Philly.com: ArtPlace announces 47 Grants three in Philly

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

ArtPlace announces 47 Grants, three in Philly

ArtPlace, a new collaborative grant program dedicated to fostering creative spaces, has awarded 47 grants, totaling $15.4 million. Three of the grants were awarded to Philadelphia organizations.

The Asian Arts Initiative received $450,000 for the Chinatown North Social Practice Lab, meant to encourage local and national artists to create performance and visual art that will engage the Chinatown community.

The University City District received $375,000 to create a permanent public art installation at the Porch right outside of 30th Street Station. The UCD is no stranger to public art. The org is currently presenting Heart and Soul, in which eight playable pianos were transformed by local artists and placed around the University City (including the Terry Adkins-designed piano currently residing at the Porch).

The City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy received $200,000 to kickstart activity on the Waterfront through the Croatian-Austrian design collective Numen/For Use, who will create an interactive exhibit at the Race Street Pier. The installation of nets, that people can climb around on, will be Numen/For Use's first project in the United States.

ArtPlace is a collaboration between 11 foundations, six financial institutions and the National Endowment for the Arts. These three organizations were chosen from 2200 letters of inquiry from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Original Article