Arts & Entertainment

COSACOSA Showing Off at Fringe Festival

Manayunk's community art organization performs at Canal View Park in Philly art fest.

After 20 years of providing community-based art projects in Philadelphia and beyond, Manayunk's COSACOSA decided to get Fringy with it.

Tonight, the long-time "art at large" nonprofit debuts its first of three shows in the Philly Fringe Fest. Going off at 6:30 p.m. at Canal View Park, COSACOSA presents "Changing Place," a multimedia dance show incorporating visual and auditory aspects.

Though performance pieces aren't exactly foreign to the art group, it's been a while. When Kimberly Niemela founded COSACOSA in 1990, live shows occurred more than they do today. The group's primary focus is on engaging communities through long-term projects spanning different mediums (painting, music, photography and beyond) and forums (gardens, health care facilities, schools).

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For the 20-year anniversary, Niemela decided to get back to a few live shows.

"The Fringe people approached us, and it's been a really great experience—such a supportive group. There are so many big things in the city, but this is such a great way for us to perform and connect with the community," she said.

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In true COSACOSA fashion, each performance will vary a bit.

Choreographer Adaobi Kanu was challenged to create "vignettes" based on five key phrases: power and purpose, knowledge and satisfaction, rights and responsibilities, community and opportunity, culture and change. In between her three dancers' movements, discussions will ensue with the audience on the five subject areas—so the shows will go as the crowds take them.

Additionally artists Hein Koh (paintings), Sharnae Mask (digital media), Niemela (text and music), and Ezechial Thurman (music and sound design) contributed to the performances.

The Fringe performances are a preview, in a way, for COSACOSA's anniversary year, which starts Oct. 1. The "Changing Places" show introduces the group's yearlong project—"Change in the Making."

Twenty artists in residence—10 in Philadelphia, 10 abroad—are creating community art projects to benefit, challenge and engage citizens. From Nicetown and Passyunk to El Salvador and Finland, Niemela wants people to share and explore their community's stories.

"We bring art to the community—not separate from them, that's a part of them," she said. "People in neighborhoods are creative, and we want to be able to put it all together."

An artist in residence for Israel and Palestine, for example, will tackle "conflict and resolution" and create a project with and for the community on that theme.

"It can take a lot to put an artist in a community and make them active. We're really fortunate that we have a core that is both talented and into social justice," she said.

Contributing to tonight's show with an accompanying video, Mask has been involved with COSACOSA on-and-off since being first introduced to it while in high school at Simon Gratz. Now a program manager and videographer in residence, Mask recently helped out in a six-week multimedia program for kids.

"Kids really love video, taking pictures... We try to utilize that love and teach them about their neighborhood, so one really dovetails into the other," she said.

Tonight's Fringe show is footsteps away from COSACOSA's Main Street headquarters. The free show starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Canal View Park at Main and Gay Streets. Additional shows are planned Sept. 11 at COSACOSA Healing Garden (North Marvine and West Venango Streets) and Sept. 12 Las Parcelas Garden (North Palethorp St and West Susquehanna Avenue).

A special wiki devoted to the "Change in the Making" project will be unveiled Oct. 1, but a preliminary version is live now here.


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