Mayor Michael Nutter and the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) announced Tuesday recipients of grants that will fund public performances from April through November.
Twenty-four performances by 23 recipients will take place during that time period in various public spaces. The $60,000 in grant money dispersed to performance artists is part of the Performances in Public Spaces program — which, Nutter said, aims to encourage art and culture in Philadelphia.
“I am looking forward to seeing how these performances make use of the diverse, dynamic spaces in the city and the way the public responds to and engages with these performances in non-traditional locations,” said Nutter. “We hope that this program will demonstrate the breadth and vitality of Philadelphia’s artistic community, encourage people to explore their interests in performance art and inspire continued creative use of public spaces beyond this program.”
According to Helen Haynes, chief cultural officer, the performances were strategically matched with specific neighborhoods.
“We are excited to present performances as a forum through Performances in Public Spaces. We hope that it will create a strong sense of community and provoke conversations and thoughtful dialogue around the art, which was selected in part based on the relevance to the neighborhood where it is being performed,” said Haynes.
The following performances will take place throughout the city:
- Ars Nova Workshop at Bartram's Garden
- Bagpipes for All Occasions at Marconi Plaza
- Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia at FDR Park
- Germantown Artists Roundtable at Vernon Park
- INVISIBLE RIVER at Spruce Street Harbor Park
- Jazz Bridge at Hawthorne Park
- Mad Beatz Music at Fairhill Square Park
- Rock to the Future at Clark Park
- SEAMAAC at Hawthorne Park
- Shakespeare in Clark Park at Clark Park
- Sister Cities Girlchoir at Race Street Pier
- Tangle Movement Arts at Clark Park
- Theatre in the X at Malcolm X Park
- Tomorrows Girls/Four Women at Vernon Park
- The Clay Studio at Frankford Pause
- Harry Walthers Band at Gorgas Park
- Images of the Motherland Interactive Theatre at Venice Island Performing Arts and Recreation Center
- Pasion y Arte Flamenco Company at The Porch at 30th Street Station
- Philadelphia Folksong Society at Saunders Park
- Philadelphia School of Circus Arts at Paine's Park
- Power Street Theatre Company at Frankford Pause
- Tonantzin Coatlicue Aztec Dance at Hunting Park, Campbell Square
- Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania at Pearl Street at the Asian Arts Initiative