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 Kristen Vinh, our strategic communications manager!

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.

It goes without saying that this is a challenging time for those of dedicated to the live performing arts. At People’s Light, a professional Regional Theatre located in Malvern, PA, their hearts are missing that frisson of live connection. However, they continue to be driven by their commitment to make theatre in a larger sense.  In their mission, People’s Light identifies itself as a cultural and civic center with theatre at its core. Positioned in this way, theatre is the stuff we can create, but also a way of generating space for ongoing civic engagement and dialogue with and for our communities. So while they can’t safely produce plays in this moment, their charge to use artistry and creativity for ongoing civic and community engagement remains. In this article, they offer ways that they have continued to make theatre at People’s Light since the pandemic has taken hold. 

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!

The Brandywine River Museum of Art features a distinguished collection of nineteenth- and twentieth-century American art, housed in a renovated nineteenth-century gristmill with a dramatic steel and glass addition that overlooks the bucolic Brandywine River. The Museum’s collection is comprised of over 4,000 works, encompassing a cross-section of American art. Renowned for its holdings of the Wyeth family of artists, the Museum features galleries dedicated to the work of N. C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth. The Museum’s outstanding Heritage Collection is a cross section of American art, with a special focus on artistic practice in the Brandywine valley. Nineteenth- and twentieth-century landscape paintings testify to the beauty which drew well-known artists to the area. Important portraits, still life paintings and notable holdings in American illustration add diversity and breadth to this unique collection. A robust program of special exhibitions places the Museum’s collection into the broader contexts of American art.