Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia 2012 Finalists

In 2010, The John S & James L Knight Foundation launched a 3 year, $9 million initiative to fund innovation & engagement in the arts in Philadelphia. With only 3 rules, (the idea must be about the arts, the project must take place in or benefit Philadelphia & grant recipients must find funds to match Knight’s commitment) Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia grants funding to literally anyone, including individual artists, non-profit organizations, businesses, community groups, collaborations, etc, who can answer one simple question in 150 words or less:

What’s your best idea for the arts in Philadelphia?

55 finalists have officially been announced for the Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia in 2012. Among the names included in this diverse & exciting list are individuals and organizations that I’ve advocated for in the past as well as several that are entirely new to me, both sparking my curiosity and continuing my interest in Philadelphia’s vibrantly diverse arts and culture community. Winners will be announced later this Spring, and this is my top ten list of big ideas I hope to see become realities in the coming months.
 

Top 10 Knight Arts Challenge Finalists I’m Excited About

1. Little Berlin

To help transform the East Kensington neighborhood by turning an empty lot into an event space for musicians, art fairs and children’s workshops

2. Bearded Ladies Cabaret

To attract new audiences to theater – and use the medium as a way to explore politics, gender, sexuality and identity – through a series of original, late night cabarets

3. The Hacktory

To promote the use of technology in the arts by developing a corps of interactive artist teachers who will share their knowledge and expertise in programming and engineering with Philadelphia artists

4. David Clayton

To help residents fully experience the city’s two main waterways by creating a floating workstation along the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers where artists can interpret and explore the surroundings

5. Fleisher Art Memorial

To engage the community in hands-on art making by expanding the reach of a mobile studio where participants create projects inspired by their neighborhoods

6. Center for Emerging Visual Artists

To bring visual art to a wider audience by placing locally produced art in public advertising spaces in the same neighborhood where the piece was produced

7. Philadelphia Art Alliance

To re-imagine public space and civic life by organizing an all-night, free arts festival based on the Nuit Blanche/Bring to Light events in Paris, New York, Miami and other cities

8. Franklin’s Paine Skatepark Fund

To help transform neighborhoods by turning blacktop lots into art-laden skate parks

9. Moore College of Art & Design

To introduce the work of local visual artists and filmmakers to a wider audience by establishing an urban drive-in movie theater on the Parkway

10. The University of the Arts

To promote economic stability for the city’s cultural community by offering support to emerging creative businesses with pre-seed funding, mentorship programs and workshops
 

Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia 2012 Finalists

Fifty-five ideas for the Philadelphia arts have been chosen as finalists in the 2012 Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia. 1,267 applicants answered our question: “What’s your best idea for the arts in Philadelphia?” A diverse group, including individual artists, artist collectives, community groups, jazz and classical music organizations, theater companies and educational institutions, offered a wide array of innovative ideas.
 

Submissions for the city’s easiest grant application will re-open next Fall.

What’s your big idea for the arts in Philadelphia?