Vision Driven Consulting (VDC), an organization supporting artists through consulting and training, has been running free professional development workshop series at The Rotunda for three years. Recently, they presented a Tax for Artists workshop and have more free workshops coming up at the historic venue at 40th and Walnut.

Intermediate Grant Writing & Funder Panel, which will feature funders from the Knight Foundation, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and Leeway Foundation, will take place on Monday, March 11, from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. More information is available on the Facebook event page.  Continue Reading

The developers of the sprawling former Provident Mutual Life Insurance property at 46th and Market Streets began a series of stops at neighborhood groups last night at the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) monthly board meeting to garner support and input for its proposed health campus.

A partnership between Philadelphia-based commercial developers Iron Stone and the Public Health Management Corp. (PHMC) will develop the 13-acre site, once slated to be the new home of the Philadelphia Police Department.

PHMC will run three programs at the site, including a federally funded health center that will provide primary care and dental services, a public health office and a 20- to 30-bed overnight site. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) plans to operate a children’s mental health services center from the site and several day care providers, including the YMCA, are interested in opening a large (some 120 children) facility, Andrew Eisenstein of Iron Stone Real Estate Partners told the SHCA board.  Continue Reading

Construction has begun on the vacant lot on the southwest corner of 40th and Pine Streets (400 S. 40th St) where a 19th century Italianate mansion, designed by architect Samuel Sloan, once stood.

A developer, Equinox Management & Construction, is redeveloping the site into a market-rate apartment complex called The Azalea, which will be targeted at graduate students. The first construction permit – for the building’s foundation – was issued last month.  Continue Reading

20+ architectural illustrations of Paul P. Cret’s Philadelphia, by artist Ben Leech, on view in the Hamilton Mansion at The Woodlands
Ink, pencil and watercolor on paper

Opening Reception, November 17th, 5:30-8:00PM

About the artist: Ben Leech studied religion (Reed College, B.A., 1999) and historic preservation (School of the Art Institute of Chicago, M.S., 2006) before moving to Pennsylvania in 2007. From 2010 to 2015, he was advocacy director for the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. He has taught architectural history, archival research, and building documentation at the University of Pennsylvania, Franklin & Marshall College, Temple University, and Philadelphia University. In 2017, he founded Archivolt Press and published 36 Views of Philadelphia, a postcard book of his sketches. He maintains an unproven theory that old buildings vibrate at frequencies invisible to the naked eye, which can only be captured by the act of drawing. This is his first solo exhibition.

Open Viewing Hours for Cret Illustrated:

November 18, 2017: Noon – 4:00pm
November 25, 2017: Noon – 4:00pm
December 2, 2017: Noon – 4:00pm
December 9, 2017: Noon – 4:00pm
December 16, 2017: Noon – 4:00pm
December 23, 2017: CLOSED
December 30, 2017: Noon – 4:00pm
January 6, 2018: Noon – 4:00pm
January 13, 2018: Noon – 4:00pm

If you are interested in visiting the exhibit during business hours please contact The Woodlands at info@woodlandsphila.org

The Porch at 30th Street Station, built by UCD.

University City District, a nonprofit, had always insisted on building public spaces – parks, plazas, a composting facility – that were accessible to all. But, about two years ago, UCD’s Vice President of Planning and Economic Development, Andrew Stober, and his co-workers had a realization: When it comes to equity and inclusion, “We don’t really know what we’re talking about,” Stober said. With a new initiative called “Just Spaces,” they hope that will start to change.

UCD, which built The Porch at 30th Street Station, collects plenty of data on who uses its spaces and how, but it knows less about who doesn’t, and why not. Enter the group’s new self-audit, “Just Spaces,” which is focused on identifying groups that feel unwelcome at UCD’s public spaces, and to help welcome them instead. Most obviously, the initiative might examine proximity – Who can get to a space easily?; infrastructure, since even a swing-set can be inaccessible to some; and commerce, How expensive are the concession stands? Sometimes, inclusion just means selling something other than a gourmet hamburger.  Continue Reading

Scribe Video Center’s Street Movies! program returns this month for its 20th season with free outdoor film screenings and live performances. All events are family-friendly and take place in neighborhoods across Philadelphia, including in West Philly.

Scribe Video Center partners with local organizations for Street Movies! to guide the selection process and choose the best film programs for their communities. This August, the traveling series will feature a range of short films, from internationally recognized award-winning fiction, documentary, and animation to local community- and youth-produced works.  Continue Reading