CONTACT:
Jason Beyersdorfer
(609) 651-5617 (mobile)
jason.b@pnc.com
LOCAL ARTS ORGANIZATIONS SHARE $1 MILLION FROM PNC ARTS ALIVE
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Grants boost access to unique programs, from flamenco to working with clay
City and suburban arts groups benefit from seventh year of PNC’s contributions
PHILADELPHIA, May 20, 2015 – Affordable access to theater performances and the
symphony, an opportunity to create art with clay and unique interpretations of flamenco dance
performances are among the plans of 22 arts organizations receiving grants totaling $1 million from
the PNC Foundation through PNC Arts Alive.
For the seventh straight year, PNC will support large and small arts groups in the
Philadelphia-Southern New Jersey region. The grants cover a wide range of disciplines, audiences
and participatory experiences. [See below for the complete list of grant recipients.]
Since its introduction, PNC Arts Alive has provided a total of $7 million to support more than
160 arts programs and 80 organizations to increase access to the arts and culture in PhiladelphiaSouthern New Jersey.
“Through PNC Arts Alive, we continue to help invigorate local arts organizations while
bringing new and exciting programs to our community,” said Paula Fryland, PNC regional president
for Philadelphia-Southern New Jersey. “The creativity and collaboration demonstrated by the local
arts community is evident in the programs that will be introduced, while enabling new visitors and
residents alike to experience a diverse range of exhibits and performances.”
Family Fun, Free Events
The return of two annual family programs, the Philadelphia Museum of Arts’ summer season
“Arts Splash” and the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center’s Philly Photo Day in the fall, provide
opportunities for the community to come together to experience the visual arts and photography.
Walnut Street Theatre will introduce a production of “Peter and the Starcatcher” designed to
reconnect with Latino and African-American audiences, as well as audiences of all ages and
backgrounds.
Wheaton Arts Center will hold free admission on select weekends, enabling children and
families to participate in hands-on activities and art making experiences.
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Local Arts Organizations Share $1 Million From PNC Arts Alive – Page 2
PNC Arts Alive is a multi-year grant initiative of the PNC Foundation that challenges visual
and performing arts organizations to put forth their best, most original thinking in expanding
audience participation and engagement. To date, this award-winning program has provided
approximately $12 million in grants to enterprising cultural organizations in three regions served by
PNC. For more information visit www.pncartsalive.com.
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services
Group (NYSE: PNC), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of
communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission
on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts
and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a
$350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school
and life.
[ PNC ARTS ALIVE 2015 GRANT RECIPIENTS FOLLOWS ]
PNC Arts Alive – 2015 Grant Recipients
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture
Arab Music Meets Classical Series: Bring Your Own Drum! Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture will present
Arab and Western Classical music with Prometheus Chamber Orchestra at three different neighborhoods
in Philadelphia in the Spring of 2016. The series will include pre-concert percussion workshops that allow
audience members to participate during interactive portions of the concerts. March - June 2016.
http://www.albustanseeds.org
Asian Arts Initiative
The Pearl Street Pop Up Series will present new strands of arts programming in the unconventional
setting of the Pearl Street alley in Chinatown North. Events and happenings will include visual art
installations and site-specific performances inspired by the physical and social landscape of the alley and
the wider neighborhood. July 2015 through October 2016. http://asianartsinitiative.org/
Bay-Atlantic Symphony
Symphonic PNC – Great Classics and Pops will be held at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in
Atlantic City on September 19. It will feature the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein with Broadway
singers Teri Dale Hansen and Nathaniel Stampley, and hosted by Oscar Andy Hammerstein III. Music
from Broadway favorites like “Oklahoma,” “South Pacific,” and “The Sound of Music” will be featured. In
addition, the 2015 classical summer series at the Borgata’s Music Box will be performed July 19, August 2
and August 30, 2015. The classical series will include powerhouses Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony,
Rimsky- Korsakov’s “Scheherazade” and will feature such dynamic soloists as the First Prize winner of the
2013 Sphinx Competition cellist Christine Lamprea and New Jersey pianist Terrence Wilson.
http://bayatlanticsymphony.org/
Brandywine River Museum
Beginning in 2016, Brandywine River Museum of Art will offer six free family admission days on the first
Sunday of the month. Families will have the chance to explore the museum’s unparalleled collection of
American art, including works by three generations of the Wyeth family, native gardens, and special
exhibitions and participate in high quality, hands-on arts programming. Free Sunday activities will take
place between 11 AM and 2 PM in February, March, April, May, October and November. http://www.brandywinemuseum.org/
Cape May Stage
Cape May Stage will produce 14 family-oriented theatre arts programs combining daytime workshops and
evening performances with recognized professionals. Each workshop – performance combination will
focus on a different aspect of theatre, to illustrate how improvisation, illusion, music, puppetry, staging,
playacting, and mimicry can be used to tell a story. The series is scheduled from June through October in
2015 and again in 2016. Attendees are invited onstage during the workshops. During evening
performances, participants become audience members sharing reactions to what happens onstage.
Members of Cape May’s year-round community will be encouraged to participate in the summer family
events, and also to participate in a winter workshop performance program (2015-2016). http://www.capemaystage.org/
Clay Studio
The Clay Studio's (TCS) Hands On Clay project uses clay to break the barriers of who is "creative" by
welcoming all to get their hands dirty. As part of First Friday gallery openings in June - October 2015 and
2016, TCS will host free, public workshops taught by Clay Studio teaching artists. During these
workshops visitors can create a ceramic piece of their own in a social workshop setting. In addition, TCS
will create “pop up” ceramic studios in public spaces and at festivals. These will include a head-to-head
competition or “Wheel Battles” on the potter’s wheel. “Battles” include: creating the tallest vessel,
throwing blind–folded, the most mugs in three minutes, and a tandem throw wherein audience members
and the artist team up to throw the tallest vessel. In the fall, TCS will host Clayfest, which allows
community members to learn to create with clay and interact with ceramic artists. Activities include
"Wheel Battles," artist demonstrations, “paint your own” vessel activities, clay animation production, and
more. https://www.theclaystudio.org/
First Person Arts
Held annually in Philadelphia since 2002, the First Person Arts Festival is the only festival of its kind,
dedicated to presenting art based on real life stories by well-known and emerging artists working across
artistic disciplines. Recent FPA Festival artists include novelist Toni Morrison, activist Angela Davis,
actress Janeane Garofalo, chef and memoirist Marcus Samuelsson, lead singer of Earth, Wind, & Fire
Philip Bailey, monologist Mike Daisey, Obie Award-winning playwright Dael Orlandersmith, and
Philadelphia’s first Poet Laureate, Sonia Sanchez. The 14th Annual First Person Arts Festival Presented
by PNC Arts Alive will take place November 4-21, 2015 in multiple venues across Philadelphia. To receive
info about the 14th Annual First Person Arts Festival, sign up for the First Person Arts email list here.
http://firstpersonarts.org/
FringeArts
PNC Arts Alive will be the presenter of the 2016 year-round performance series at Fringe Arts’ new
home. The series includes dance, theater, and music by high caliber artists from Philadelphia and around
the world. The hope is to reach 83,000 audience members with a diverse set of programs in five
categories: FringeArts Presents, Studio Series, Music, Scratch Night, and Late Night. In addition,
FringeArts and restaurant partner, La Peg, will also host events designed to attract diverse audiences,
with the goal of engaging audiences in artistic experimentation and innovation. http://fringearts.com/
InterAct Theatre Company
PNC Arts Alive will be named Audience Action Sponsor for InterAct’s inaugural season at The Drake from
October 2015 - June 2016, and featured as such on all printed and electronic materials. Under the
umbrella of Audience Action, InterAct will continue the PNC Arts Alive subsidized ticket program, which
will be renamed $10 ACTION TIX. These complimentary tickets will be distributed to a selection of
groups, organizations, or social networks whose work or interests intersect with the topics or themes of a
given production. Special effort will be made to reach underserved groups and millennial audiences.
http://interacttheatre.org/
New Hope Arts
The PNC Arts Alive Outdoor Sculpture Project is a free and accessible public art display creating an
artistic gateway into the Borough of New Hope. Presently, the Sculpture Project consists of 8 sculptures in
situ. Under the PNC Arts Alive umbrella the program will expand beginning in late May 2015, adding at
least seven (7) new pieces through Summer and Fall of 2015 and Spring 2016. The official opening for
the exhibition is planned for July 4th weekend 2015. This walk-able family friendly public art display will
be explored and enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Artist selection, site preparation, installation and
maintenance will be administered by New Hope Arts. http://www.newhopearts.org/
Opera Philadelphia
Opera Philadelphia will celebrate the opening weekend of its season with a free-to-the-public, open-air
broadcast of Verdi’s La traviata. The fifth annual Opera on the Mall will offer a large-scale, shared cultural
experience through a broadcast of the previous evening’s opening night performance, richly captured in
HD with multiple cameras. The opera, sung in Italian, will be shown with English subtitles, and the music
will be delivered through a state-of-the-art audio array. Opera Philadelphia is continuing its missiondriven effort to bring opera outside of the opera house and engage new audiences, especially from
underserved communities that may not otherwise have easy access to the arts. The festival-style, civic
event will invite the region’s residents and visitors to experience world-class artistry through the
performance of one of the most beloved titles in the operatic canon at Independence National Historical
Park. The event will be held on Oct. 3 at 6:00 p.m. with the rain date of Oct. 4. Registration for free
tickets opens on September 2, 2015 at operaonthemall.org.
Pasion y Arte Flamenco
Philly Tablao will present Philadelphia’s two premier flamenco companies: Pasion y Arte and De Luna a
Lunares featuring special invited Flamenco masters from Spain at the Asian Arts Initiative. Each company
and artist will present their unique interpretation of flamenco in an intimate setting where wine and tapas
will be served. Tablao is the traditional performance setting for popular flamenco that first appeared in
the 18th- and 19th-century Spain. http://www.pasionyarteflamenco.org/
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Family Arts Academy encourages family members to connect via the creative process by stretching
their imaginations, and learning new artistic skills. The program kicks-off with a Family Arts Festival on
PAFA’s Lenfest Plaza, featuring performances, art-making, and community projects. All workshops are
FREE and open to the public, broadening access to the arts throughout Philadelphia. Emphasis is on
families and children working together, which is a known factor in improving student academic
achievement. PAFA also helps parents learn how to talk to their kids about art and encourage them to
explore their creativity, and gives tips on integrating art into daily life with suggestions of low-cost/free
artistic projects. https://www.pafa.org
People’s Light & Theatre Company
PNC Arts Alive Wide Welcome features the regional premiere of A Single Shard, a theatrical
adaptation by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award- winning playwright Robert Schenkkan of Linda Sue Park’s
Newbery Award-winning young adult novel of the same name, and a free series of events and activities
associated with this production. Set in 12th Century Korea, A Single Shard is a powerful and uplifiting
coming-of-age story that follows an 12 year-old orphan who strives to find a better life. Program to
include: Welcome Wednesdays, Welcome Nights/Afternoons at the Theatre and Welcome Access and
Community Performances. http://www.peopleslight.org
Perkins Center for the Arts
Social Artworking will focus on eliminating financial barriers to the arts through: Free professional outdoor
concert performances of classical and contemporary music in Collingswood and Moorestown; Free
Summer Arts & Eco Camp tuition and transportation for Camden youth, a full-day multi-week program at
Perkins Center, Moorestown; Free bi-weekly Final Friday workshops encouraging family participation via
“making stations” designed to facilitate collaborative creations by the Camper and his/her family; Free
and low-cost “creation stations” during the Collingswood Farmers’ Market (taking place in front of Perkins
Center, Collingswood) which will create a direct connection to the artwork on view in Perkins Center’s
gallery. http://www.perkinscenter.org/
PHILADANCO! The Philadelphia Dance Company
PHILADANCO! will present the 4th annual Founder’s Day Concert at the Dell Music Center. This concert
is an affordable option for families and individuals with limited financial means. A unique aspect to the
Founder’s Day Concert is that the audience experiences not only superb performances by the professional
company but also the creative and innovative presentations by Danco 2 (D/2) Apprentice Company and
Danco 3 (D/3) Youth Ensemble with invited renowned Guest Artists.
Xmas Philes created by highly acclaimed choreographer Danny Ezralow has been a holiday tradition in
Philadelphia and one of PHILADANCO’s most requested works. Xmas Philes will be back at the Kimmel
Center in December with six performances. It has been described as infectious, bold, colorful, disarming
and fun and yet messages of trust, protection, resolve and rebirth emerge to capture the hearts and
minds of the audience. http://www.philadanco.org/
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Art Splash will return to the PMA this summer, with daily family programming, hands-on studio activity,
and in-gallery exploration designed to bring the visual arts to life for families across the region. This
year’s Art Splash will feature fresh programming and a new family-friendly app that draws upon PMA’s
popular children’s publication, A is for Art Museum (2008), to encourage kids and their grownups to see
art in new ways and turn a trip to the museum into a treasure hunt. With support from PNC, free or
significantly reduced-cost Art Splash admission will be provided to up to 10,000 Philadelphia community
members. http://www.philamuseum.org
Philadelphia Orchestra
Sound All Around (SAA), eZseatU and Young Friends programs work collectively to engage
audiences from pre-school aged children through millennials to develop lifelong connections to classical
music. Through SAA, the Orchestra provides a low-cost avenue for children 3-5 years old to attend
interactive music education experiences. eZseatU and Young Friends continues the Orchestra’s
engagement of younger audiences by providing low costs access for young adults ages 18-40. Through
an online membership program, eZseatU allows undergraduate and graduate students to pay a one-time
$25 membership fee that provides access to the Orchestra’s concerts at no additional costs per ticket.
Students “graduating” from eZseatU can continue to deepen their participation through the Orchestra’s
Young Friends program. This program continues to cultivate these Young Friends (ages 21-40) through
innovative partnerships with established local corporate and other non-profit young friends groups,
networking and special events. https://www.philorch.org/education
Philadelphia Photo Arts Center
Philadelphia Photo Arts Center is launching an expansion of its extremely popular Philly Photo Day
event, extending it regionally. An expanded print and transit advertising campaign will increase
engagement, urging everyone to take out their phones and cameras on October 9, 2015 and capture a
view of life in the region. Together these thousands of images will provide a portrait of the Greater
Philadelphia area. Everyone is invited to take a photograph and submit online for inclusion in the gallery
exhibition, online exhibition, and outdoor public art display. The images will be mapped online using geotagging so that anyone anywhere can view the images by location, increasing engagement with the
photographs over a full-year online. 3 winning photographs will be exhibited on posters throughout
Septa’s regional rails. Additionally, one person will be chosen for the top prize of having their car wrapped
in their photograph, using the same technique seen on city buses! https://www.philaphotoarts.org/
Scribe Vide Center
FreeView, presented by PNC Arts Alive is an audience development initiative designed to introduce
underserved audiences to the joys and potential of independently produced film. These films are not the
ones that are screening at the local multiplex. Featured films will include documentary, narrative and
experimental works that represent voices outside the mainstream including African-American, Latino,
Asian-American, and African filmmakers and films that give voice to racially and economically
disadvantaged groups. Working in partnership with community organizations representative of
underprivileged audiences, Scribe will provide 40 free tickets to 12 Producers’ Forum screenings and offer
free admission for 18 Storyville screenings. http://scribe.org/
Walnut Street Theatre
PNC Arts Alive is the Community Partner for Walnut Street Theatre’s 2016 production of Peter and the
Starcatcher. Building on the successful partnership with PNC Arts Alive during the past two seasons,
this project will allow the Walnut to reengage diverse audiences in the Latino and African-American
communities with a new and innovative play that appeals to individuals of all ages and backgrounds. The
program includes two PNC Arts Alive sponsored community performances with post-show talkbacks.
Complimentary tickets remove economic barriers, especially for families seeking affordable ways to enrich
their children’s lives through the arts. http://www.walnutstreettheatre.org/
Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center
Wheaton Wide Open Weekends will offer free admission over ten key weekends from July – December
2015 and feature hands on activities and art marking experiences for the whole family to enjoy. Key
community partners and other local non-profits will participate each weekend adding to the depth of the
experience. http://www.wheatonarts.org/
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