August 2024

ByGreater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP), a Cultural Alliance Member. Since HSP’s founding in 1824, they have collected and preserved an astonishing array of documents that bring the people of the past into conversation with us today. Coming up: In partnership with Taller Puertorriqueño, HSP’s new exhibition Uncovering and Preserving Puerto Rican Stories will open on August 29. Learn more.

Arts and Culture In the News

  • A House majority vote saved millions in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) after Republican Josh Brecheen had proposed two amendments that would have slashed funding for both agencies by nearly a quarter. Read more on Hyperallergic. Thanks to everyone who responded to the Cultural Alliance’s advocacy message, our opposition was clear and our voices were heard! 
  • A new study from the Delaware Arts Alliance unveils an ambitious plan to support and revitalize the state’s arts and cultural sector with a new online mapping hub to boost economy and tourism. Read more from WHYY. 

Updates from the Cultural Alliance

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Tickets to the 2024 Annual Meeting and Arts Party are on sale now! This year’s event will be held on Tuesday, October 15 at the Bok Building in South Philadelphia. Every year, the Cultural Alliance brings together hundreds of members of Greater Philadelphia’s arts and culture community for an evening of shared celebration and networking. We invite you to join us as we shine the spotlight on the region’s Creative Economy and the countless individuals who are our city’s visionary heartbeat. Get your tickets now or learn more about becoming a sponsor.

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The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is proud to host “Cultural Dynamics: Co-Creating a Vision for Philadelphia,” a groundbreaking convening featuring Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, Chair, National Endowment for the Arts, with opening remarks from Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Senior Vice President of The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Shawn McCaney, Executive Director of the William Penn Foundation. As we look forward to the enactment of Mayor Parker’s new strategies and initiatives, and as we prepare for a landmark year in 2026, Philadelphians will come together to envision how arts policies can foster social impact and economic prosperity. On September 10, 2024, Cultural Dynamics will unite artists, nonprofit leaders, funders, and elected officials to explore strategies that integrate arts and culture into transformative civic decision-making. We invite the public to join us for a livestream of this important conversation and a series of community-based meetings that will follow. Registration information for both will be available later this month. Learn more. 

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Your voice matters — participate in PA CultureCheck today! PA CultureCheck is a study by PA Humanities, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council to gather and uplift the voices of Pennsylvania’s cultural, arts, and humanities organizations, along with other nonprofits and community groups. Now in its third year, and again expanded to include virtual listening sessions, we have the opportunity to identify key trends in critical areas like post-pandemic recovery and regrowth, operations, attendance, and the ways organizations are engaging with their communities. Learn more and complete the survey. 

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We are pleased to announce the grant awardees of the 2024 Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator (CEA) Program. This grant program provides creative entrepreneurs with small business consulting and $2,000 in critical financial resources to grow businesses and revenue. The Cultural Alliance administers this grant on behalf of the PA Council on the Arts for Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties through the Partners in the Arts (PPA) Program. In this round of funding, 86 creative entrepreneurs received a total of $172,000 in grants. Congratulations to all of the recipients! See the full list of awardees. 

Photo courtesy of Brittany Barbato, a Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator grantee. Photo by Jules Shen. 

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Become a Creative Sector Flex Fund panelist. Each year the Cultural Alliance seeks individuals to serve on Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts grant advisory panels. Panelists contribute artistic, administrative, educational, and operational perspectives in discussion and evaluation of grant applications. As a volunteer panelist, you’ll have the opportunity to forge new connections with peers who share your passion for arts and culture while supporting your community and earning a stipend. Learn more. 

Photo courtesy of the Delaware County Youth Orchestra, a 2023-2024 Flex Fund awardee. 

Arts & Culture by the Numbers

Now open: The 2024 PA CultureCheck survey. This survey gathers and uplifts the voices of Pennsylvania’s cultural, arts, and humanities organizations, along with other nonprofits and community groups. Fill out the 2024 survey here and read last year’s report here, including important data about community engagement outlined below. 

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Job Bank

The Cultural Alliance’s Job Bank is Greater Philadelphia’s top resource for job opportunities in arts and culture. You’ll find positions at all professional levels in museums, theaters, historic sites, art galleries, dance studios, community centers, and much more. Keep reading for the most recent listings from Member organizations.

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Communications and Partnership Manager at Lehigh University. The position will be responsible for managing and supporting outreach, communication, and partnered programs for the Department of Art, Architecture and Design, both internally within the university and with external constituents including prospective students, alumni, media outlets, and the range of community, corporate, industry, and foundation partners with which the department is engaged. By expanding and strengthening the department’s network of external relationships, the position will also be responsible for developing and managing internship programs and placements for current and graduating students of the department, to improve overall student outcomes. Learn more.

 

PREMIUM POST

Grantmaking Coordinator at the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. The Grantmaking Coordinator is a temporary, part-time position that supports the grantmaking activities of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. The Cultural Alliance is the regional partner for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts’ PA Partners in the Arts program, administering several grants programs to arts and culture organizations and entrepreneurs in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. Learn more.
SEE MORE ON THE JOB BANK
 

Stay connected to the Cultural Alliance! Subscribe to CultureWire for a monthly update on the forces, factors, and faces shaping arts and culture in Greater Philadelphia. 

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