CultureWire | August 2025

This year marks the 10th anniversary of CraftNOW, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit arts and culture organization. CraftNOW is dedicated to capitalizing on our city’s outstanding craft resources and highlighting its continuing role in defining the future of craft. From now through August 22, CraftNOW and Philadelphia’s Parks & Recreation host the fifth annual CraftNOW Create Summer Camp, where local galleries and museums provide over 10,000 hours of free arts instruction to 6,000 children at 129 neighborhood recreation centers across the region. Visit CraftNOWphila.org for details on the summer camp program and follow the latest news on CraftMONTH in November!

Arts & Culture in the News 

• Despite DOGE cuts and Trump executive orders, Philadelphia’s art organizations continue to center the stories of Black Americans. Read more from The Philadelphia Inquirer.

• Philadelphians mourn the damage to the Art Alliance building, the storied, historically designated property in Rittenhouse Square, after a fire last month. Read more from The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

• Trump’s defunding of the NEA and NEH is changing how state arts commissions get their money and some U.S. states are stepping up to fund the arts. Read more from The Art Newspaper.  

Updates from the Cultural Alliance

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, in partnership with PA Humanities and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, released PA CultureCheck 2025 this week. PA CultureCheck 2025 is a statewide report that shines a light on the pandemic recovery progress and community engagement efforts of cultural, arts, and humanities organizations. The report reveals the cultural sector is regaining its footing following the pandemic, but now faces significant threats due to unanticipated federal funding cuts. Learn more about the report on our website.

As summer heats up, come cool down with the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Join us for our next Member Mixer on August 21 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the 1315 Lounge in the Philadelphia Building. This is a FREE event for registered Cultural Alliance members. Register now. If you are interested in becoming a member in order to attend future events, please click here.

Join the Cultural Alliance on August 27 at 11:30 a.m. for a presentation of findings from our latest report, “A Look at Theater-Going Habits in Greater Philadelphia.” The research, advised by a group of advisory members from 10 theaters across the region, examines the opinions and views of current theater attendees, as well as the arts-going habits of the general public. Register for the online presentation.

Pictured: The Good Person of Szechwan performed at The Wilma Theater. Photo by Johanna Austin.

This year’s Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) is well under way. In June, the Creative Youth Development team welcomed 96 rising high school seniors to join our 2025 cohort. Those interns were paired with 48 worksites across the city - a list that includes some seasoned sites such as the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Fleisher Art Memorial, InLiquid, and Team Sunshine Performance. We also welcomed some new sites like the Philadelphia Zoo, StudioTshay, and Sawubona Creativity Project. 

We are so excited about the professional growth of our current cohort and the talent they will bring. Visit our website for more information on the Bloomberg Arts Internship. 

The 2025-2026 Creative Sector Flex Fund grant timeline is being updated. We anticipate the grant application process opening in September with revised application guidelines. This $5,000 grant, funded by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, provides support to eligible nonprofit organizations that produce consistent artistic programming and services in Pennsylvania and have an annual average arts revenue of $10,000 to $200,000. Learn more.

Photo courtesy of Da Vinci Art Alliance, a 2024-2025 Flex Fund awardee. 

Save the date for 2025 Annual Meeting and Arts Party! This year's event will be held on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at the Academy of Natural Sciences. 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. Learn more about the Annual Meeting and Arts Party.

Pictured: the 2024 Annual Meeting and Arts Party held at the Bok Building. Photo by Ryan Brandenberg.

ADVERTISEMENT

Don’t forget we offer our members great pricing on our available marketing products. Our monthly CultureWire newsletter has over 5,000 subscribers and our Job Bank gets over 70,000 pageviews per month, so what are you waiting for? This fall, use Cultural Alliance marketing products to promote your upcoming show, program, event or just to remind the sector of who you are. For more information on how you can utilize our Marketing Services and Advertising Options, please visit or reach out to madelinea@philaculture.org.

By the Numbers

PA CultureCheck is a research and advocacy initiative that documents and amplifies the experiences, strengths, and concerns of Pennsylvania’s cultural sector. With nearly 1,000 survey responses over the past three years, this 2025 release continues to track statewide post-pandemic recovery and local impact. See the full report online. 

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.

• Email Marketing Specialist and Director of Communications at the National Constitution Center

• Festival Intern at the Philadelphia Film Society

• Choreographer and Marketing Assistant at Wolf Performing Arts Center

• Office Manager & Executive Assistant for ArtPhilly

• Hat Cataloging Project Intern for Historic Germantown

• Visitor Services Representative at the National Liberty Museum

• Financial Arts Management Internship at FringeArts

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.