous workshops hosted at various recreation centers and City Hall, 32 banners were created to reflect Philadelphia’s diverse communities.

Designing Artists

Henry Lee Blount (Senegal, Congo, Jamaica, South Korea)

Alana Bograd (Vietnam, Indonesia, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania)

Emily Coleman (Italy, Germany, Sudan, Nigeria)

Carolina Gomez (United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia)

Monna Morton (Ivory Coast, India, Ireland, Liberia, Sierra Leone)

Amy Sheidegger (Mexico, Turkey, Argentina, Haiti, Puerto Rico)

Brian Taylor (Bhutan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Spain, Cape Verde)

Workshop Facilitating Artists

Patrick Dean

Stephanie Fuentes

Richard Harvey

Tu Huynh

Nathaniel Lee

Christine Rad

Jonathan Castro, Tribute to Officer Robert Wilson III, digital painting on canvas, Philadelphia Police Dept.

December 14, 2016 to February 27, 2017 Reception:  Wednesday, December 14th, 5-7PM, Conversation Hall, Room 201

The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy in collaboration with the National Arts Program Foundation, presents the 17th National Arts Program Exhibition at Philadelphia, featuring 185 works of art by over 100 City government employees and family members. The exhibition is open to the general public from December 14, 2016 to February 27, 2017 and is located on the second and fourth floors of City Hall, NE corner.  A reception with Mayor Jim Kenney is scheduled for Wednesday, December 14th in Conversation Hall, Room 201, from 5-7 pm.

The National Arts Program exhibition is an annual celebration of artistic achievement within the City’s workforce.  It is also an art contest where participants within five different classifications: Professional, Intermediate, Amateur, Teens 13-19 and Youth 12 and Under compete for cash awards.  This year’s judge was Tim Gibbon, the Executive Director for The Picasso Project, a program of Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY); which since 2002, have provided mini grants for innovative art projects impacting over 34,000 students in Philadelphia’s public schools.

Gregory Wilusz, The Flyers, acrylic on wood panel.

Since 1985, the National Arts Program® has held annual exhibits featuring the visual artworks of employees and their immediate family members in a variety of venues including cities, counties, airports, hospitals, transit authorities and other large organizations.  The program has proven that each year brings an extraordinary exhibit of visual artistic talent from these individuals.  This exhibit marks the 17th year that City Hall has been a venue for this shared understanding of making the arts more open and accessible to everyone.

AMOR, 1998, by Robert Indiana (American, born 1928). Polychrome aluminum painted red and blue. 72 x 72 x 36 inches. © 2015 Morgan Art Foundation. Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

AMOR Dedication Ceremony Friday, December 2, 2016 at 3PM Sister Cities Park, 18th and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway

You are invited to the official dedication ceremony of artist Robert Indiana's AMOR (1998) sculpture at its new permanent home, Sister Cities Park on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. AMOR was placed on loan to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2015 in celebration of the World Meeting of Families and Pope Francis' mass celebrated on the Parkway with several hundred thousand people. AMOR will officially become a part of the City of Philadelphia’s permanent public art collection, with the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy responsible for its ongoing care.  

City officials will be joined by Philadelphia Museum of Art President and COO Gail Harrity, Morgan Art Foundation's Simon Salama-Caro, Association for Public Art Executive Director and Chief Curator Penny Balkin Bach, and Center City District President and CEO Paul Levy in welcoming the sculpture to its new home. AMOR, which means love in both Spanish and Latin will serve as a companion artwork to Indiana’s iconic LOVE (1976) sculpture, which will return to JFK Plaza/LOVE Park in 2017.

PHILADELPHIA – The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance are partnering to present the first expanded 2016 Arts Education Fair at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, November 16 from 3-6PM. "The Arts Education Fair is an opportunity for both large and small arts organizations to present their arts education programs to the teachers and coordinators that would be interested in bringing these resources into their communities,” said Chief Cultural Officer Kelly Lee. "Through the Arts Education Fair, we are connecting quality arts education and instruction to communities where it is needed most.” Historically showcasing the Kimmel Center’s arts education programs, along with the work of its esteemed Resident Companies, the 2016 Arts Education Fair will be the first year it is expanded to include arts organizations from throughout the city of Philadelphia. These arts organizations and institutions will have the opportunity to make direct connections with teachers and program coordinators from schools, recreation, older adult, and other community centers, as well as libraries on site during the event at the Kimmel Center. A networking reception, sponsored by University of the Arts for the participating organizations and fair attendees will take place following the fair. “The arts are an essential element of education, just like reading, writing, and arithmetic…music, dance, and theater are keys that unlock profound human understanding,” says J. Edward Cambron, Executive Vice President of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts has used the Education Fair as a way to showcase arts education for more than 13 years, and we, along with our Resident Companies, are thrilled to be expanding our efforts in partnership with the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.” Over 50 Philadelphia arts organizations and groups will be exhibiting their arts education program and initiatives at the 2016 Arts Education Fair. These participating arts organizations and groups will be sharing information about their arts education programs, initiatives, and workshops. The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance had played a vital role by encouraging their members to register as exhibitors. “By establishing a partnership with the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in expanding the Arts Education Fair, we are able to provide more opportunities to Cultural Alliance members to connect their arts educations programs and initiatives with communities across Philadelphia,” said Michael Norris, Vice President of External Relations of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. “We encouraged our members to register to be a part of this fair to discover how they can reach new audiences and to grow their programming through arts education.” Participating 2016 Arts Education Fair organizations and groups include: Association for the Advancement and Integration of Design (AAID) African American Museum in Philadelphia Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture American Swedish History Museum Art-Reach ARTVOLUTION Cultural Innovation Project ArtWell Burn Brae Day Camp of Creative Arts Curtis Institute of Music Dancing Classrooms Philly Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site Enchantment Theatre Company Fleisher Art Memorial The Georgia E. Gregory Interdenominational School Of Music Hands Across Philadelphia Independence Seaport Museum Jr. Music Executive Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts Kulu Mele Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers La Salle University Art Museum Lil Filmmakers Inc. LiveConnections Mann Center for the Performing Arts Mt. Airy Art Garage Musicopia National Museum of American Jewish History NextMove Dance Opera Philadelphia Public Citizens for Children and Youth Pennsylvania Academy of The Fine Arts Pennsylvania Ballet Philadanco Philadelphia Art Teacher Alliance Philadelphia Chamber Music Society Philadelphia Folksong Society Philadelphia Museum of Art Philadelphia Theatre Company Philadelphia Young Playwrights Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Philadelphia's Magic Gardens Philly Pops PhillyCAM Project Capoeira, Inc. Taller Puertorriqueño The Clay Studio The Legends Academy The Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre The University of the Arts PIE The Village of Arts and Humanities Wolf Performing Arts Center For more information about the 2016 Arts Education Fair, visit: http://bit.ly/2016ArtsEdFair About City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy The mission of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy is to support and promote arts, culture and the creative industries; and to develop partnerships and coordinate efforts that weave arts, culture and creativity into the economic and social fabric of the City. For more information about the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, visit: www.CreativePHL.org, Facebook.com/CreativePHL and on Twitter @CreativePHL and Instagram @CreativePHL. About the 2016 Arts Education Fair The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, in partnership with the Kimmel Center of Performing Arts, and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, will launch the first expanded Arts Education Fair at the Kimmel Center on November 16, 2016. The 2016 Arts Education Fair will connect teaching artists and arts education programs and organizations from throughout the city of Philadelphia with teachers, librarians, and managers of recreation and senior centers interest in including arts education and instruction in their program offerings. For more information visit: www.CreativePHL.org, Facebook.com/CreativePHL and on Twitter @CreativePHL and Instagram @CreativePHL. About the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, the Kimmel Center’s mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience through diverse programming, arts education, and community outreach. The Kimmel Center Campus is comprised of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, SEI Innovation Studio, and the Merck Arts Education Center), the Academy of Music (owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association), and the University of the Arts’ Merriam Theater. The Kimmel Center is also home to eight Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is the region’s most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is the season sponsor of the Kimmel Center’s 2016-2017 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org. About the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Established in 1972, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is the region’s leading arts and cultural advocacy, research and marketing organization. Our mission is to “lead, strengthen and give voice to a diverse cultural sector that is making Philadelphia a world-class region to live, work, and play.”  Our membership includes over 450 organizations ranging from museums and dance companies to community art centers, historic sites, music ensembles and zoos. Our members, as well as the cultural community as a whole, count on the Alliance for signature research reports on the health and growth of the sector; grantmaking in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the arts; robust professional development and membership services; marketing and audience development through our signature consumer marketing programs, Phillyfunguide.com and Funsavers; and leadership in policy and community engagement through our GroundSwell advocacy initiative and STAMP teen program. For more information on the Cultural Alliance, please visit: www.philaculture.org.

Attention all theater programs, gifted young actors, stage managers and technicians! We want to shine a spotlight on the next generation of theater professionals with the inaugural Philly Youth Theatre Festival. Do you run a theatre program in school, out-of-school, or know of one in the 5-county region? The City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy wants to unite the region’s talented youth from these programs around their love for the stage. The first ever Philly Youth Theatre Festival, will be held on June 7th at the Prince Theater in Center City Philadelphia and the call for participation is now open! Here is the chance to perform in a high-profile professional venue for some of the region’s well-known artistic directors, and compete for recognition and cash prizes for their organization. 

For guidelines and application, visit: http://bit.ly/PhillyYouthTheatreFest 

Deadline for applications is January 13, 2017 at 4pm. 

Are you a young poet in Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington D.C., New York City, Norfolk, and Atlanta? Submit your work for the Voices of the East Coast youth poetry anthology!

Have your poetry published and share your talent and perspective with the rest of the east coast. These cities are home to some of the brightest minds and bravest voices that use poetry as a tool for creative expression and activism. Voices of the East Coast will uncover and amplify your passion and perspective. We hope you can be a part of this unforgettable collection of voices.

This year, the Philadelphia Marathon will feature 15 cheer zones set up along the course for the Half Marathon on Saturday, November 19 and another 25+ for the Full Marathon on Sunday, November 20, fully equipped with noisemakers, entertainment, and crowds of supporting fans to help encourage runners as they pass by on their way to the finish line.

If your organization/group/band would like to be hired as an entertainment element for a cheer zone, please fill out the 2016 Philadelphia Marathon Cheer Zones Entertainment form. Stipends and payment for entertainment is offered dependent on location of the course/duration of performance.

The Half Marathon takes place on Saturday, November 19 and the Full Marathon takes place on Sunday, November 20. The race starts at 7:00am. and finishes around 3:00pm. Performance times vary depending upon the location along the course.

Argentina Week in Philadelphia

October 10 – 28, 2016 2nd Floor, NE corner, Outside Mayor’s Office 

The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy in collaboration with the Office of Immigrant Affairs and Argentinos En Philadelphia proudly present a showcase of works by artists from Latin America.  The presentation is part of this year’s celebration of Argentina Week, which runs from October 16 – 22nd. This year, the art was selected by curator Paula Meninato, who was inspired by her own immigrant experiences.

The Francisco de Miranda sculpture by Lorenzo Gonzeles was moved from its home on 20th and Market Streets to a temporary site nearby because of I-676 lid reconstruction project. 

The Francisco de Miranda sculpture (1977, by Lorenzo Gonzales, a gift to the City of Philadelphia from the Venezuelan government) is located at 20th and the Ben Franklin Parkway. Due to the I-676 lid reconstruction project on the Parkway, the sculpture had to be moved from its permanent location to a temporary site nearby for the duration of the construction project. Workers cut the concrete foundation with a wire saw, lifted the sculpture and pedestal with a crane and placed it on a wooden pallet. The sculpture and base weigh approximately 44,000 pounds.

Nick Pedersen, The Legendary City, digital photo illustration, archival pigment print, 2015. 

Panorama: Image-Based Art in the 21st Century

October 11 – December 2

First floor display cases, outside Art Gallery at City Hall

Joint Reception: October 21, 5-7 pm, with CFEVA/POST exhibit

This fall, Art In City Hall provides a sampling of Panorama 2016: Image-Based Art in the 21st Century, a Philadelphia area celebration of digital media.  Main Line Art Center proudly presents a selection of works from its featured exhibit: Enlightened Earth with artists Mark Dorf, Julianna Foster, and Nick Pedersen. In Enlightened Earth, Dorf, Foster, and Pedersen engage the photographic medium and digital media to explore nature and our complex relationship to its past, present, and future.  Motivated by environmentalism, fascination with photography’s subjectivity, and the dominance of the digital domain, these artists investigate the delicate imbalance of nature, technology, and humanity.  Their work leads us down a path of multi-layered, multi-media discovery through storytelling, fantastical landscapes, and scientific research.

Anchored by Enlightened Earth and a dynamic and interactive festival on Oct. 22 from 5-9, both at Main Line Art Center in Haverford, Panorama 2016: Image-Based Art in the 21st Century features special events across Greater Philadelphia celebrating the expansive role of photography and digital media in contemporary art. 

About Main Line Art Center

The mission of Main Line Art Center is to inspire and engage people of all ages, abilities, and economic means in visual art through education, exhibitions, and experiences. For more information, visit www.mainlineart.org or call 610.525.0272.

Photo credit: Community Design Collaborative

Play Space: Where Design Comes Into Play

October 11 – December 2, 2016

2nd and 4th Floors, NE corner

Closing reception: December 2, 2016 from 5-7pm

The City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy welcomes Play Space to City Hall during this year’s DesignPhiladelphia festival.

Play Space is a partnership between the Community Design Collaborative and the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children (DVAEYC) to explore the design of innovative urban play spaces and how they can improve the quality of child care and early childhood education.

What does play have to do with learning, health, nature, adventure, and community? Everything! 

Play Space challenged designers, public leaders, educators, childcare providers, families, and communities to imagine new outdoor play spaces for Philadelphia’s libraries, recreation centers, schools, sidewalks, and yards. See their visions for the city’s playful future and learn more about the surprising, far-reaching benefits of play.

A closing reception is tentatively scheduled for November 30th in City Hall.

About Community Design Collaborative The Community Design Collaborative provides pro bono preliminary design services to nonprofit organizations in greater Philadelphia, creates engaging volunteer opportunities for design professionals, and raises awareness about the importance of design in revitalizing communities. For more information, visit: www.cdesignc.org