Art Around Every Corner

The Allentown Arts Commission is proud to announce a public artist call for the 2018 Artist-in-Residence Program to artistically engage the community and create a bridge between the neighborhoods throughout the City of Allentown by fostering inclusiveness and celebrating diversity.

Five Artist-in-Residence projects will be awarded with funding based on artist experience and project scope. Two $4,500 grants will be awarded to Emerging Artists who are at the earliest stages of their career. Two $9,000 grants will be awarded to Established Artists as defined by those who have created an independent body of work or performed extensively on stage or screen. One $18,000 grant will be awarded to a Professional Artist who has reached an advanced level of achievement for their work in their discipline.

Artists of all genres including visual, music, theatre, dance, literary and digital are encouraged to submit a proposal to the Allentown Arts Commission between February 19 and March 19 for projects to be completed by December 31, 2018. Eligible artists must live, work or study in Allentown and must submit their proposal including budget and time line by 11:59PM Mon., March 19. A full listing of all submission requirements and detailed instructions are available for download at the Arts Commission website.

The review of all proposals will be made through a juried process including leaders of the Allentown artistic community representing residents, businesses, civic, educational and arts and cultural representatives. Members of the Allentown Art Commission will make the final selection of 2018 artists with grant recipients notified on April 9.

In order to answer questions and provide guidance on submitting a proposal, the Allentown Arts Commission will be hosting Community Meetings for interested artists at three locations during the month of March. The first community meeting will be held on Thursday, March 1 from 6PM-7PM at the CADCA Offices at 523 N. 7th Street. The second community meeting will be held on Sunday, March 4 from 12PM-1PM at Civic Theater 514 at 527 19^th Street. The final community meeting will be held on Thursday, March 8 from 6-7PM at the Baum School of Art at 510 Linden Street. Please RSVP your attendance to Deb Rabinsky at Deborah@culturalcoalitionofallentown.org.

For more information on the 2018 Artist-in-Residence Program please contact Deborah Rabinsky at 484.809.2853 or deborah@culturalcoalitionofallentown.org or visit the Allentown Arts Commission website at www.allentownpa.gov/arts

The revitalization of the city of Allentown has been underway over the past several years bringing new businesses, guests and residents to the city as part of a renaissance of Pennsylvania’s third largest city. The arts and culture community has had, and continues to have, a significant role in this economic development by enhancing economic vitality, improving the quality of life for all, and serving as a centerpiece for the growth and excellence of the region’s creative economy.

In conjunction with the Upside Allentown initiative, a program of the Community Action Development Corporation of Allentown (CADCA), an 18-month strategic planning process was undertaken by members of the community, including residents, artists, creative sector entrepreneurs, cultural organizations, public officials, educational institutions, philanthropic partners, and others. The result of this process was the Allentown Arts & Culture 20:21 Plan, affording the community a plan of engagement and implementation to be taken over the next four years in Downtown Allentown and beyond.

As the first step in the process of implementing the Arts & Culture 20:21 Plan, leaders from the arts, businesses and communities throughout Allentown proudly announce the formation of the Cultural Coalition of Allentown (CCA), an independent non-profit organization whose vision is to create a vibrant, energetic and engaging Allentown with an abundance of diverse arts and cultural offerings including several signature initiatives.

The initial signature initiative from CCA’s 20:21 Plan being launched by the CCA is the “Authentically Allentown” Artist-in-Residence program. Beginning with each of the six neighborhoods of the Upside Allentown community, the CCA will host each artist-in-residence for a two-year commitment and will provide a stipend and funds for supplies and materials. Artists will serve as ambassadors, teachers and demonstrators of creative expression as they strengthen community connections within and across neighborhoods.

The first “Authentically Allentown” Artist-in-Residency program will run in the Jordan Heights neighborhood from May through September as Allentown Public Theatre joins with CCA to present a series of workshops and performances of a bilingual version of Peter Pan. Working in collaboration with the Jordan Heights’ Neighborhood Revitalization program, a two-hour workshop will be held each day for four days with 10-20 neighborhood children, culminating in a free weekend performance of the play. Hosting the Workshops will be Grace Episcopal Church in May, Union Baptist Church in June and Sacred Heart Church in July. The entire series will be capped off with a performance of Peter Pan in Downtown Allentown in August as part of the Third Thursday on August 17.

In addition to the “Authentically Allentown” Artist-in-Residency program, the CCA will be showcasing the arts and culture of the city through collaborative projects such as Third Thursdays and cohort projects with the Allentown Art Museum, the Baum School, Penn State University-Lehigh Valley and the Hamilton District Main Street Program among other partners to be announced.

Artists interested in submitting projects for the Authentically Allentown” Artist-in-Residence program are encouraged to contact Deborah Rabinsky, Artistic Operations Director for the Cultural Coalition of Allentown at dearte2@verizon.net or 610.820.3829.

The Cultural Coalition of Allentown is supported by the Upside Allentown Neighborhood Partnership Program, a program of the Community Action Development Corporation of Allentown (CADCA) and the Dexter F. and Dorothy H. Baker Foundation. The Upside Allentown neighborhoods consist of the Hamilton District, Old Allentown, Old Fairgrounds, Jordan Heights, Promise Neighborhood and Seventh Street.