Community Outreach

Educational Activities Undertaken by Resident Artists

The 40th Street Artist-in Residence program asks each artist to share his or her talents with the West Philadelphia community. Residents are encouraged to offer workshops or classes, exhibit work in the local community, and create public installations in the area.

Current residents are undertaking the following projects in the community:

• Francesca Pfister will help teach a photography elective to middle school students at Penn Alexander School. The class will explore identity in a school that includes multiple races, ethnicities and backgrounds.
  
• Gabriele Tiberno is teaching life drawing to students in Vanessa Marshall’s art class at West Philadelphia High School. The lessons will culminate in a mural project at the school.
  
• Sarah Stefana Smith is working with teacher Pam Toller on a photography project with students from Shaw Middle School.
  
• Maria Anasazi is collaborating with the Spiral Q Puppet Theater for a project that involves creating puppets and large handmade books.
  
• Beth Pulcinella will organize an outdoor collaborative performance involving theater and puppetry to highlight issues of gentrification and displacement in Philadelphia.

Residents from the previous round (fall 2007) completed the following projects:

Frances Bradley taught an illustration class to youth and adults at the Southwest Community Enrichment Center. The class focused on using art to counter negative media images of African Americans.

Frances Bradley teaches at the Southwest Community Enrichment Center

Pheralyn Dove taught language skills to students at Shaw Middle School as part of the Sonia Sanchez Literacy Program.

Pheralyn Dove teaches at Shaw Middle School

Laureen Griffin’s project, entitled “Gender Portraiture,” invited various members of the community to pose for photographs wearing costumes that challenged gender norms. Laureen also facilitated discussions of gender issues as part of her Trans-gression group and held a forum with University of Pennsylvania professor Heather Love on the same topic.

Portrait of a Mother from the “Gender Portraiture” series by Laureen Griffin.

Michael Schwartz facilitated that creation of a community mural at the Rotunda. Various groups in West Philadelphia participated in the design and execution of this very colorful work, called “Collective Imprints,” which will adorn the balconies of the Rotunda’s performance space.

Participants at the “Collective Imprints” project at the Rotunda.

Past residents' outreach efforts include: A curriculum on printmaker Dox Thrash taught by Christopher Hartshorne in collaboration with Shaw Middle School teacher Pam Toller; an art class taught by Sinae Lee for clients of Drexel Community Health Services; a puppet-making workshop for clients at a drug rehabilitation facility offered by Jonathan Prull in conjunction with Spiral Q Puppet Theater; a book arts workshop at the Southwest Community Enrichment Center offered by Mary Tasillo; Zoë Cohen’s interactive public art work, “Listening Station,” conducted at various sites in West Philadelphia including the International House; drawing and painting workshops conducted at Jennifer Ferrell’s studio with elementary-grade students from Dolores Gmitter’s class at Powel School; an African-based textile dyeing project conducted by Betty Leacraft in collaboration with Shaw Middle School teacher Pam Toller; a computer animation curriculum taught by Scott White in conjunction with Sadie Alexander/Penn partnership school teacher Cara Crosby; a book-making workshop taught by Elysa Voshell at the Sadie Alexander/Penn partnership school; a mural project at the Pearl Street Walkway (55th and Vine Streets) designed by Alex Paik and Kate Stewart; A tapestry project at Cliveden Convalescent Center led by Linda Goss and Gretchen Shannon
A found-object sculpture project led by Jill Maio in Dolores Gmitter’s class at Powel School; a mural created by Delia King at Vare Recreation Center, 26th and Morris Streets; a reverse glass project created by youth at Safe Haven, 57th and Race Streets, with assistance from Delia King; classes taught by Lee Tusman at the Red Cross House, 40th Street and Powelton Avenue; bookmaking classes by Jerushia Graham at the People’s Emergency Center (PEC); a Mural project by Grace Jung at the Police Athletic League (PAL); comic book illustration classes by Jeremy Vaughn at Bryant School.