For 10 months, selected local and international artists have worked in a newly-renovated storefront space at 4017 Lancaster Avenue as part of the “Neighborhood Time Exchange” Artists-in-Residence Program. This Friday, the artists along with the Mural Arts Program, The People’s Emergency Center, Broken City Lab, and The City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy will present their culminating exhibition, Reciprocity: Exhibiting Moments and Momentum from Neighborhood Time Exchange.

Three cohorts of artists participated in residencies between January and September 2015 and worked for one to three months: The first cohort of residencies, which took place between January and March, included artists Ian Sampson, Betty Leacraft, Kandis Friesen, and Philippe Leonard. The second cohort, between April and June, included Macon Reed, Camae Dennis and Rasheedah Phillips, Matt Neff, and Sasha Phyars-Burgess. The third included Pato Hebert, Lucy Pistilli and Brian Bazemore, John Phillips, Mark Clare, and Meredith Degyanski. 

Photo courtesy Neighborhood Time Exchange

Neighborhood Time Exchange resident artists received studio space, a monthly stipend, and basic tools and supplies. In exchange, artists contributed volunteer time to work with residents on their ideas to enhance their neighborhoods. Throughout the Time Exchange, artists explored the complex and necessary role that responsible and accountable creative practice can play in a challenged and changing neighborhood.

The neighborhoods targeted for Time Exchange are part of the West Philadelphia Promise Zone, a national initiative designed to provide communities of poverty with the chance for opportunity and success. The sections within the Promise Zone that Time Exchange focused on include Belmont, Mantua, Mill Creek, Saunders Park, and West Powelton. The Time Exchange project worked together with Promise Zone residents on revitalization projects to make a difference through art and community outreach.

The exhibition opening reception is on Friday, Nov. 13 from 5-8 p.m. at the Neighborhood Time Exchange (4017 Lancaster Avenue). The exhibition runs from November 13 until December 11. A closing reception will be held on Dec. 11 from 6-9 p.m. For more information about the exhibition and the artists, visit the Neighborhood Time Exchange website.