Library Acts of Culture - Coming to a Library Near You!

The Knight Foundation program seeks to bring at least one performance to each library branch in all eight of its Knight Resident communities. Lucky for us, Philadelphia is one of those communities!

 

A few years ago, the Knight Foundation started the Random Acts of Culture program, which set out to bring art and culture to people's everyday lives. This was achieved by surprise performances of opera and classical ballet in venues such as markets, parks, and airports. (A great example of this is when Opera Philadelphia surprised shoppers at Reading Terminal Market in early 2011.) The Knight Foundation is looking to bring arts and culture to even more people, and this time, they've turned to libraries. Nicole Chipi wrote in a December 2013 blog post about Acts of Culture, "As libraries continue to reinvent themselves in the digital age, they have become spaces that are more about creation than collection. They are amongst the most democratic community spaces we have, used by people from every walk of life, in every age group." Knowing that they could reach an incredbily diverse audience in these locations, Knight Foundation started Library Acts of Culture.

Thanks to a fantastic partnership between the Knight Foundation, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and Canary Promotion, Library Acts of Culture has been taking Philadelphia by storm!  Library-goers have been able to experience an array of arts and culture available in our city. Some of the organizations that have participated so far include BalletX, Lantern Theater Company, Opera Philadelphia, Kùlú Mèlé African Dance & Drum Ensemble, and Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra. Check out this video from Knight Arts Challenge to see library goers enjoying a performance from Pasion y Arte Flamenco Company.

Be sure to visit your local Free Library of Philadelphia branch today - not only can you take advantage of some great programs, but you just might find yourself in the middle of a #LibraryActsofCulture!

The work of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is made possible through the generous support of committed individuals and institutions.