Meet an Alliancer: Hanifah Jones

National Arts Advocacy Day on March 5 had a special meaning this year for our members and friends in Delaware…

Launched in 1945 as a student-run radio station at the University of Pennsylvania, WXPN has become a nationally recognized leader in public media, renown for discovering and promoting emerging new musical talent. Since becoming a professionally managed public media organization nearly four decades ago, WXPN has built a supportive community of members and business sponsors. Through innovative on air and online programming, a robust event offering, and partnerships with venues and cultural institutions throughout the region, WXPN serves its mission of connecting artists with audiences. Learn more about WXPN and how to participate in its annual gathering of music fans happening this September along the Camden waterfront.

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.

Welcome to May’s CultureWire! As Philadelphia takes the global stage for America’s 250th and the FIFA World Cup, we’re highlighting the power of arts and culture to drive impact. In this issue, explore ArtPhilly’s What Now Festival, how the sector is positioning for the Semiquincentennial, the Cultural Alliance’s upcoming Data Summit, and our advocacy efforts to support the sector at large. Let’s dive in! 

PhillyCAM is a community media center that operates the City of Philadelphia’s public access cable television channel and is the license holder of the low power FM radio station WPPM 106.5 FM.  PhillyCAM is a facilitator, creator, aggregator, and distributor of hyper local media that reflects Philadelphia’s cultural diversity.  We are the only regional non-commercial media outlet devoted entirely to the teaching, creation and distribution of locally-produced media content on cable television, online and on FM radio.  

Our mission is to bring together the people of Philadelphia to make and share media that promotes creative expression, democratic values and civic participation. Anyone who lives or works in the greater Philadelphia region can become a PhillyCAM member and receive free to low cost access to video and audio production training and distribute non-commercial content on our platforms.

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 (opens in new tab)!