New Art Program Kicks Off In City

The Philadelphia Department of Commerce, the Office of Arts and Culture and the Creative Economy recently announced a new arts program that aims to energize commercial corridors through art and creative spaces and the first installation will be completed in Chestnut Hill a release from the Mayor's Office stated. 

ReStore Corridors, the release continued will create "temporary art projects that will be installed in vacant or under-utilized properties to enhance the streetscape and attract new visitors to the neighborhood." 

Projects were chosen based on several criteria including:

• Overall concept plan
• Compatibility with the city's goals 
• Preliminary stakeholder commitment and partnerships 
• Organizational capacity to manage the project
• Potential connectivity to other neighborhood initiatives and programming. 

The first installation, "New Trails" is set on Germantown Avenue within Fairmount Park in Chestnut Hill. The main gallery at 8517 Germantown Avenue is hosting a public reception Friday at 6 p.m. and expects more than 20 artists to produce work about Chestnut Hill. More information about the project can be found by clicking here.   

“Bustling commercial corridors are the lifeblood of our neighborhoods and the backbone of our business community,” Michael Nutter said in the release. “Public space for art and creative use will engage the community in new ways. Our Administration places a high value on supporting Philadelphia’s creative industries.” 

The art initiative aims to, the release continued, create partnerships with community organizations, businesses and artists to transform storefronts into imaginative and innovative spaces that will bring more activity and traffic into targeted areas. 
“Philadelphia is a place where the words ‘creative’ and ‘economy’ really do come together,” Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Alan Greenberger said in the statement. “That's why the city is so excited to bring increased resources and attention to our neighborhood commercial corridors, and to do so in a way that engages the community through art.  The first project has already sparked a high level of interest, and we are confident that our investment – along with the hard work of the artists involved – will help to further the redevelopment of these important centers of commerce.”