For the past eighteen months I have been helping the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program plan and launch a new social practice residency, the Neighborhood Time Exchange. The project grew out of a muraLAB event in 2012, at which I invited the founders of the Broken City Lab collective to talk about place-based social practice, and then invited them to submit a proposal for a project in Philly. The project was announced today, and there will be a public open house on Friday night. For event details click here.
Over the next year, fifteen artists will be given residencies of up to three months, including studio space at a hub in West Philadelphia. For each hour they work in the studio, they will be required to spend an hour in community service. One unique aspect of this approach is that projects will help implement Make Your Mark, a community-based revitalization plan completed two years ago … ensuring that this is one plan that does not “sit on the shelf.”
Partners on the project include the People’s Emergency Center CDC, and the City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy. Major funding came from the NEA’s Our Town program.
Click here for a report from today’s news about the project.
Click here for a link to the Neighborhood Time Exchange web page.
Click here for information about our opening, January 9.
Click here to learn about Broken City Lab.