Ten artists were selected by local community members this Spring to create a series of public art pieces and installations to be on display through September along Lancaster Avenue. Each piece of art will explore progress, change, and invisibility.

                Photos courtesy of LoLa 38.

The work of four installation artists is currently on display at the former United Bank building at 38th and Lancaster and on the fence surrounding the site of the former University City High School (UCHS).

Melanie Booth, whose work can be seen on the fence, is a visiting exchange student at Drexel University from Sydney, Australia. Her piece is a Nylon 5’x8’ American Flag with embroidery titled #notmypresident (pictured above). Oluwafemi’s pen and digital print piece, Collective Conscious, is in the Bank’s parking lot windows and is best seen at night. 

Dear Volunteers is a collaboration between artists John Schlesinger and Tra Bouscaren. They upcycled demolition rebar, found Styrofoam, and lab glass and clamps to create Player to be Named Later which illuminates the Bank’s windows. Lucy Pistilli worked with 5th grade students at the local SLA Middle School to create a mural on parachute cloth, reproduced on vinyl, which can be seen on the UCHS fence.

In addition to the art installations, a portion of the parking lot of the United Bank building has been transformed to a community hangout, aka a “Parklet.”

The building’s new owners, the West Philly-based nonprofit People’s Emergency Center, want it to become a civic space, pending funding, partners, and community support. In the meantime, they are bringing arts and community programming to Lancaster Avenue through partnership with LoLa 38, a short-term creative placemaking project.

With the help of local volunteers and Drexel University freshmen, The Bank has undergone a transformation of its interior and exterior (see Before and After photos below).

More art is coming to Lower Lancaster Avenue this summer, so visit lola38west.com for updates and information on upcoming events.