December 29, 2023
The annual community art project, Fun-A-Day, is celebrating its 20th anniversary next month and inviting community members to participate in the 2024 project and art show.
Community members are encouraged to pick a creative project or activity to do every day during the month of January, then display their work in a big group art show at Studio 34 Yoga in February!
“You can do anything! Draw a picture, take a photo, sing a song, bake a cake, write a novel – come up with a daily creative practice and HAVE FUN!” reads the project description.
The Fun-A-Day project and art show is free, non-juried, non-commercial, and all-ages. All skill levels and mediums are welcome.
The project starts on January 1, 2024. The Fun-A-Day Community Art Show will take place on Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10 at Studio 34 Yoga (4522 Baltimore Ave).
Fun-A-Day was started by a group of artists known as the Artclash Collective in West Philadelphia and has spread to other cities throughout the world!
For more details and to sign up, visit artclash.com.
December 18, 2023
The University City District (UCD) has announced the Green Giving Challenge that would support their greening efforts in the area. UCD’s Green Team has been taking care of the green spaces at The Porch at 30th Street Station, Trolley Portal Gardens at 40th and Baltimore, which have become beautiful urban oases. The team also maintains planters and pedestrian plazas in the neighborhood as well as participates in community cleanups.
Funds raised through the Green Giving Challenge will go to support the Green Team’s work. Here’s how it works:
Community members are invited to contribute to the Challenge online. Donations will be matched up to $25,000 thanks to a generous support from a longtime Spruce Hill resident and founding UCD Board member Barry Grossbach.
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December 12, 2023
Team Panbo, known for their recent Halloween Data Project that collected information on West Philly kids’ most popular candy, has some exciting news. This past Friday the group, comprised of senior Penn students Melissa Nong, Ethan Markwalter, Turner Halle, and Julianna Cimillo, installed a solar-powered lights display at the triangle intersection on 45th and Baltimore (see map). The funds for the display (over $300!) were raised from selling the West Philly Variety packs containing local kids’ favorite candies at Clark Park Farmers Market.
The lights charge during the day and automatically turn on once it gets dark.
“We’re hoping it adds some warmth and brightness to an area that gets quite a lot of foot traffic but is pretty poorly lit at night,” Melissa Nong wrote to West Philly Local.
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December 4, 2023
The Calvary Center for Culture and Community (CCCC), a nonprofit created by Calvary United Methodist Church in 2000 to manage staffing, space rental and fundraising related to the Calvary building, is in the process of restructuring its governance, organizational structure, and business model. The organization is hosting an informal meet-and-greet with current CCCC Board members, Calvary United Methodist Church leadership and other community stakeholders, on Monday, Dec. 11, 5-6 p.m.
The purpose of the gathering is three-fold:
1. To provide important updates on the Calvary building, including plans to restructure the CCCC Board to provide for broader community representation and more effective management and maintenance.
2. To encourage networking and relationship-building in support of Calvary’s ongoing function as a critical center of community activity.
3. To invite your consideration as to how you (and/or your office/organization) might be involved in or otherwise support the CCCC’s mission going forward.
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November 28, 2023
Today is #GivingTuesday, the day when we’re reminded to give back to the community we’re part of. As always on this day, we’ll be posting/sharing messages from local non-profit organizations in this post and on our social media. Please consider supporting a local cause today with your donation or volunteering. Also, please visit our Civic Life/Neighborhood Resources page where you can find information on many other West Philly non-profits.
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November 27, 2023
The Blanche A. Nixon Library after renovation (rendering image).
Rebuild Philadelphia, the City’s program that invests in public spaces, broke ground on a major renovation project for the historic Blanche A. Nixon Library located in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood of West Philadelphia (at 58th and Baltimore).
“Built in the 1900s, the Blanche A. Nixon Library requires critical accessibility improvements to equitably meet the needs of all the residents it serves,” Mayor Jim Kenney said at the groundbreaking ceremony held last week. “The renovations at Blanche are set to transform and restore this historic building into a clean, safe, modern, and accessible community asset for many generations to come.”
A community staple within the Cobbs Creek neighborhood, the Blanche A. Nixon Library is undergoing major renovations thanks to Rebuild’s $8.5 million investment, which includes nearly $1.7 million in grants including $250,000 from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and $1.4 million in federal Community Project Funding (CPF) for ADA upgrades to the library, secured by U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA).
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