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.
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:
Meet An Alliancer: Kate Huffman
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 Kate Huffman, our Director of Development and Board Liaison!
Job Title: Director of Development & Board Liaison
Member Spotlight
We Are the Seeds of CultureTrust is committed to amplifying Indigenous voices through the arts. The organization was founded by a team of Indigenous women who are dedicated to honoring Native arts and cultures as a means to understanding Indigenous peoples, the history of (what is now called) the United States, and who we all are as American people today. We Are the Seeds produces cultural events that feature Indigenous fine art, music, dance, fashion, literary, and culinary art. Additionally, Seeds hosts interactive art programs that focus on educating and empowering the youth.