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Contact: Jamila Davis, PIO, Department of Planning and Development & PHDC, [email protected]

PHDC Announces Finalists of Group 2 Awardees For ARTisPHL – Philly Artists Connecting Communities

PHILADELPHIA, PA-January 24, 2023-Today PHDC and the James L. Knight Foundation are excited to announce the three local Philadelphia artists selected to receive funding to implement their community-based public art ideas through the ARTisPHL program.

Each of the three selected artists will receive an award of $30,000 to develop their project.

“Cobbs Creek Art Club” by Linda Fernandez

Cobbs Creek Art Club will be a monthly workshop for adults in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood. The monthly workshops will create an empowering space for community members to spend time exploring the natural environment and expressing themselves through art.

“The Communal Griddle” by Eugenio Salas

The Communal Griddle project represents the evolution of a fire-powered sculpture, originally designed, and made collaboratively with other Latinx immigrant laborers, to engage communities confronting food waste and insecurity across the city. This project creates an opportunity to activate the sculpture in diverse settings through a participatory re-design process. Through community engagement, performances, and documentation, the project will serve as a platform for community-building and storytelling.

“The Fourth Trimester” by Nikki Brake Silla

THE FOURTH TRIMESTER is a call to action, highlighting the lack of support Black women and birthing folx receive before, during and after pregnancy. Our intent with THE FOURTH TRIMESTER is to have ten participants in a six-week psychotherapeutic group, helmed by a licensed Social Worker, reproductive psychotherapist, and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, Jabina Coleman, that will combine group therapy with individually devised monologues, patterned after A.M.A. – AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE.

“We are excited to announce the three selected ARTisPHL artists representing their communities,” said David Thomas, CEO of PHDC. “The ARTisPHL program opens the door for PHDC and the City of Philadelphia to further a long commitment to art through allowing artists to create new reflective avenues of expression. Congratulations to the finalists!”

To learn more about each of our awardees and hear them discuss the projects in their own words, please visit ArtIsPHL.com.

About ARTisPHL

ARTisPHL is a first of its kind, multi-round program designed to create high-quality, artist-driven and community-informed public art. Artists from across Philadelphia will reimagine how we engage with each other and our communities. This program, made possible with $150,000 of public funds and $150,000 from John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, supports local artists who are interested in expanding public art in Philadelphia. Full program details can be found at  ArtIsPHL.com.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy.

About PHDC

PHDC is Philadelphia’s full-service community development organization. From home repair to financing affordable housing, PHDC preserves and develops housing. PHDC also helps residents, community groups, businesses and developers repurpose vacant land. Each initiative supports amenities that make Philadelphia neighborhoods great places to live.

PHDC Announces Round 2 of Group 2 Awardees For ARTisPHL
Philly Artists Connecting Communities

PHILADELPHIA, PA-October 18, 2022-
Today PHDC, through the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority’s (PRA) Fund for Art and Civic Engagement, with support from the Knight Foundation, announces the local artists in Group 2 that have been selected to move to Round 3 in the ARTisPHL program.

“We are excited to move forward with these inspiring ten ARTISPHL artists representing their communities,” said David Thomas, CEO of PHDC. “Through art, we can further express ourselves while rediscovering the power of our communities. Congratulations to all these artists, and we look forward to making some of these projects a reality!”

The second ARTisPHL round is entitled, Round 2: Impact. Ten artists were selected for Round 2 and will receive $1,500 each. These artists will move forward to Round 3, where three will receive $30,000 to implement their ideas.

The Round 2: Impact artists selected are:

1.  Amelia Carter
“This film project embodies critical changes in my approach to community organizing. It uses self-contemplation, not outside action, as a mechanism for sparking transformation.  Being able to move forward with this project would provide an opportunity to facilitate the community in an exercise of reflecting, reimagining, and relationship rebuilding after a tumultuous period that caused deep scars on the corridor. Although the act of making the film would facilitate this process through interviews, the impact campaign around the film will truly hold the mirror and produce the dialogue we seek.”

2. Brian Bazemore
“The Lancaster Avenue Flag project will give the Lancaster community the opportunity to express their neighborhood pride, and to make it visible to their community at large as well as others throughout Philadelphia and surrounding areas.”

3. Cassie Jones
“Creative people tend to collect supplies, so it’s common to clear out unwanted items to make space for new materials. This mass amount of craft supply turnover forces valuable items into landfills. Providing a place for people to easily give and take art supplies will be a huge resource to any neighborhood. Creating these booths, that I’m calling SuppLybrarys, will provide a place for crafters to easily unload their unwanted supplies 24 hours a day. In turn it will also be providing those same supplies for free to anyone who can use them, 24 hours a day.”

4. Christian G. Noguera
“Moving forward with this project would pay homage to the cultural keepers of folkloric traditions in Philadelphia, which have often been an afterthought by many large/mainstream institutions. By being able to fully bring this project’s vision to life, the elders in particular would be elevated for their cultural wisdom and paired with emerging musicians to archive these historical practices. This would help create a more formal pipeline for these elders and emerging artists to collaborate and share in an intergenerational public art space.”

5. Eugenio Salas
“The Communal Comal concept engages community members to activate a sculpture at public events in multiple neighborhoods across the city as a platform for community-building and storytelling. The Communal Comal will use the city’s diverse gastronomies as a point of departure to build relationships that cut across social and economic barriers. The Communal Comal is also a strategy to challenge the dominant narrative of public art in which the artist is a creator and the audience is a consumer.”

6. Linda Fernandez
“Over the past two years I have led an environmental justice program for teens in Cobbs Creek in partnership with Summer Search Philadelphia. Most of the teens live in the area and attend local schools such as Boys Latin, Sayre and Paul Robeson High. The monthly workshops create an empowering space for community members to spend time exploring the natural environment and expressing themselves through art.”

7. Nikki Brake-Sill
“Our intent with “The Fourth Trimester” is to have a six-to-eight-week psychotherapeutic group, helmed by Jabina Coleman, a licensed Social Worker, reproductive psychotherapist, and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, that will combine group therapy with individual devised monologues, patterned after “A.M.A. – Against Medical Advice.” The goals and intended impact of this performance is to heal the wounds traumatic fourth-trimester experiences have layered on the bodies of Black parents.”

8. RiaG
“The honor boxes will be customized works of art, highlighting local landmarks, celebrating the people, businesses, organizations, etc. who make each community special. In addition, the boxes can connect to real resources with QR codes, and also of course every month the “window” changes with a new cover illustration that I hope will be validating and uplifting.”

9. Sarah Gordin
“Our goal with this project is to make the arts accessible to those with disabilities. No theater exists in Philly that focuses on making theatre for the disabled community. With Round 2, we would have the funding to create an accessible experience for the children and families who attend (free shows, ASL interpreters), we would pay the creators involved a well-deserved stipend for their involvement, and we would pay for materials and local travel to make the performances happen.”

10. SHE’s GG
“For the selected communities, the evolution of The History Bike Project means that the hyperlocal histories, which are often overlooked in Black and Brown neighborhoods, will now be shared for more people to learn about their neighborhoods and perhaps get inspired to do their own historical investigations.”

To learn more about each of our awardees, please visit the Awardees page.

About ARTisPHL

ARTisPHL is a first of its kind, multi-round program designed to create high-quality, artist-driven and community-informed public art. Artists from across Philadelphia will reimagine how we engage with each other and our communities. This program, made possible with $150,000 of public funds and $150,000 from John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, supports local artists who are interested in expanding public art in Philadelphia. Full program details can be found at ArtIsPHL.com.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy.

About PHDC

PHDC is Philadelphia’s full-service community development organization. From home repair to financing affordable housing, PHDC preserves and develops housing. PHDC also helps residents, community groups, businesses and developers repurpose vacant land. Each initiative supports amenities that make Philadelphia neighborhoods great places to live.

PHDC Announces First Round of Group 2 Awardees For ARTisPHL

Philly Artists Connecting Communities

Contact: Jamila Davis, PIO, Department of Planning and Development & PHDC, [email protected]

PHILADELPHIA, PA-July 12, 2022-Today PHDC, through PRA’s Fund for Art and Civic Engagement, with support from the Knight Foundation, announces the local artists selected to move forward with Group 2, Round 1 in the ARTisPHL program.

“We hoped that the second group of ARTisPHL would continue to use this opportunity to express themselves and represent their communities,” said David Thomas, CEO of PHDC. “These inspiring submissions allow us to rediscover the power of our communities and ourselves through art. Congratulations to all these artists, and we are excited to make some of these projects a reality!”

The first ARTisPHL round is entitled, Round 1: Ideas. Twenty-nine awards were given to thirty-seven artists for Round 1. Each award is for $1,000.

The Round 1: Ideas artists selected are:

1. Alice Thompson
2. Amelia Carter
3. Anna Drozdowski
4. Applied Mechanics
5. Brian Bazemore
6. Cassie Jones
7. Christian Noguera
8. Daniel Flinchbaugh
9. Donna Oblongata and Maisie O’Brien
10. Doriana Diaz
11. Eugenio Salas
12. Guava Rhee
13. Kristal Sotomayor
14. Linda Fernandez
15. Line El Dirini
16. Mama Carla Wiley
17. Mat Tomezsko
18. Melissa Beatriz
19. Natasha Zeta
20. Ninth Planet
21. Nikki Brake-Sillá
22. Nile Livingston
23. Pat McLean-Smith
24. RiaG
25. Saantis fenmu davis
26. Sarah Gordin
27. SHE’s GG
28. Sophiann Mahalia
29. Tieshka Smith and Kathryn Pannepacker

To learn more about each of our awardees, please visit ArtIsPHL.com Awardees page.

About ARTisPHL

ARTisPHL is a first of its kind, multi-round program designed to create high-quality, artist-driven and community-informed public art. Artists from across Philadelphia will reimagine how we engage with each other and our communities. This program, made possible with $150,000 of public funds and $150,000 from John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, supports local artists who are interested in expanding public art in Philadelphia. Full program details can be found at ArtIsPHL.com.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy.

About PHDC

PHDC is Philadelphia’s full-service community development organization. From home repair to financing affordable housing, PHDC preserves and develops housing. PHDC also helps residents, community groups, businesses and developers repurpose vacant land. Each initiative supports amenities that make Philadelphia neighborhoods great places to live.

PHDC and The Knight Foundation Announce Applications for GROUP 2 of ARTisPHL
Public Art to Empower, Connect and Engage Communities

PHDC Announces Finalists In ART IS PHL Awardees
Philly Artists Connecting Communities

Contact: Jamila Davis, PIO, Department of Planning and Development & PHDC, [email protected]

PHILADELPHIA, PA-October 29, 2021-PHDC and the James L. Knight Foundation are excited to announce the three Philadelphia artists selected to receive funding to implement their community-based public art ideas through ART IS PHL.

Each of the three selected artists will receive an award of $30,000 to realize their project.

• “Along the 23” by Christina Maria Castro-Tauser
  The project consists of 16 original works of art: eight original visual artworks and eight 2- to 4- minute dance videos (with music). The eight artworks will be reproduced for public display on bus shelters along the route of SEPTA bus 23, each on a different shelter, from 12th and Market Streets to Germantown Avenue and Sedgwick Street. A QR code on every display will access all eight dance videos. The goal for “Along the 23” is to enhance through art the communal experience of riding public transportation and to engage people in exploring their own communities and others as they interact with dance, music, and visual art during their daily lives. 
• “Gather Together in Their Name” by Jungwoong Kim with Shavon Norris
  Gather Together in Their Name is a community-based project that involves community dialog and collective remembrance, community-informed art-making, family and community archiving, and interactive/immersive art sharing. The project pays homage to the importance of memorial rituals and traditions to community identity and connectivity.  
• “Our Market” by Michelle Angela Ortiz
  Based on the stories collected by community members through gatherings and creative sessions, Ortiz will design twenty (3’x5’) lightboxes that will be installed along the corridor of 9^th and Washington Avenue through Ellsworth Street. The twenty lightboxes created will run along the 9^th Street corridor under the awnings from Washington Avenue to Ellsworth Street. Each lightbox will  be installed in the existing structures of the metal awnings and will use waterproof LED lights.

“The ArtisPHL Program is giving artists the ability to create new avenues of expression for our city and its residents,” said David Thomas, CEO of PHDC. “PHDC and the City of Philadelphia has a long commitment to art, and I look forward to the final products from each of these talented artists.”

Full program details, videos from the artists and more information can be found at ART IS PHL.

About ART IS PHL

ART IS PHL is a first of its kind, multi-round program designed to create high-quality, artist-driven and community-informed public art. Artists from across Philadelphia will reimagine how we engage with each other and our communities. This program, made possible with $150,000 of public funds and $150,000 from John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, supports local artists who are interested in expanding public art in Philadelphia. Full program details can be found at ART IS PHL.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy.

About PHDC

PHDC is Philadelphia’s full-service community development organization. From home repair to financing affordable housing, PHDC preserves and develops housing. PHDC also helps residents, community groups, businesses and developers repurpose vacant land. Each initiative supports amenities that make Philadelphia neighborhoods great places to live. PHDC website provides more information on programs and services offered.

PHDC (formerly PRA’s) Percent For Art Background:

The City of Philadelphia was the first city in the United States to adopt programs for acquiring and commissioning works of contemporary public art for new development. The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA) pioneered the Percent for Art Program in March 1959, becoming the first program in the United States to make the commissioning of public art an integral part of any publicly funded development. The program has commissioned over 350 works of public art have been installed in all areas of the city. On October 14, 2020, PRA’s Board of Directors authorized the transfer of management and control of the Program to PHDC. The City of Philadelphia also has it’s own Percent for Art program that commissioned over 300 works of public art.

More information on both programs can be found here and here.

PHDC Announces Round 2 of ART IS PHL Awardees
Philly Artists Connecting Communities

CONTACT: Jamila Davis, [email protected] 

PHILADELPHIA, PA-July 20, 2021-
Today PHDC, through PRA’s Fund for Art and Civic Engagement, with support from the Knight Foundation, announces the Round 2 selected awardees for the ART IS PHL initiative.

The second ART IS PHL round is entitled, Round 2: Impact. Ten artists were selected for Round 2.  These ten artists will receive $1500 each and move forward to prepare full project proposals for temporary artworks.  From these proposals, three will be selected for implementation.

The Round 2: Impact artists selected are: