PHILADELPHIA, May 9, 2011 – Thirty-six ideas for the Philadelphia arts will receive $2.7 million from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of a community-wide contest to inspire and enrich the city.

The Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia, a three-year, $9 million initiative, launched in October of last year and asked the question: “What’s your best idea for the arts in Philadelphia?”

The first-year winners represent a broad spectrum of the community. They include individual artists and artist-driven organizations such as Nichole Canuso Dance Company, author Kathleen Bonanno, and theater company Tiny Dynamite Productions, in addition to some of the city’s premier cultural institutions, including the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Theatre Company and the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

Selected from a field of over 1,700 submissions, the winning ideas include projects to:

• Nurture young residents through poetry by establishing a gathering space offering cultural workshops, as well as homework tutoring and life-skills mentoring, presented by Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement; 
• Help Philadelphia sculptors create their works safely by creating a “sculpture gym,” organized by sculptor Darla Jackson, where artists can use heavy-duty tools, have storage space and get one-on-one help with projects; and
• Attract new audiences to classical music by bridging genres and generations with a Cross-Over Classical summer series that pairs cultural icons and larger-than-life multimedia presentations with world-renowned orchestras in a relaxed outdoor setting at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts.

The full list of winners is included below, with additional project details available online at KnightArts.org. Knight Foundation will open year two of the challenge in the fall of this year.

“People understand that the arts move and inspire us. On another level, they also bring people together around shared experiences and help us imagine our collective potential,” said Alberto Ibargüen, Knight Foundation’s president and CEO. “As we look for artists and arts institutions who can do this, we don’t tell them what to do or how to do it. We want Philadelphia artists to tell us what moves them and by supporting them, we think we can move the soul of the community.”

The Knight Arts Challenge began in 2008 in Miami, where the initiative is now in its fourth year. Philadelphia is only the second city in which Knight is offering this program.

The challenge has just three rules: The idea must be about art, must take place in or benefit Philadelphia, and winners must find funds (within a year) to match Knight Foundation’s grant. Applications were open to anyone in the region and were accepted online at KnightArts.org.

“Anyone can enter the Knight Arts Challenge – all you need is a great idea. Tonight’s winners show that Philadelphia has an abundance of them – coming from a thriving creative community that makes this city special,” said Dennis Scholl, Knight Foundation’s vice president/arts.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed and engaged communities and lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

For more on Knight Foundation’s arts program, visit KnightArts.org.  Philadelphians can also learn more and share ideas with the community on the Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia Facebook page here.  Knight Foundation can be found on Facebook here.

Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia 2011 Winners

Dance and Music Enliven Seventh Street Plaza

Project:  RAAMP It Up Wednesdays
Recipient:  African American Museum in Philadelphia
Award:  $45,000
To showcase local artists by presenting commissioned dance and gospel performances through free weekly concerts at the museum’s Seventh Street Plaza.

Arab Music Promotes Cross-Cultural Understanding

Project: Arab Music Concert Series
Recipient: Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture
Award: $50,000
To promote cross-cultural understanding and appreciation for Arab music by creating a unique concert series with a resident ensemble

African-, Asian- and Latin-American Cultures Celebrated Through Classical Music

Project: Spiritual Voyages Festival
Recipient: Astral Artists
Award: $35,000
To spotlight distinctive voices in classical music by celebrating composers who are exploring their African-, Asian- and Latin-American cultures through their music

Mini-Performances Expand Cultural Experiences for Ballet Audiences

Project: eXpanding the eXperience of BalletX
Recipient: BalletX
Award: $13,000
To expand the cultural experience of ballet audiences with unexpected dance, comedy, music and spoken word during BalletX’s seasonal performances

Museum Collection Goes Mobile With App and Printed Guide

Project: You CAN take it with you!
Recipient: The Barnes Foundation
Award: $120,000
To expand the reach of the foundation’s art collection by creating an app and a printed guide that highlight and contextualize works

Audiences Get Hands-On Lessons in Conducting with Free Music Series

Project: iConduct!
Recipient: Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra
Award: $25,000
To engage audiences in classical music by creating a free summer series where participants take part in fun, mini-conducting lessons in front of professional musicians and a live audience

Free Performances and Films at City Hall

Project: City Hall Presents
Recipient: City of Philadelphia, Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
Award: $100,000
To strengthen City Hall’s role as a cultural center by presenting free music, theater, dance and spoken word performances and film screenings in the building’s indoor and outdoor spaces

Dance Performances Travel to Public Places with Portable Floor

Project: A Portable Floor for Dance in Public Places
Recipient: Dance/USA Philadelphia
Award: $45,000
To bring live dance performances to broader audiences by making available a portable dance floor that can be used by companies throughout the region at festivals and other events

Artists Get Access to Specialized Tools and Training at Sculpture Gym

Project: Philadelphia Sculpture Gym
Recipient: DarlaJackson
Award: $20,000
To help Philadelphia sculptors create their works safely by creating a “sculpture gym” where artists can use heavy-duty tools, have storage space and get one-on-one help with projects

Festival Celebrates the Evolution of African Arts

Project: Dance Africa Philadelphia!
Recipient: District OneCommunity Education Center
Award: $50,000
To celebrate the African arts by bringing the renowned festival Dance Africa to Philadelphia

Public Art Lights Up the Night Sky

Project: Open Air
Recipient: Fairmount Park Art Association
Award: $250,000
To engage residents in creating a world premiere public art event by collectively transforming the night sky with roving searchlights controlled by an app on their smart phones

Teens Gain Job Skills in Print Shop Program
Project: Fresh Artists Studio
Recipient: Fresh Artists
Award: $75,000
To engage inner city youth in the arts by creating a print studio with teen apprentices

Free Program for Students Inspires Life-Long Love of the Arts

Project: 10th Grade “Passport to the Arts”
Recipient: Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
Award: $75,000
To inspire a life-long engagement with the arts by giving Philadelphia 10th graders free admission to participating cultural institutions for one year

Art Festival Connects to Philadelphia’s Urban Landscape

Project: Hidden City Philadelphia Festival 2013
Recipient: Hidden City Philadelphia
Award: $100,000
To reconnect residents and visitors to Philadelphia’s urban landscape with an interactive festival that commissions temporary, site-specific art projects at historic landmarks

Local Writers Develop and Share Their Works in Literary Center

Project: Musehouse: A Center for the Literary Arts
Recipient: Kathleen Bonanno
Award: $50,000
To promote the creation and appreciation of poetry, plays and performance works by opening Musehouse: A Center for the Literary Arts in the city’s Mount Airy neighborhood

Live Music Connects Online With New Audiences

Project: Collaborative Connections
Recipient: LiveConnections.org
Award: $100,000
To illustrate how music connects cultures by commissioning innovative concerts for Philadelphia’s World Café Live that will be simulcast to new audiences

Cultural Icons Pair Up With World-Renowned Orchestras

Project: Cross-Over Classical
Recipient: Mann Center for the Performing Arts
Award: $200,000
To attract new audiences to classical music by bridging genres and generations with a Cross-Over Classical summer series in a relaxed outdoor setting

Audio Documentary and Website Explore the Legacy of Black Philadelphia Radio

Project: Sound and Fury
Recipient: MightyWriters
Award: $50,000
To inspire community pride by creating Sound and Fury, an audio documentary, interactive website and public panel discussions about the role of black Philadelphia radio from the 1950s to the 1980s

Local Talent is Showcased at Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby

Project: Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby
Recipient: New Kensington Community Development Corporation
Award: $20,000
To strengthen the cultural and economic fabric of the Kensington community by celebrating the talents of local artists at the annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby

Audiences Grow in a Garden of Art and Dance

Project: The Garden
Recipient: Nichole Canuso Dance Company
Award: $50,000
To broaden people’s understanding of art and dance by turning the audience into a participant in an aural and visual performance journey called The Garden

Opera Comes to Independence Mall

Project: Opening Night Philadelphia
Recipient: Opera Company of Philadelphia
Award: $150,000
To unite Philadelphia in a celebration of arts and culture by displaying – on a giant video screen at Independence Mall – the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s opening night performance of Bizet’s Carmen

Spotlight Shines on Iconic Local Symbols in Short Film Competition

Project: Philadelphia Film Festival Short Film Competition
Recipient: Philadelphia Film Society
Award: $30,000
To promote Philadelphia’s film industry by organizing a contest where filmmakers incorporate one of 20 iconic local symbols in a short film

Performance Artists Test Their Work in Monthly Salon Series

Project: The Live Arts Festival presents SCRATCH Night
Recipient: Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe
Award: $50,000
To nurture emerging artists by creating a salon night in the festival’s new headquarters where artists will present short excerpts of their work

World-renowned Street Artists Reinvent Neighborhood Tableaux

Project: Favelas to Philly
Recipient: Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
Award: $100,000
To help transform the urban landscape by hiring a world-renowned team of street artists to develop a major project in Philadelphia

Audiences Get Real-Time Mobile Content During Orchestra Performances

Project: iNotes
Recipient: The Philadelphia Orchestra Association
Award: $150,000
To expand concert content and accessibility by creating smart phone apps that supply real-time context about live performances

Festival Fosters New Play Development

Project: PTC@PLAY
Recipient: Philadelphia Theatre Company
Award: $75,000
To enhance Philadelphia’s reputation as a leader in the development of new plays by producing an annual festival of new works

After-School Program Introduces Students to Orchestral Music

Project: Tune Up Philly
Recipient: Philadelphia Youth Orchestra
Award: $150,000
To immerse communities in orchestral music by providing daily after-school music instruction and frequent community performances for elementary school students in Southwest Philadelphia

Community Space Supports Young Writers With Workshops and Tutoring

Project: Philly Youth Poetry Movement
Recipient: Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement
Award: $40,000
To nurture young residents through poetry by establishing a gathering space offering cultural workshops, as well as homework tutoring and life-skills mentoring

Program for Contemporary Performing Arts Trains Actors and Directors

Project: The Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training
Recipient: Pig Iron Theatre Company
Award: $150,000
To strengthen the contemporary performing arts scene by launching a two-year training program for actors and directors

Outdoor Performances Come to the Heart of Latino Philadelphia

Project: Cafe under the Stars: Spotlighting Arts in the Barrio
Recipient: Taller Puertorriqueño
Award: $75,000
To create personal cultural experiences that connect audiences across cultures by producing a series of monthly outdoor performances in the heart of Latino Philadelphia

Public School Children Interact With Artists in After-School Program

Project: Arts Wide Open in North Philadelphia, Anchor of the Avenue of the Arts
Recipient: Temple Performing Arts Center
Award: $20,000
To involve public school children in the arts by exposing them to performances and having them interact with artists

A Video Tour of Philadelphia Galleries

Project:First Friday Art Safari, with Libby and Roberta
Recipient:theartblog.org
Award:$7,000
To introduce the art of Philadelphia’s geographically scattered galleries to a wider audience through a series of monthly tours by van that will be videotaped for later airing

Actors Interact With Local Residents Through Traveling Talk Show

Project: Fill in the Blanks with Theatre
Recipient: Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia
Award: $100,000
To expand participation in Philly’s theatrical arts by launching a new audience engagement initiative that helps actors interact with residents in their everyday lives

Series Offers Audiences Access to Affordable, Top-Quality Theater

Project: a Play, a Pie and a Pint
Recipient: Tiny Dynamite Productions
Award: $25,000
To broaden theater audiences by producing a Play, a Pie and a Pint, a U.K. performance phenomenon where residents can stop by after work to enjoy a one-act play, a pie and a beverage for a low ticket price

Arts Series Presents Innovative National and International Artists

Project: Spectrum
Recipient: Vox Populi
Award: $40,000
To inspire the community by offering an innovative arts series, Spectrum, that crosses the traditional boundaries of visual art, performance, music, film, video, dance and theater

Local Music Promoted With Web-Based Recordings

Project: Building Audiences for Philadelphia’s Vibrant Scene of Local Musicians
Recipient: WXPN Radio, University of Pennsylvania
Award: $50,000
To build audiences and appreciation for Philadelphia’s vibrant music scene by creating a virtual space for the local music community and producing a concert series and a collection of web-based musical recordings and videos