The Arts Transforming Cities; Cities Transforming the Arts

Abstract

The arts have the power to transform people, neighborhoods and even entire cities. Just look at Miami’s 10-year-strong Art Basel Miami Beach, the most prestigious art show in the Americas. It has helped give new life to the cultural scene of South Florida and Miami Beach, now brimming with private collections and expanded museum and gallery spaces. Take into consideration Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980, a six-month, 60-plus partners initiative showing off Southern California’s emergence as an arts capital. Or consider Philadelphia’s public art offerings. In 1959, City Council passed the revolutionary “percent for art” ordinance, mandating that a percentage of construction costs for city projects be set aside for the fine arts. Today, Philadelphia is home to thousands of statues, sculptures, murals and other permanent installations that bring color, beauty and life to people, neighborhoods and the entire city.

Philadelphia is about to show off the transformative power of art once again with a first-of-its-kind powerhouse partnership among 14 city organizations and cultural partners that will focus on the region’s vast and vibrant visual arts offerings. Launching in March 2012, With Art Philadelphia™ is a two-year, $2 million marketing campaign supporting the area’s varied visual arts scene and the many artists who make it the colorful canvas that it is. That includes everything from museum stalwarts to independent collectives to plentiful public arts to popular annual events. And it includes everyone from classically trained art teachers to gallery owners to muralists to on-the-rise student artists. It even goes beyond the traditional definition of art to embrace the region’s bountiful gardens, high-fashion boutiques and design must-dos.