Media & Policy Center: Being Creative In Philadelphia
Philadelphia is unique among American cities. This is because artists, writers, musicians, architects, and entrepreneurs of all stripes can actually afford to make Philadelphia their home. They can buy a house and start a family while they pursue their collective passions; thus helping to revive the very communities they live and work in. This is not true with most other major American cities where the creative class and risk-takers have been priced out of the housing market. It is this opportunity that makes Philadelphia unique. As University of Pennsylvania Professor Susan Wachter has noted, "The contributions of the creative class have helped to restore neighborhoods — promoting an increase in local services — and, as a by-product, raised real estate assessment wherever they have put down roots. From Kensington to Fishtown to Downtown, their contributions have been vital in helping to turn Philadelphia around."
Philadelphia's ongoing revival depends on more than just the clearing away of decades of debris. To a large degree it depends on the energy of its arts and entrepreneurial community. "The heart of community revitalization is the ability to touch people's heart and souls, and I think that art can do that," says Jane Golden, Program Director of the Murals Art Project, which started as a cleanup effort to reduce graffiti. "What we do shows us the powerful catalytic role art can play in healing the wounds of a city," says Golden. Her organization's large murals on buildings have become the voice of the community and the project's artists have turned the city itself into a large canvas.
Being Creative in Philadelphia will profile a dozen or more Philadelphia artists and entrepreneurs. We will tell their personal stories, revealing how they and families live and work with dignity and the economic freedom necessary to pursue their artistic and entrepreneurial endeavors. Our portraits will reflect the full prism of diversity and artistic and professional expression. We will introduce these extraordinary individuals through their work and how they interact with neighbors and their communities.
Being Creative in Philadelphia is more than an upbeat film about the progress Philadelphia has made in the last 10 years. It is a vital recruitment tool that can be used by businesses, community and government leaders, and educational institutions to make aware young emerging artists, professionals, and assorted dreamers from around the country and abroad that Philadelphia can be a nurturing and affordable home base for their aspirations. It can be used to restore pride and reinforce hope for the future. It is a film that can bring new business opportunities to the city. The film will air on Philadelphia's local PBS station (WHYY) and be distributed to schools, libraries, community centers and businesses that want to support Philadelphia's renaissance. The video will also be available through the web site that will already be streaming three-to-five minute teaser profiles about the artists and professions already living in Philadelphia — The City of Opportunity.
Other resources for Being Creative in Philadelphia:
- Download the full project proposal (pdf, 189 KB)
- Visit the Edens Lost & Found web site at http://www.edenslostandfound.org.
- Learn about sponsorship opportunities with the Media & Policy Center.
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Reviews of
Edens Lost & Found: "The ordinary Americans profiled in this PBS series, book, and Web site aren't just improving their own neighborhoods by building parks, cleaning up rivers, and installing public art. Inspiring examples from Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Seattle show how people can rediscover the natural attributes that made their cities desirable to settle in the first place." — Jennifer Hattam, Sierra Magazine "The inspiring story of ordinary citizens in four great American cities — Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Seattle — who have stepped forward to improve the quality of life in their communities. Filmmakers and authors Harry Wiland and Dave Bell highlight practical solutions and models for urban transformation that go beyond pollution prevention to tackle the challenge of improving the quality of life in cities for ourselves and future generations." — Chelsea Green Publishing "Ordinary people cooperating to re-green city streets, oversee eco-friendly watershed management, create rooftop and urban gardens, and restore parks. There's hope yet!" — Nathalie Jordi, Plenty Magazine "They might be small acts of do-goods but together America's citizens are making a difference. Reading the enthusiastic and refreshing stories may inspire you to knock on your neighbours' doors and get them to join you to grow a vegetable garden and cover your building with solar panels." — Treehugger |
