In 1965, a handful of West Philadelphia artists, collectors and students of the arts got together to form the University City Arts League in a modest Victorian twin at 4226 Spruce Street. Today some 4,000 students each year, from tots through teens and all the way to senior citizens, take painting and drawing...photography and sculpture...quilting and pottery...music and dance...screen writing and foreign languages...to name just a few of the 70 classes that are offered each term. And that's not counting the baker's dozen of one-time workshops held on weekends, ranging from belly-dance veil techniques to conquering the piles of paper in your otherwise artistic home.
Ten to twelve exhibitions are mounted each year in the gallery of the now-restored Victorian on Spruce Street, most of them showcasing the work of local artists and craftspeople. Almost no neighborhood fair takes place without a booth for the display and sale of the arts in University City. Twice a year when the Arts League announces its highly affordable bus tours to the art galleries of nearby cities, tickets are snapped up instantly by young and old and in between. And an annual auction of art, artifacts and antiques is a "must" for collectors throughout the Delaware Valley.
Joining the UC Arts League is easy, and in addition to giving you a member's rate for classes and workshops, it puts you on the mailing list for opening receptions and special events. You don't have to join to take classes or attend a one-time workshop, but signing up makes you part of a vital community of volunteers who care about the arts and artists of University City. |
