We are dedicated to supporting community-based arts and creativity in Philadelphia through programming, convening and advocacy. Our first project is a 5-year grant program, Art Works, developed in close collaboration with the Philadelphia Foundation (see more below). Other upcoming initiatives will include artist-in-residence programs and a series of public works.
Sheldon Abba
Art Works is a $3 million grant program in partnership with the Philadelphia Foundation designed to support community-based arts and cultural organizations and emerging artists working in partnership with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) and other underserved communities. Art Works places a premium on work designed to connect, build and transform spaces and narratives to break down barriers through open access and inclusion.
Historical Photo
Created in partnership with Mural Arts, Public Works is a residency program that places artists in Philadelphia government agencies or organizations to develop artwork that forges new connections between the agency’s work and the communities they serve. It seeks to deepen the exchanges between community and institution, provide meaningful opportunities for artists, and give a voice to underrepresented constituents.
David Evan McDowell
Forman Arts Initiative is pleased to join Philadelphia Contemporary, and Drexel University to co-present Monument in Waiting, courtesy of the artist and GRAY Gallery, Chicago/New York. Monument in Waiting is an evocative dismantled public forum, created in response to ongoing public scrutiny of historical figures and monuments, particularly those that reinforce systems of oppression.
