Photo courtesy of Neighborhood Time Exchange.

Neighborhood Time Exchange, an ongoing collaboration between the People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation (PECCDC) and Mural Arts that provides West Philadelphia artists with five-month residencies, is inviting community members to celebrate the culmination of the first Neighborhood Time Exchange artist residency of 2018. The public is invited to attend an upcoming Second Friday event with resident artist Ellen Tiberino on Friday, July 13, from 7–9 p.m. at the Neighborhood Time Exchange storefront in West Philadelphia at 4017 Lancaster Avenue. 

The program, which launched in 2014, provides free studio space, a monthly stipend, and basic tools and supplies to artists-in-residency. In exchange for time in the storefront studio at 4017 Lancaster Ave., the artists contribute time to work with local residents on their ideas to enhance their neighborhood.

The artist in residence from March through July has been West Philadelphia mosaic artist Ellen Tiberino who has more than 15 years’ experience of working in the arts. She is the daughter of Ellen Powell Tiberino and Joe Tiberino,
distinguished visual artists from West Philly.

At the July 13 culminating Second Friday event, Tiberino will unveil a community-designed mosaic — the result of a 12-week inter-generational workshop that she taught during her residency at the Neighborhood Time Exchange. Each Thursday since March, a small group that included seniors and youth from the area have gathered with Tiberino to create a mosaic that represents changes they would like to see take place in their community. The mosaic features custom-designed ceramic tiles from participants, as well as glass tiles and stained glass.

Throughout 2018 and 2019, residents of the Belmont, Mantua, Mill Creek, Saunders Park, and West Powelton neighborhoods are encouraged to share their dreams for improving the community by emailing ntx4017@gmail.com, or attending monthly Second Friday events. Each artist-in-residence works directly with neighbors and community organizations to help plan and implement their projects – from fix-ups to clean-ups, youth workshops to helping seniors.

For more information about the Neighborhood Time Exchange program, visit: www.neighborhoodtime.exchange.