PHILADELPHIA – February 12, 2014– The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Free Library of Philadelphia are bringing the arts into Philadelphian’s everyday lives with Library Acts of Culture®. The series of pop-up performances in unexpected settings have featured flamenco dance, jazz and classical music performances, to-date.

Upcoming performances are scheduled for locations such as the Kensington, Haverford and Torresdale neighborhood libraries and will highlight the talents of dancers from BalletX, actors from Lantern Theater Company, choreographer Kate Watson-Wallace, musicians from Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra and more.

These performances, programmed in Philadelphia by Canary Promotion and taking place in eight cities across the country, demonstrate the importance of libraries as a community resource and a hub of creativity – spaces that are as much about creation as collection.

“Libraries are amongst the most democratic community spaces we have, used by people from every walk of life, in every age group.  Because they are so deeply rooted in their neighborhoods, we thought they were an organic way to bring the arts into people’s daily lives,” said Dennis Scholl, vice president of arts for Knight Foundation.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase what lively and surprising places libraries can be. Indeed, this effort highlights the fact that we are not just the Free Library of Philadelphia—We are the Free Library of Inspiration,” said Siobhan A. Reardon, President and Director of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Library Acts of Culture® kicked off in Miami last year and has branched out to Philadelphia; St. Paul, MN; Macon, GA; and Akron, OH with more to come. The performances follow Knight Foundation’s popular Random Acts of Culture ™ series, which brought performers to malls, train stations and other public spaces to great acclaim.

Photos and videos can be shared via #LibraryActsofCulture on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, with more information available at LibraryActsofCulture.org.For more on Knight Foundation’s arts initiative, visit KnightArts.org, and connect to @KnightArts on Twitter and on Facebook.

About the Free Library of Philadelphia
The mission of the Free Library of Philadelphia is to advance literacy, guide learning and inspire curiosity. Its vision is to build an enlightened community devoted to lifelong learning. For more, visit www.freelibrary.org. 

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Members of the Press
For more information and to schedule photos, video or interviews for an upcoming Library Acts of Culture, please contact:
Megan Wendell, Canary Promotion
Philadelphia Knight Foundation Representativemegan [at] canarypromo [dot] com">
megan [at] canarypromo [dot] com
(215) 690-4065