40th Street Artists in Residence

4007 Chesnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Contact: Edward M. Epstein, Resident Coordinator
epstein.edward@verizon.net

The 40th Street Artist-in-Residence Program awards West Philadelphia artists six months of free studio time in a previously unused space near the corner of 40th and Chestnut Streets. In exchange, the program asks each artist to share his or her talents with the West Philadelphia community. This may include offering workshops or classes, or exhibiting work in the area. Artist Edward Epstein developed the idea in the fall of 2003, and has been working with local arts organizations to build the program and secure the space. The program’s goals are to address the need for studio space in West Philadelphia, to assist artists with career development, and to make the area around 40th Street a nexus for the visual arts.

The mission of 40th Street Artist-in-Residence is to address the need for artist studio space in West Philadelphia by offering studios rent-free, on a rotating basis, primarily to those artists who reside in Philadelphia neighborhoods west of the Schuykill River. By doing so it hopes to assist in the career growth and provide exhibition opportunities for new and emerging artists, and those whose work has not been recognized in mainstream venues. In addition it is important to enrich the area around 40th Street by placing artists in the neighborhood who share their creative talents with members of the local community.

Partners in 40th Street Artist-in-Residence include:

West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (Paul Robeson House)
University City Arts League
InLiquid.com
University City District
University of Pennsylvania

At this time, admission to the program is by nomination only. Resident artists are nominated by an advisory board that consists of area artists and members of these organizations.