The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe has brought boundary-breaking arts experiences to the region since 1997. Now, in our 15th year, we're embarking on a plan to secure a permanent home for an expanded year-round program. Live Arts' unique role as a catalyst - supporting performing artists who are creating fresh, new works - is growing.
Our expanded programming showcases ever-larger performances, a visual arts component during the annual Live Arts Festival, and new year-round performances through the Live Arts Brewery (LAB). We currently occupy rented space in Northern Liberties - space that is limited by technical capacity, zoning restrictions, and location. With the reputation we have built through Philadelphia Live Arts' work to-date, we feel poised to bring the newest, contemporary performing arts to Philadelphia, however are hampered by our present facility's limitations.
This is why the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe is embracing the opportunity to pursue a permanent, well-equipped home in a great location. It will be a magnet both for emerging artists and for the audiences who passionately support them.
We have an agreement of sale with the City of Philadelphia to purchase an historic, former fire hydrant pumping station built in 1902, located on the corner of Race Street and Columbus Boulevard. This stunning 10,000-square-foot historic building will link the Old City neighborhood to the burgeoning Delaware River waterfront, and feature year-round programming through:
The building will provide Philadelphia Live Arts an opportunity to develop a significant earned-revenue stream through space rentals that will help sustain its expanded programs. With four seasons of high-energy entertainment, this contemporary performing arts center will be a new hub of activity on the Delaware waterfront and will enormously enrich the region's cultural community.
Philadelphia Live Arts is primed to support more artists, reach more audiences, and make the city a greater destination for contemporary arts. By securing a permanent home, Live Arts will be able to offer 12 months of contemporary programming each year, in addition to our annual 16-day Festival. By presenting works year round, Live Arts can tap into international booking networks of touring work as well as leverage partnerships with American companies in New York and elsewhere.
Live Arts is also deeply committed to Philadelphia-based artists and eager to broaden these home-grown presenting relationships. More regular offerings of new contemporary art events will encourage the growth of audiences for this work. In a new, permanent home, Live Arts will be able to provide its audiences the best possible experience, including offering a year-round bar/restaurant and other social gathering places for continuing conversation about art and the creative process.
The estimated cost to fully renovate the historic pumping station into a highly functional performing arts facility - to transform the old into the new - is $5 million. We've received early commitments totaling $2.8 million which will allow us to take ownership and move immediately into renovations. Initial funds include Board commitments and $1 million from Pennsylvania's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.
Live Arts will build on its history of strong foundation support, however the complete success of this project's fund-raising effort will depend on individual philanthropic supporters. To encourage this vitally important individual support from patrons of the arts in Philadelphia and from audience members, the Independence Foundation has awarded a challenge grant to match individual gifts one-to-four.
With your support, Philadelphia Live Arts will make its vision a reality, sparking an exciting destination on the waterfront, where audiences can fully experience inspired performers creating new works of art.
We hope you'll join us in the adventure of building a home that will stimulate the next wave in contemporary performing arts!
If you would like to become more involved, and learn how to support this project, please contact Robin Barnes at 215.413.9006 x14 or at robin@livearts-fringe.org.
Some content on this website is attributed to The Noun Project available under Creative Commons.
