Resources

Home » Resources » Stories

Stories

Reviving an old theater, painting in the park, helping a student find her voice -- if arts and culture has helped you or your community grow, share your story. Please contact us with any questions --we look forward to hearing from you!

The Power of Youth Voiced Through Spoken Word

"[Poetry] has awakened the positive power within these teens and enabled them to see the value in their voices, igniting a fire I have never seen before. Read this story submitted by Philly Youth Poetry Movement Program Director, Denice Frohman.

Lifting Ramona's Sadness Through Art and Friendship

A devoted mother and wife, grounded by her commitment to her husband and children. This was the Ramona Soto that Dora, a staffer for Taller Puertorriqueño, had first met many years ago. Ramona’s husband and family were her purpose in life. So when her husband succumbed to a heart attack, Ramona was devastated.

Of Mythic Proportions - teens tell their stories

Of Mythic Proportions has been transformative, for the teens and for us teaching artists and teachers. Now we are getting a reputation at the school for being a program that is cool, and students are starting to ask their teachers if they can get in on this class.

The Healing Power of Art

"On the day of the workshop, I greeted the attendees as they began to arrive. One older woman in particular, who was escorted in by a friend, appeared to be in a great deal of pain. She was slightly hunched over and very thin. It took her some time to get settled into her seat. She also seemed distracted or bored, as if someone had to persuade her to come to the workshop." Continue reading Qaadira's story.

New Life in Lansdowne

Sometimes, when we’re lucky, life brings things back around. Matt Schultz moved to Lansdowne when he was 8 years old. Growing up among the leafy streets in this closeknit community was idyllic and though he has worked around the world for organizations near and far including Disney and Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts Inc., Matt never lost touch with his hometown.

Horse in the Garden

I bought this huge canvas 2 years ago at a Goodwill store for $10. It was so large that I had a friend with a truck come and pick it up.

Toad and Frog will stick with her forever

About two years ago I went to see A Year with Toad and Frog at the Arden Theatre in Old City. This was a children’s show, which is not something I normally attend, but a friend of mine was an understudy for the show and was finally being placed in one of the supporting roles.

Arts are Life

I chose not to go to LA, not to go to NYC, because I think there is something special about Philadelphia and its arts community.

Jeanne Ruddy's Story

Jeanne Ruddy’s body is her instrument. All her life she has used to it communicate and connect, starting first in New York as a member of the prestigious Martha Graham Dance Company and now in Philadelphia where ten years ago she started her own dance company. But whether or not Jeanne and her company would make it to this milestone was seriously in jeopardy last summer.

Maude

At the front of the circle of chairs, twenty or thirty children from local play groups stumble enthusiastically through the words of a Japanese folk song.

Syndicate content