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PEC and the Barnes’ new partnership to engage local community with businesses, public spaces through art

July 1, 2021

The Barnes Foundation and the People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation (PECCDC) are continuing their collaboration with a new project – Everyday Places Artist Partnerships. The project, which began rolling out last month through the Barnes and PECCDC’s collaborative initiative Barnes West, will provide West Philly residents with spaces to engage with multidisciplinary artistic projects that “offer inspiration and promote ​hope and healing.”

This week, the partners have announced five West Philadelphia-based social-impact artists who have been selected to participate in Everyday Places: Keyonna Butler, Marshall James Kavanaugh, Jahwula Seapoe, Karen Smith, and Andrea Walls. The selected artists will partner with neighborhood businesses and sites – including grocery stores, restaurants, laundromats, public parks, and community organizations – to build interactive, participatory projects.

The artists were selected by the Barnes West leadership team and participating neighborhood sites. Each artist will receive a stipend and an Art for All Community Pass, which provides one year of unlimited admission to the Barnes for up to four people.

Here are some more details on the projects and their timelines:

From June 15 – November 15, Jahwula Seapoe will partner with One Art Community Center, Clara Muhammad Square, and Imperial Caribbean & Seafood to offer virtual and in-person yoga workshops that pair movement with creative writing.

From June 15 – September 15, Karen Smith will work with the artistic organizations Sistahs Laying Down Hands, Philly Jawns, and Tomorrow’s Girls to offer sustainable art-making workshops in partnership with the Silk Tent, an international boutique/gift shop.

From July 1 – September 30, Keyonna Butler will partner with Kanvas Event Center to host workshops on upcycling old clothes.

From July 15 – October 15, Andrea Walls will partner with the Center for Carceral Communities to create a Museum of Black Joy, which may take the form of an exhibition, performance event, or virtual experience.

From August 1 – October 31, Marshall James Kavanaugh will partner with La Pearl Beauty Emporium and another site (to be determined). At each location, Kavanaugh will set up typewriters and invite patrons and passersby to type responses to prompts or create original poetry.

For more details about the projects and locations, please visit: pec-cares.org/barneswest.

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