35 winners named in Knight Foundation Philadelphia Arts Challenge

Philadelphia arts organizations have been awarded $2.76 million by the Knight Foundation in the second round of the philanthropy's Philadelphia Arts Challenge program, Knight officials said Monday.

The 35 winners, selected from more than 1,260 submissions, are drawn from large and small organizations and individual artists who sought funding for projects aimed at broadening cultural participation throughout the region.

Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Knight Philadelphia program director, said the response demonstrated "the strength of the city's creative community."

In the last two years, the Knight challenge has bestowed $5.4 million in grants for 71 projects. The challenge runs for one more year.

This year's winners include the Arden Theatre Company, $50,000, to present performances alongside gallery events on First Fridays in Old City; Artists and Musicians of Latin America, $35,000, for a "pop-up" Flash Jazz Mobile; Art Sanctuary, $100,000, to create Hip H'Opera; and Asian Arts Initiative, $45,000, to create site-specific art for nontraditional places, such as restaurants.

Also receiving funding: Bearded Ladies Cabaret, $30,000, to create a late-night cabaret series; Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, $50,000, to create a world-music "pops" concert; Campus Philly, $100,000, for subsidized performance admissions for college students; Catzie Vilayphonh, $25,000, for Laos in the House, a workshop designed to capture Laotian stories from the community; and Center City District, $400,000, for a public sculpture by Janet Echelman for Dilworth Plaza.

Additional grants went to: Chestnut Hill Friends Meetinghouse Project, $80,000, for a work of light art by James Turrell; COSACOSA art at large, $75,000, for community sound and light gardens in Nicetown and Tioga; Erica Hawthorne, $60,000, to establish a mini-grant art program; Fleisher Art Memorial, $50,000, for ColorWheels, a mobile art studio; Franklin's Paine Skatepark Fund, $100,000, for creation of art-infused skateparks in West Philadelphia; GoKash Productions, $20,000, to promote multicultural original plays; and Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Bureau, $350,000, for Midnight Madness, late-night events at Philadelphia museums.

Also receiving grants: Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, $150,000, for emerging-artist residencies; Little Berlin, $10,000, to transform a Kensington lot into an art-event space; the Galleries at Moore College of Art and Design, $20,000, for an outdoor independent film series on the Parkway; Musicopia, $90,000, for an indoor percussion ensemble, performance opportunities, and lessons; and Orchestra 2001, $40,000, to create a concerto based on the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Other grantees include Partners for Sacred Places, $180,000, to transform a local church into a theatrical space; Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, $35,000, to expand Philly Photo Day; Sean Stoops, $20,000, for a series of video events involving projections on buildings; Swim Pony Performing Arts, $50,000, a project that will present plays in nontraditional spaces; and the Brothers Network, $25,000, for a multidisciplinary festival featuring black men.

Also: the Center for Emerging Visual Artists, $25,000, to place local art in public advertising spaces; the Clay Studio, $15,000, to distribute coffee mugs and gather thoughts; the Crossing, $50,000, for performance of new choral works in nontraditional places; the Fabric Workshop and Museum, $80,000, for a work by Daniel Arsham; the Hacktory, $40,000, to promote use of technology in the arts; the University of the Arts, $120,000, for support programs for creative business endeavors; the Village of Arts and Humanities, $60,000, for interactive scavenger hunts led by local artists; Wilma Theater, $60,000, for a series of master classes; and University City District, $120,000, for temporary public-art installations.

Contact Stephan Salisbury at 215-854-5594 or ssalisbury@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @SPSalisbury.