Mission:
Portside Arts Center provides a creative and nurturing environment that empowers the artists of tomorrow and creates lifelong patrons of the arts. Through dynamic visual arts programming, we encourage students to be globally-minded citizens and fearless artists.
About:
Portside Arts Center is a 501c3 nonprofit community arts center located in the east end of the Fishtown neighborhood. Since 2008, Portside has enabled children, teens, and adults to remain uniquely creative through year-round visual arts programs.
History:
In 2007, Kim Creighton was on a mission. A member of the North Philadelphia community since 1989, she had come to realize that the youth in her area lacked the opportunities for productive extracurricular activities and creative outlets. Kim had a solution. An accomplished mosaic and metal artist, she decided she would found and direct a nonprofit community arts center, where both children and adults could learn to tap into their innate creative energies.
Kim, along with friends and community volunteers, worked tirelessly to renovate and transform a 6,000 square foot warehouse located at 2531 E. Lehigh Avenue, into 4 beautiful visual arts classrooms and art gallery. The Portside Arts Center proudly opened their doors in January 2008 and since that time, the Arts Center has reached proportions that Creighton had not even foreseen. Currently the Center provides a 42-week after-school arts program, evening adult classes, a youth summer arts camp, and an annual community arts festival.
Accomplishments:
Portside Arts Center provides a creative and nurturing environment that empowers the artists of tomorrow and creates lifelong patrons of the arts. Through dynamic visual arts programming, we encourage students to be globally-minded citizens and fearless artists.
About:
Portside Arts Center is a 501c3 nonprofit community arts center located in the east end of the Fishtown neighborhood. Since 2008, Portside has enabled children, teens, and adults to remain uniquely creative through year-round visual arts programs.
History:
In 2007, Kim Creighton was on a mission. A member of the North Philadelphia community since 1989, she had come to realize that the youth in her area lacked the opportunities for productive extracurricular activities and creative outlets. Kim had a solution. An accomplished mosaic and metal artist, she decided she would found and direct a nonprofit community arts center, where both children and adults could learn to tap into their innate creative energies.
Kim, along with friends and community volunteers, worked tirelessly to renovate and transform a 6,000 square foot warehouse located at 2531 E. Lehigh Avenue, into 4 beautiful visual arts classrooms and art gallery. The Portside Arts Center proudly opened their doors in January 2008 and since that time, the Arts Center has reached proportions that Creighton had not even foreseen. Currently the Center provides a 42-week after-school arts program, evening adult classes, a youth summer arts camp, and an annual community arts festival.
Accomplishments:
2008 - Portside established the first Annual Lehigh Avenue Arts Festival (LAAF). The LAAF is Portside’s largest outdoor event, which raises money towards our students scholarship fund. During the event we have artist and crafts vendors, food trucks, kids arts activates, raffles and live music.
2009 - Portside initiated its first Annual Summer Arts Enrichment Camp. Portside's Summer Arts Camp offers a full day of fun for children ages 4-12. Our campers get to participate in awesome arts projects, character building activities, field trips, swimming and much more!
2010 - Portside received $15,000 from the Penn Treaty Special Service District to renovate their music room into two private lesson booths with new instruments and equipment. Now Portside can hold multiple music lessons at once.
2010 - Launched our first Mobile Arts Initiative program in Alexander Adaire Elementary. Portside brought visual arts and music classes to 40 students after school. These students did not participate in after school arts programs before. Adaire Principal stated that "Portside's After School Program brought their school rating up". All of the parents evaluated the program with the highest acclaim. If you like this ...check out click here to check out Portside's ArtsMobile Project!
2011 - The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program completed Portside’s full building educational fish mural, making our building a landmark. This mural was painted by Mural Artist Cezar Viveros. The mosaic was created by Colleen Cane, Johnny Buss and Mike Smash. This project took 3 years to complete. Cezar Viveros hosted 13 free mural painting workshops held at the Portside allowing our community members participate in the painting of the mural panels. Portside's students and community painted 34 out of the 70 panels.
2012 - Portside received a $23,000 grant from the Penn Treaty Special Service District to fund the dynamic renovation of the first floor of the building into Starboard Side Gallery & Studio’s. Portside created five artist’s studios with a community gallery. The addition of the Starboard Side has expanded the cultural activities at the Portside.
2012 -2013 - Portside received support from State Representative John Taylor through Impact Services and The Connelly Foundation to fund our Mobile Arts Initiative program in 6 local schools impacting 120 students with arts education.
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2014 - Portside received the “Best of the Best” award from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, nominated by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance for exemplary achievement in providing quality arts to the citizens of the Commonwealth through our After School Arts Program. Portside was one of 4 out of 800 applicants to have received this award in the entire state of Pennsylvania.
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2015 - The Portside received a transformative gift from an anonymous Foundation to develop and launch the ArtsMobile Project; which brings free arts integration programs to elementary schools impacting over 250 students in the River Wards community each school year. Click here to learn more about the ArtsMobile Project
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2016 - The ArtsMobile Project was a recipient of the Spruce Foundation’s Annual Arts Grant Award. Every year the Spruce Foundation selects four local, emerging non-profits, out of hundreds of applications, who work to empower at-risk youth.
2017 - Portside was awarded the Joseph M. Minarik Memorial Fishtown Community Education Award by the Shissler Recreation Center. In recognition of Portside’s daily work to enrich the lives of countless youth in Fishtown, Kensington, and Port Richmond Communities. |
