Area Artists and Orgs. Receive Arts Grants

Media Contact:
Karim Olaechea
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
karimo@philaculture.org; 215-399-3518

Philadelphia, PA - On November 1, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance will distribute $76,000 in Project Stream grants to 51 nonprofit arts groups and performers from around the region at an award ceremony to be held at PECO’s Energy Hall.

What: Local Artists and organizations receive state arts grants awards
Where: PECO Energy Hall, 2301 Market Street, Lower Level, Philadelphia, PA 19103
When: November 1st, 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM

The grants provide seed money to arts organizations offering innovative, community-based arts projects in southeastern Pennsylvania, and are made possible through the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts’ (PCA) Partners in the Arts program with additional support provided by PECO.

“The Cultural Alliance is proud to work with the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts and PECO to make this funding available to our communities,” said Tom Kaiden, President of the Cultural Alliance. “These grants are crucial.  They provide seed money for artistic innovation, support much-needed community programs, and are essential to our region’s health and cultural vitality.”

2011 PPA Project Stream Grant award recipients include:

• Tony Rocco, a teacher at John B. Stetson Charter School in North Philadelphia who has brought together students from Philadelphia and the small farming town of La Florida, Colombia in a year-long multi-disciplinary learning and photography-based exchange program. Last year, Mr. Rocco took a group of students and parents to meet their counterparts in Colombia. This year, the Colombian students will visit Philadelphia in time for the June opening of their photography exhibit at Taller Puertorriqueño.
  Project contact: Tony Rocco, chicodecali@yahoo.com |
   
• Living History Storytelling Project at the Kennett Area Senior Center is a weekly reminiscence theater program that helps seniors revive their memories while strengthening mental and physical abilities, developing coping skills and building friendships.
  Project contact: Anita O’Connor, aoconnor@kennettseniorcenter.org
   
• Positive Aging in Lower Merion (PALM) will provide a unique and creative weaving class taught by an occupational therapist and specifically designed for their most frail and physically and vision impaired participants. Students learn the basics of how to weave on a treadle loom while developing greater dexterity. Fibers and yarns are discussed, and students will warp a loom before weaving their first projects.
  Project contact: Sandi Stovall, sandi@palmseniors.org  
   
• MyFi, the Media Youth Film Initiative, teaches Delaware County high school students how to write, produce, direct, shoot and edit their own films. A project of the Media Arts Council in collaboration with the Media Youth Center, MyFi’s allows students to tell their stories and share their unique experiences through the medium of film. The program encourages thought, reason, tolerance and empathy.
  Project contact: Judy Fowler, judy@nightorbs.com
   
• Caretoons at the National Liberty Museum, an art-based violence prevention project for underserved Philadelphia youth. Caretoons  takes a very popular art form and transforms it into an effective teaching tool. Recognizing that the art of cartooning is not often used to express positive attitudes or encourage people to make a difference, the National Liberty Museum created a genre of cartoons that does exactly that. By creating pictures that express ethical values, such as honesty, compassion, courage and forgiveness, students participate in important character-building exercises.
  Project contact: Peggy Sweeney, psweeney@libertymuseum.org

For a full list of grant recipients broken down by county:
/programs/grantmaking/projectstream

The Cultural Alliance’s Project Stream provides grants of up to $3,000 to eligible organizations and individuals conducting arts projects in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. This year, 131 groups applied for the program, and the average Project Stream award was $1,495.

The statewide Partners in the Arts (PPA) program pairs PCA with 13 regional agencies to evaluate proposals and distribute grant awards for projects or programs involving artists.  The Cultural Alliance is PCA’s partner in the Philadelphia area.  The program enables PCA to reach a wider audience by increasing access to funds for organizations and artists across the state, thereby increasing statewide audience exposure to arts activities.

For more information about the Project Stream grant program:
/programs/grantmaking/projectstream

About the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
The Greater Cultural Alliance is a leadership organization of more than 400 nonprofit arts and cultural institutions located primarily in the five counties of southeastern Pennsylvania. Its mission is to make Greater Philadelphia one of the foremost creative regions in the world. The Cultural Alliance believes that Greater Philadelphia grows stronger and more vibrant by growing its arts and culture. The Alliance’s work promotes that mission through initiatives that leverage arts and culture to inspire individuals and build community and civic engagement. These efforts include connecting cultural resources to community needs; providing direct services for nonprofit cultural organizations; leading cultural research, advocacy and policy work; and producing direct marketing programs for cultural consumers.

The Cultural Alliance’s work reflects these key principles: Arts and culture is an engine for economic growth. It has the power to elevate lives. It has the power to educate. We own it, as residents of the Greater Philadelphia region, because it comes from us. It helps individuals come together and grow as a community.

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