Since 1994, The Clay Studio’s Claymobile van has traveled to schools throughout our region to deliver pop-up art classes to students in need.  “The whole reason the program exists is that we’d rather have the art actually happen in the school and ideally we’d just be this add-on coming in for special projects that they wouldn’t normally be able to do.  We’d like to not be the only art students are getting, but unfortunately that’s [often] the way it ends up being,” says Annette Monnier, Outreach Program Director.

The first GroundSwell action campaign, a February musical instrument donation drive for Musicopia's Gift of Music program, was a huge success!

The Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation announced today that it will distribute $140,000 in grants to 25 Philadelphia arts and cultural organizations. The Foundation supports organizations in a range of artistic disciplines with an emphasis on arts education and community-based arts programs.

(October 12, 2009) - After months of painful debate, Governor Ed Rendell signed two bills into law late Friday night - one on taxes, and one on spending - that would finally bring Pennsylvania its long-awaited FY10 state budget of $27.8 billion.

(October 9, 2009) Pennsylvania’s FY2010 budget has some good news and some bad news for the Commonwealth’s cultural community. 

State governments, like all sectors of the economy, have been hit hard by the national recession, and Pennsylvania is no exception.  Declining revenues and a difficult economy forced the state to create a leaner FY2010 budget, down $500 million from FY2009’s total of $28.3 billion.  This has led to cuts in many areas, including arts and culture.  This article outlines the status of arts and cultural funding in the recently-adopted FY2010 budget. 

Philadelphia Daily News
September 23, 2009

Join Public Citizens for Children and Youth, the Media Arts Council, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and many other civic organizations in a Rally to Save Pennsylvania Communities.

Why do you do what you do? Two Cultural Alliance staff members answered that question with stories from their childhoods. Read about how a chance to dance and a museum journey changed the lives of Julie Hawkins and Michelle White here.


Do you remember the moment that you knew that arts and culture would be your life's path? Share it with us!

SPARK is a powerful and emotional short film about humans, and the profound impact that Philadelphia's museums and cultural institutions have on their and hearts and minds. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Glenn Holsten, the film features interviews with arts lovers, cultural leaders, and civic leaders including Derek Pitts, Lily Yeh, Peggy Amsterdam, and Gail Harrity. The film debuted at the American Association of Museums Conference in Philadelphia on May 1, 2009.