CultureWire
CultureWire is the Alliance's blog for arts & culture news, resources, opportunities and more. Get the best of CultureWire in your inbox quarterly by opting in to receive newsletters in your philaculture account settings.
CultureWire is the Alliance's blog for arts & culture news, resources, opportunities and more. Get the best of CultureWire in your inbox quarterly by opting in to receive newsletters in your philaculture account settings.
Introducing the Cultural Alliance’s RestART Initiative!
The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has devastated the Arts & Culture Sector. From March 2020 through March 2021, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance estimates a total revenue loss of $371.7 million for the arts and culture sector in the Philadelphia region. You can read more about the impact the pandemic has had on our sector in the Fall 2021 COVID-19 Impact report.
Member Spotlight
The Mission of Acting Without Boundaries (AWB) is to transform lives and build self-esteem in an empowered community of people with physical disabilities, through theater that celebrates ability. Through their five performing arts and disability awareness programs, AWB Juniors, AWB Seniors, AWB Melodies, AWB Masters and AWB Acting Lab, participants discover how to take risks and learn from mistakes in a safe environment which is free from judgement. AWB programming educates the community at large on what people with disabilities can do. Read more about Acting Without Boundaries in our blog!
Member Spotlight
Jazz Bridge Project assists Jazz and Blues musicians living in the Greater Philadelphia Metro area who face financial, health, housing and similar crises. A registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, they also support musicians by providing paid performance opportunities through their live neighborhood concerts and special event presentations. Their concerts celebrate the Philadelphia Jazz & Blues tradition and build cultural awareness throughout the region. As a service organization in the arts and culture community, they are uniquely positioned to address the suffering resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite new challenges, they remain committed to assisting Jazz and Blues artists of all ages and backgrounds. Read more in our blog!
Happy Retirement, Stuart Adair!
After nearly 11 years at the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Stuart Adair, Chief Officer for Finance and Administration, will be retiring at the end of October.
Stuart has played an integral role in the work of the Cultural Alliance (and the cultural sector) for more than a decade, and has done too many great things to list them all, but here are a few!
Meet an Alliancer: Jax Gilliam
Ever wondered what it's like to work at the Cultural Alliance? We'll introduce you to members of our staff! This month the spotlight is on Jax Gilliam, our social media and communications coordinator.
Member Spotlight
Spiral Q is a 25 year old arts and justice nonprofit that unleashes the power of art to connect people, actions, values, neighborhoods, organizations, and movements to each other and to their collective creative force for change. They work with up to 100 diverse partners annually, prioritizing disenfranchised communities whose residents are systematically oppressed due to race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic, and sexual identities. They are artists, educators, and cultural workers partnering with schools, youth service providers, CBOs, cultural centers, AIDS service and advocacy groups, LGBTQIA+ groups, advocates for the unhoused, addiction recovery centers, and mental health providers. Spiral Q knows their communities to be culturally rich in tradition, heritage and strong social bonds. Their neighborhood and city-wide partners are committed collaborators and informational resources that guide our work along with their team of talented teaching artists who demonstrate high quality teaching artistry and share their creativity and experience as thought-partners.
Member Spotlight
The first ever Arts Montco Week will be held Friday, September 17 through Sunday, September 26 in partnership the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board. From theatrical performances to art galleries, concerts, and everything in between, Arts Montco Week aims to showcase the county’s wide variety and consistently high quality of arts and culture venues. Some of the participating venues are also Cultural Alliance members, like Act II Playhouse. Founded in 1998, Act II Playhouse is committed to creating and programming theatre that is accessible and entertaining. Through that commitment, they have won several Barrymore Awards, pivoted to streamed performances during the pandemic, and are excited to return to live theater this fall. Read more about them in our blog!
Bloomberg Arts Interns Finish Their Summer of Cultural Immersion and Professional Development
This Friday, the Cultural Alliance will celebrate the conclusion of the 2021 Bloomberg Arts Internship (“BAI”) with presentations by interns in a special closing ceremony. Since 2015, the Cultural Alliance has partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies to deliver this one-of-a-kind program, matching exceptional high school students from across the city with paid internships at dozens of area arts and culture organizations.
Member Spotlight
Philadelphia Young Playwrights (PYP) taps the potential of youth and inspires learning through playwriting. With a special emphasis on working with students in the School District of Philadelphia, their Core Program gives students a platform to express themselves through playwriting, which advances literacy skills, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative skills. Learn more about PYP’s past year of virtual programs, partnership with the Bloomberg Internship Program, and our future plans on their blog.
Arts as Infrastructure: How PMAY Shared Resources for the Benefit of Music Educators
As arts advocates, it can begin to feel like you’re shouting into the void when trying to explain the value of arts and culture. In recent months, the Alliance led a campaign to highlight the importance of the arts as infrastructure. Like power lines and bridges, we said, the arts are critical to our collective health and wealth. But even a metaphor suffers from abstraction. So what do we really mean? This is what we mean: