Neighborhood Time Exchange | Philadelphia | Nov 13 – Dec 11

RECIPROCITY: Exhibiting Moments and Momentum from Neighborhood Time Exchange – Opening Reception

After it’s inaugural run, following 3 cohorts of artists-in-residence and dozens of service projects, Neighborhood Time Exchange is hosting an exhibition of artworks created by the 13 artists and artist collectives who took part in this unique residency. There will be a series of events in November launching the exhibition and catalog, as well as a final closing event:

November 9, 2015 | Panel Discussion | What’s Being Made?: Questioning the Making of Place, Change and Space in the City | 6:00pm–8:00pm

JOIN US TO CELEBRATE THE ARTISTS AND PROJECTS of NEIGHBORHOOD TIME EXCHANGE TONIGHT!

RECIPROCITY: Exhibiting Moments and Momentum from Neighborhood Time Exchange – Opening Reception

5:00PM–8:00PM at 4017 Lancaster Avenue

All are welcome to join us at 4017 Lancaster on Second Friday in November for a free public reception which marks the conclusion of the Neighborhood Time Exchange residency and celebrates the artwork created throughout the past year.

PHILADELPHIA – November 11, 2015 – The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, The People’s Emergency Center, Broken City Lab, and The City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy present their culminating exhibition: Reciprocity: Exhibiting Moments and Momentum from Neighborhood Time Exchange. The exhibition and final public events are the result of the ten-month Neighborhood Time Exchange residency, a residency in which selected local and international artists were given studio space in Philadelphia in return for their work on service projects for the West Philadelphia community. Three cohorts of artists participated in residencies between January and September 2015 and worked for spans of 1-3 months in a newly-renovated storefront space at 4017 Lancaster Avenue. Artists participating in the Time Exchange residencies received studio space, a monthly stipend, and basic tools and supplies. In exchange, artists contributed volunteer time to work with residents on their ideas to enhance their neighborhood. Throughout the Time Exchange, artists explored the complex and necessary role that responsible and accountable creative practice can play in a challenged and changing neighborhood. Media are invited to the exhibition opening on Friday, November 13, from 5-8 pm at the Neighborhood Time Exchange (4017 Lancaster Avenue) to meet the artists, partner organizations, and view the results of this unique artistic/community model. The exhibition runs from November 13 – December 11. A closing reception will be held on December 11 from 6-9 pm.

The residency aimed to create a framework through which the resources of a neighborhood (the people, the history, and the experience of everyday life) could be understood as highly valuable components in revitalizing that neighborhood. By providing clear intersections and negotiations of time between local residents and visiting artists, Time Exchange cultivated a new dynamic role for creativity and reciprocity in a community’s rebirth and renewal.

The neighborhoods targeted for Time Exchange are part of the West Philadelphia Promise Zone, which is a national initiative designed to provide communities of poverty with the chance for opportunity and success. The sections within the Promise Zone that Time Exchange focused on include Belmont, Mantua, Mill Creek, Saunders Park, and West Powelton. The Time Exchange project worked together with Promise Zone residents on revitalization projects to make a difference through art and community outreach.

Helen Haynes, Chief Cultural Officer of the City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, said, “We are proud to support the Neighborhood Time Exchange, which has not only promoted the creative development of the artists involved in this innovative residency, but also that of the community which has embraced the program and its resident artists. The exchange of knowledge and skills has demonstrated that communities can be brought together at challenging times through art making.”

Jane Golden, Executive Director of the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, stated, “At Mural Arts, we believe that artists can be society’s greatest change agents, and that their innovation and creative energy help to move the needle and make things happen. Through this significant collaboration with our partner organizations, we have learned a great deal about the dynamics that lead to substantive relationships between artists and their neighboring communities, and how those connections and conversations lead to positive change. Neighborhood Time Exchange has been a fantastic experience and we are excited to celebrate the project and think about where we go next with this kind of model.”

Kira Strong, Vice President, Community & Economic Development at the People’s Emergency Center, says, “PEC has been thrilled to join our partner organizations in this collaborative project through which our community leaders have had the opportunity to engage with artists on enacting positive change in their neighborhoods. As a lead agency assisting the city with the West Philadelphia Promise Zone Collaborative, we’ve been pleased with the ability of Neighborhood Time Exchange to provide some quick and easy wins for the communities we serve. Neighborhood Time Exchange has demonstrated to everyone involved that the trajectory of our neighborhoods continues to grow in a positive way.”

Each cohort of artists took part in open houses, exhibitions, and other events which created connections with the community. In addition, Second Friday events invited the public to enjoy local artists, entertainers, and restaurants along Lancaster Avenue on the second Friday of each month.