Spring has arrived at Awbury Arboretum

It was a damp and chilly Friday, but that didn't stop us from volunteering at the Awbury Arboretum to help beautify their grounds in preparation for spring! We raked the Victorian garden free of leaves and also planted pansies in the planters in front of the Francis Cope House.

Bridges Reception at the PMA

On Wednesday, September 3, a reception was held in the Education Corridor at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to celebrate Bridges, an exhibition featuring artists from SpArc Services' Cultural Arts Center. The Bridges program is an art-making project that connects community programs like the Cultural Arts Center with the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s collections. Participants have guided tours of the Museum’s collections throughout the year, then create their own works of art in their program’s studios and exhibit them at the Museum.

The artists of the Cultural Arts Center viewed many highlights from the museum's collection during their tours, including still life, landscapes, surrealist art, and modern and contemporary works. Many of the artists responded most profoundly to portraits from eras spanning the 19th century to the present. When they returned to the Cultural Arts studio they worked on self-portraits, as well as portraits inspired by various cultural references including direct interpretation of works they had seen in person at the museum.

Artist Francis with his mother and grandparents

Artist Jennifer and her painting

Cultural Arts Director Linda Price, artist Mike M., and SpArc Philadelphia CEO Laura Princiotta

Artist Morgan with her mother and Laura

Artist Robbie S. with the PMA's Manager of Accessible Programs Street Thoma

Street and Laura with museum docent Dina

Cultural Arts staff past and present Felica, Sarah and Cody with guests

Cultural Arts program specialist Heather Robb with Jo Viviani and Lynne Horoschak of Moore College of Art

Linda and Jennifer

Laura with Arc of Philadelphia Board Chair Norma Carter and Board Member Jim Wilson

Morgan with portraits of her nieces

Sunshine Happiness

"Sunshine Happiness" is a great summary of the activities we do in the Cultural Arts Center! It was filmed during classes at SpArc Philadelphia, as well as during our volunteer hours at the Awbury Arboretum. Michael M., a visual artist and participant in the Cultural Arts Center, edited this video using footage filmed by him and other program participants. 

A Toast to Talent!

On May 16th, SpArc Philadelphia hosted A Toast to Talent!, an annual talent show celebrating everyone's abilities. Hundreds of audience members enjoyed a matinee show and an evening show. Both shows featured the enthusiasm and talent of Cultural Arts Center artists, including a drum circle, a rousing rendition of "Down by the Riverside," and Morgan Taraska reinterpreting the classic song "My Heart Will Go On."

Volunteering at Awbury Arboretum

For the past two months program participants from Cultural Arts have been volunteering at Awbury Arboretum in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. The Arboretum has 55 acres of green space including open meadows, ponds, woods, and lawns.

Today we saved five trees by removing invasive ivy from their trunks and branches. We also explored the grounds to see all the beautiful flowering bushes and trees that spring has produced.

Terence smells a flowering tree by the Cope House

Walking the arboretum grounds

Volunteer coordinator Leslie explains how to remove ivy from a tree

Cierra cuts an ivy branch attached to a tree

Terence holds up a branch of ivory he just removed

Therapy Dog Visits

Over the past month we have been visited by sweet and friendly dogs that come to us through Therapy Dogs International. Both the program participants and the dogs enjoyed spending time with each other!

Everyone meets Raffi for the first time

Ernest and Raffi

Charlene and Raffi

Rytecka and Duxie

Alexis, Sharay and Duxie

Invisible River

The artists of PDDC's Cultural Arts Center are creating colorful site-specific sculptures for a public aerial dance and music performance in Fairmount Park this June. INVISIBLE RIVER was conceived and choreographed by former Cultural Arts Center dance teacher Alie Vidich.

The performances, which will be free and open to the public, take place on Saturday 6/15, Sunday 6/16, Saturday 6/22 and Sunday 6/23 at 8 pm.

Everyone has been working hard this past month making whimsical forest creatures to dot the landscape of this outdoor performance. Take a look!

James and Jason add layers of color to their paper mache fox

Diane wraps yarn, scarves, and cloth around tree branches to make birds

Franklin adds layers of newspaper to his paper mache chipmunk

Beyond Boundaries at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

On Friday, March 8, over 200 people attended the opening reception for Beyond Boundaries, an exhibition at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens presenting work created by the artists of PDDC’s Cultural Arts Center and Oasis Art Center (RHD). Guests had the opportunity to meet many of these visionary artists while taking in over 80 paintings, drawings, and three dimensional pieces, including bodies of work by 10 featured artists. They also interacted with a gallery transformed with an archway and other dimensional works created collaboratively by artists from both programs specifically for this exhibition. The exhibition will be on view through April 14 in the galleries at the Magic Gardens, which is open every day from 11 am to 5 pm. Admission to the Magic Gardens is $7 for adults, and $5 for students and seniors, $3 for children ages 6-12, and free for children age 5 and under.
To see more photos from the opening reception, please visit SpArc's Flickr site.

Visitors check out work by the exhibition's featured artists

Cultural Arts director Linda with SpArc's CEO Laura Princiotta and artist Isaiah Zagar

Charlene and her friends Brenda and Tthomeqa look at her painting "The Black Lodge"

Rasheed with Joe, Mary, Sarah, Matt and Tom 

Mary, Joe and Sarah

Alonzo and Linda

Stephan and his drawing

Freddy and his drawing

A Weather Forecast!

The Cultural Arts Center's fabulous dance teacher Joanna Quigley helped us to create this video exploring all the beautiful and terrifying climate events that nature can throw at you....

A Weather Forecast! from Joanna S. Quigley on Vimeo.

Little Berlin Fairgrounds Project

The artists of the Cultural Arts Center are partnering with Little Berlin to create a sculptural installation for their Fairgrounds Project. The goal of this project is to work with local artists and art organizations to transform an abandoned lot in East Kensington into an art and garden space. We're so excited to be part of this exciting undertaking!

Today we painted bricks that will be used to make one of three pyramid-like sculptures that will be part of the Fairgrounds sculpture garden.

George and David

David and John

Larry and Marie

 

Emilia and Freddy create a title mosaic on stone pavers that will be part of the installation.

 

A few of the tiled stone pavers

 

Art/Gage!

This Saturday, artists from the Cultural Arts Center had a booth at the annual Art/Gage Community Street Fair hosted by Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. We sold hand-made tote bags, note cards, hand-made paper, ceramic pots, wind chimes, and prints while raising awareness about PDDC's programs and activities.

 We made beautiful ceramic pendant necklaces. 

 Mary mans the booth!

 Our silk-screened and quilted tote bags were also for sale.

Hand-printed notecards made from handmade paper, etchings, and zines (of course!)

Visit from Camphill Kimberton Villagers

Today residents of Camphill Village Kimberton, a vibrant farming and handcrafting community including people of all ages and varied abilities located in Kimberton, PA, visited the Cultural Arts Center to create a collaborative tapestry. We also got to know each other better by participating in dance class.