Today we launch a fundraising campaign to underwrite the costs of the Artist and Social Responsibility (ASR) Project, our art and community project seeded by a generous grant from the Knight Foundation. Visit The Artblog IndieGoGo page and contribute to support this worthwhile art and community project and help sustain it beyond 2015!
Does an artist have a social responsibility to the community in which they live?
The Artist and Social Responsibility (ASR) class, a new project of The Artblog, unites teens from the Philadelphia School District and undergrads from area colleges to investigate questions about art’s role in society.
Some examples of the urgent questions we are discussing in this alternative model college course held at the Village of Arts and Humanities include:
- How can an artist from outside a community work comfortably with a community — and vice versa?
- What are the ethics involved with unpaid volunteers vs. paid community helpers?
- Can art that is practical (giving people jobs or housing or a playground or park) still be art?
The History
Philadelphia has a strong history of activism in its many neighborhoods and communities. Over the last ten years, artists have flocked to the city in unprecedented numbers. Many of them work on art projects with neighborhood or ethnic communities. The Artblog, a leader in the Philadelphia art community founded by two artist activists, responded to this need and interest with the creation of the Artist and Social Responsibility class to engage college students. As artists and citizens of this region’s future, young adults in the class are exactly the ones who should be focusing on this topic.
We are coming to you for help. We need funds for our operational costs in 2015; and we need funds to help us plan for the ASR project’s continuation in 2016 and beyond.
Click this link to support The Artblog ASR Project!
Funds from you will help underwrite:
- Program implementation
- Facility fees
- Materials and supplies
- Artist and Social Responsibility professional project staff compensation
- Stipends for the non-college program participants who are true “apprentice” college students
- Program evaluation
The Impact – A Laboratory for Social Responsibility
Philadelphia’s undergraduate population is a great, untapped resource in a city that was recently called the poorest big city in the country. Many undergraduates see the needs in the city, but do not know how to get involved or how to make a difference in their own community. The project helps students investigate the practice of community art and channels their energy, enthusiasm and skills in a meaningful project that will become a “laboratory for social responsibility” and an incubator for future leaders in the community art movement. Young adults meet with the national thought-leaders, arts directors, and community change agents, building a professional network to fuel their studies and career path. They work together on community issues of importance to the Village of Arts and Humanities.
Participating high school students are challenged by an underfunded and broken School District. The ASR class provides the students an entry to college in a direct way they will not experience otherwise. The college-level work they are doing in this class will lay the groundwork for further education beyond high school.
Who’s taking the class?
This 3-credit college class rounds up 8 students from 5 local colleges —
- Arcadia University
- Moore College of Art and Design
- Saint Joseph’s University
- Temple University
- University of Pennsylvania
And pairs them with 6 students from 3 high schools and a community college —
- Community College of Philadelphia
- Mastbaum High School
- Math, Civics and Science Charter School
- Ben Franklin High School
People and Partners for Powerful Results
- The Artblog is working in collaboration with the Village of Arts and Humanities, renowned for its work in North Philadelphia and for its commitment to social engagement through art.
- Artblog co-founder and Artist and Social Responsibility project director Roberta Fallon was art critic for the Philadelphia Weekly (1999-2011) and wrote the Philadelphia Story column for artnet.com (2000-2005). She teaches Professional Practices at Saint Joseph’s University, and has taught at Tyler School of Art and University of the Arts and has lectured frequently in the region about the importance of art to society.
- Artist and Social Responsibilityproject instructorTheresa Rose is founder of the micro-granting project, Philly Stake, and former Percent for Art Project Manager for the City of Philadelphia. She is an instructor in Moore College of Art and Design’s new Community Art graduate program.
- Our laboratory class is held at an independent location in North Philadelphia operated as a project space by the Village of Arts and Humanities.
The Collaborators – Two Amazing Arts Organizations
The Artblog is an independent online magazine that fosters dialog and community through commentary and discussion about art and culture. We believe that discussion about issues of beauty, truth, value and power in the context of art will make the world a better place. Our goal, which we achieve through our publications and educational programs, is to educate our community about the importance of art to civil society primarily on the Philadelphia region. We aim especially to raise the profile of marginalized artists – the young, minorities and women — who have been left out of the conversation.
The Artblog is a facilitator, sharing information, educating people and creating dialog and excitement among all members of the art community. We have a 12-year proven history of working with many people of diverse backgrounds, and jumping up to this next level of leadership is appropriate for us. The time is right for this innovative social responsibility project, and The Artblog’s deep regional connections in the arts community, successful track record and dedicated leadership will ensure its success.
The Village of Arts and Humanities (The Village) is a multifaceted arts organization dedicated to community revitalization through the arts. Through The Village’s new Artist in Residence Project, SPACES, artists share their expertise and creative practices with a neighborhood experiencing the effects of decades of disinvestment. In exchange, their practice is enriched by the gifts and insights of our own community, and by the process of collaborating to create social equity in North Central Philadelphia and make art and experiences of lasting value.
Click this link to support The Artblog ASR Project!
Other ways to help
- Sign on to follow The Artblog
- Share this page with family and friends, advocate for the Artist and Social Responsibility Project and ask for their support.
- Join us for the upcoming Artblog event in Philadelphia on March 23.
The Artblog and Artist and Social Responsibility project team thank you for your support!
If you have questions or want to volunteer, contact Roberta Fallon at robertafallon@gmail.com.
