Blue Stoop, a literary hub supporting Philadelphia writers and readers from all walks of life, is offering 8-week writing classes for the 2020 Fall season, including Foundations of Fiction Writing, Foundations of Cultural Essay Writing, and Foundations of Poetry Writing. All classes will be virtual this fall – through Zoom – led by Philadelphia based writers and poets.

The organization is also offering shorter intensives, the first being “Creating the Creative Life You Want” with writer and founder of the online community “Permission to Write,” Ashley Coleman, on Saturday, Aug. 22.  Continue Reading

West Philly artists are invited to submit their designs for the Enterprise Center’s 52nd Street Banner Design Contest. The Enterprise Center is seeking design concepts that will “positively represent 52nd Street culture, and that community members will be proud of.” The winning design will not only be featured prominently on 52nd Street, but the artist will also be awarded a $2,500 prize!

A panel consisting from representatives from the Enterprise Center and from the West Philly arts scene will select the winning design. Preference will be given to artists who live in West Philadelphia.

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 31.

For more details and to submit your design, go here.

After a four-month closure, the Penn Museum is reopening its doors to visitors. The official reopening date is Tuesday, July 28 and the museum will have COVID-19 safety protocols in place, such as limited capacity in the galleries and advanced online ticket reservations for visitors.

Admission to the museum will be timed to help social distancing and floors will have special markings to guide visitors on a one-way route through the museum.  Continue Reading

The West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (WPCA), which promotes social change through the arts and curates the historic Paul Robeson House & Museum located at 4951 Walnut Street, is celebrating its 36th Anniversary today and has some great news to share with the community!

The organization was recently awarded a $135,000 grant by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. The funding will be used to hire a new executive director, who will be the first paid leader in the organization’s history. The nonprofit WPCA has always relied on volunteers.

The new executive director will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the WPCA and the Robeson House & Museum, as well as ensure its sustainability.  Continue Reading

The Rotunda has been closed to the public since March due to COVID-19, but the pandemic has not stopped the popular West Philly venue and arts organization from offering many virtual events this summer: performances, classes & workshops and even festivals! All events are free and available to the public via Zoom or Facebook.

The list of events for the rest of the summer is below. On September 19 and 20, The Rotunda is hosting Philadelphia’s 14th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival and is currently seeking participants – singers, dancers and other performers and poets, storytellers and other artists who can live stream (by Zoom) from their home or studio. Short film submissions and workshop presenters/speakers/panelists are also wanted. Artists will receive a stipend which will be decided based on fundraising. Volunteers and interns of all colors and genders are also sought to assist in planning and organizing for this event. Artists, presenters, and volunteers/interns can contact Cassendre Xavier, Founder & Director by email: BWAFphilly@gmail.com.

Donations can be sent via Paypal to cxmusic@gmail.com (Please use the Friends & Family option) or use this link.  Continue Reading

Map created by Dre Grigoropol

At the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, when art galleries and museums are closed, West Philly artists will put their work on their porches for everyone to enjoy! The very first West Philly Porch Art Show will take place this Saturday, June 27, from 2 to 6 p.m. with over a dozen artists participating in the event. The organizers, West Philadelphia Community Art Alliance (Facebook page), are excited to bring this event to the West Philly community:

“This is the first time many of us have seen art [in real life] in many months!”

Here’s the list of participating artists:  Continue Reading