CultureWire | May 2025

As an office of the city government, Creative Philadelphia provides creative and economic opportunities for all Philadelphians to thrive through the arts. This month, Creative Philadelphia is hosting a series of Arts & Culture Planning Sessions for community members to participate in the development of the city's first comprehensive Cultural Plan. Learn more. 

Arts & Culture in the News 

• The National Endowment for the Arts has withdrawn and canceled grant offers to numerous arts organizations around the country. Read more in The New York Times.

• Charities are legally permitted to lobby more than their leaders may realize. A law professor explains in The Chronicle of Philanthropy. 

• In response to the abrupt termination of National Endowment for the Humanities grants, the Mellon Foundation commits $15 million in emergency funding to stabilize humanities councils.

• The Philadelphia Bar Foundation launches emergency funding to civil legal aid nonprofits in response to government reductions. Learn more about how to apply before the May 15 deadline. 

• Katherine Sachs’ ArtPhilly has commissioned 34 new works and a citywide festival for America’s 250th celebration. Read more about ArtPhilly in The Philadelphia Citizen.

Updates from the Cultural Alliance

As the landscape of city, state, and federal funding rapidly changes, the Cultural Alliance remains a tireless advocate for arts and culture. Over the past month, we've sent weekly Advocacy Alerts to the Philadelphia region's community of advocates and stakeholders to share updates on staffing and funding cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, issued calls to galvanize support for Mural Arts Philadelphia, and provided timely updates on the city's budget process. You can stay informed about the challenges facing the arts and culture sector by signing up for the Cultural Alliance's Advocacy Alerts.

Help shape the future of culture in Philadelphia by participating in the Cultural Dynamics: Community Conversations survey! The survey responses, along with input gathered from the in-person Cultural Dynamics: Community Conversations held earlier this year, will directly inform a dynamic Cultural Plan for the city that reflects the voices, strengths, and visions of our diverse community. The Cultural Plan is envisioned as a strategic framework for the city's arts and culture community, guided by a broad and inclusive mission to create a cleaner, greener, and safer city with economic mobility for all. The deadline to complete the survey is May 9. Complete the survey. 

Cultural Dynamics: Community Conversations is a joint project of Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, PA Humanities, and Creative Philadelphia.

The Cultural Alliance is helping the Bloomberg Arts Internship School Year 2024-2025 cohort dress for success by providing a clothing stipend and partnering with Philly AIDS Thrift. Interns were able to shop a specially curated selection of professional clothing during an event in which the store was open only to them. The articles purchased by the interns will provide them with a collection of clothing to start their professional careers off successfully. Thanks to Philly AIDS Thrift for their support of the Bloomberg Arts Internship program!

We've moved! Please be aware of our new mailing address:  Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, The Philadelphia Building, 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 1101 (previously suite 732) Philadelphia, PA 19107

Questions? Contact us at info@philaculture.org or call 215-557-7811.

ADVERTISEMENT

Arts & Culture by the Numbers

Over the past few months, the Cultural Alliance, PA Humanities, and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council surveyed Pennsylvania's arts, culture, and humanities organizations to understand the impact of cuts to federal agencies. The data below illustrates the impact of the NEA, NEH, and IMLS in Pennsylvania between 2020 and 2024. 

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.

•  

  Front of House and Hospitality Manager and Box Office Manager at Quintessence Theatre Group in Philadelphia, PA

• Manager of Development Operations and Art Education Manager at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

• Community Engagement Manager at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, PA

• Props Manager at People's Light in Malvern, PA

• Teaching Artists for Painting Classes at Main Line Art Center in Haverford, PA

• Librarian/Cataloguer Intern at the Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia, PA

• Visitor Services Assistant at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library in Winterthur, DE

Want to connect to candidates? The Cultural Alliance’s Job Bank has 60,000+ views each month. Job listings are free for Cultural Alliance Members and start at just $95 for non-Members. Learn more.

Partner Messages

Join the 2025 Philadelphia Fringe Festival: Every September, hundreds of artists come together to produce performances, exhibits, experiences, and events of all kinds that bring Philly to life. Whether you are an experienced artist or someone who’s always dreamed of putting on a show, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival is for you. Philly Fringe welcomes all kinds of performers, artists, and creators. This is a convention of the unconventional. Complete your registration online by June 6. 

On May 15 our friends at Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (PVLA) will host their annual fundraising celebration, The Arts Affair 2025, at REC Philly. An evening full of live music, dance, poetry, and connection, you will get to experience performances from Philly artists including PHILADANCO’s D2, John Viscardi & Shekhinah B. and Jazz Trio, DJ Amber Lang, and more, hosted by Cookie Diorio. PVLA will also be honoring the legal heroes who make pro bono support for artists possible—and presenting the first Creative Impact Award to Philadelphia dance legend: Joan Myers Brown, founder of PHILADANCO!. Learn more and register.

The Carpenters’ Company of the City and County of Philadelphia Presents 2025 Master Builders’ Dialogues “Towards a More Perfect Union”: Accessibility and Preservation: As we approach the Semiquincentennial of American independence in 2026, museums and historic sites are increasingly exploring more inclusive stories about our journey towards a “more perfect union.” It follows that these places also need to become more physically and programmatically accessible to all visitors. This engaging half-day symposium will show you how accessibility has evolved beyond ADA regulations into human-centered, universal design that can be compatible with historic-preservation and interpretive standards.

Is your firm or organization currently in the planning or execution phase of a preservation project in the Philadelphia area where accessibility is a central contributing factor? Have you recently completed a project on a historic site where stakeholders in the community were consulted or included to make the site more accessible to people, regardless of age, ability, or other factors? You are invited to submit a one-page presentation proposal on a recent project that is related to the above theme. Learn more.