Point Breeze will soon have an arts center dedicated to after-school activities, adult classes and gallery exhibitions after former Childs Elementary art teacher Maria Pandolfi partnered with fine artist Ron Kustrup to occupy the location at Point Breeze Avenue and Titan Street.
The arts center, to be housed on the ground floor of a mixed-use property at 1242 Point Breeze Ave., will be known as The Kind Institute, Naked Philly reports.
Pandolfi, a resident of Point Breeze, felt a strong connection to the community and wanted to provide local educational resources in the arts after Childs lost its art program.
Expected to open in January, the Kind Institute will serve as a gallery by day to display and sell the work of local and international artists. Art shows displaying the work of kids will also be held along with classes for parents and toddlers, while the afternoons will hold classes for elementary and middle school kids.
It will reportedly be staffed by a combination of volunteers and paid teachers. The classes won't be free, but Pandolfi and Kustrup are committed to keeping them affordable by using all gallery proceeds for the after school program.
More information can be found at The Kind Institute's Facebook page. Before the end of the year, Pandolfi and Kustrup plan to launch an Indiegogo campaign and hold a fundraising event.