Philadelphia

Jackie Hargrave tended the "Healing Garden" created by block residents with the aid of CosaCosa Art at Large, a Manayunk art organization. The garden, with its mosaic wall, bench, and posts at the corner of Marvine and Venango Streets, is in part a memorial to Hargrave's mother, Margaret. Read full story

Everyone is a storyteller. When you go on a date, a job interview or chat with the guy standing next to you in the elevator, your daily conversations are made up of stories. To local playwright R. Eric Thomas, this is why the First Person Arts Festival has thrived in Philadelphia. Its 10th-anniversary season begins Thursday. Read full story

SPOKEN-WORD performances have outgrown cramped coffeehouses and moved to more prominent forums. And you don't need dreadlocks or Buddy Holly glasses to fit in, either. Read full story

A new pop-up bazaar at the Philadelphia Museum of Art will give art fans the chance to see first-hand the ideas being developed in Philadelphia by the Philadelphia art community. P.POD (Philadelphia Produces Original Design) is a marketplace of items designed and produced in Philadelphia. Read full story

As the 20th annual Philadelphia Film Festival came to a close Nov. 3, Philadelphia film lovers were left once again in anxious anticipation for next year’s event. The Film Festival never ceases to keep expectations high and never ceases deliver on those expectations. Read full story

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The City of Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program will announce its partnership with Grammy Award-winning band The Roots, Monday at Headhouse Square Shambles on 2nd Street. Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson and Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter will be on hand Monday at 10:30 a.m. for the announcement of an eight-month mural project to honor The Roots. Read full story

On a fair weather First Friday, Old City bustles with galleries full of people and streets lined with craft vendors, musicians and performers. It's positively festive. But every day across Philadelphia, artist-run collectives present a different art scene that in many ways is more exciting. Read full story

Zulmarie Nazario, a 16-year-old junior at Palumbo high school in South Philadelphia, is a testament to the power of arts education. She has been painting and drawing at the Fleisher Art Memorial just about every week since she came here from Puerto Rico three years ago. "I feel like a totally different person when I come to Fleisher," said Zulmarie. "It allows me to express my feelings and not be afraid of being judged or self-conscious."

Today, Zulmarie will represent the Fleisher Art Memorial at the White House, where first lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to present this year's National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards. Fleisher, a nonprofit community arts center in South Philadelphia, is one of only 12 arts organizations selected for the awards out of 471 nominated nationwide. The National Arts and Humanities Youth Program is part of a national initiative to celebrate the creativity of America's young people and to support after-school and out-of-school programs that open new pathways to self-discovery and academic success.

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The director of the Fleisher Art Memorial and a South Philly teenager will be at the White House Wednesday as the guests of Michelle Obama. The first lady will honor the Fleisher and 11 other programs around the country for their work with young people. Read full story