SeattleChange
Over my 22 years at Painted Bride Art Center, I’ve come to think of the Bride as a work of art in itself, one that evolves and grows with time. It requires engaging in a creative process and time to reflect upon where we’ve been, where we are, and where we want to be.
We are looking at our space on Vine Street and imagining ways that we can literally open it up to maximize the use of our entire facility. This will allow for new activities and the creation of a public “living space” that supports creative development and fosters new ways of thinking about art making. A new physical environment will allow us to develop more innovative programming and partnership models, helping to evolve the Bride as a vibrant place. We envision the Bride to be a beehive of activity with an open exchange of ideas and artistic endeavors.
Bride History
Painted Bride Art Center is home to an intimate theater and gallery in Old City, Philadelphia.
Founded in 1969 by a group of visual artists, Painted Bride Art Center is part of the Alternative Space movement of the 1960s and 70s. In an era when underrepresented artists—women, gays and lesbians, people of color, the disabled, etc.—struggled to gain recognition from commercial institutions, the Alternative Space movement was dedicated to maximizing cultural diversity and visibility in the arts.Within a small network of organizations, Painted Bride Art Center strove to grant artists of every stripe full control over their work and a platform for their vision.
45 years later, Painted Bride Art Center remains an artist-centered space, fully committed to the creative process, the artist’s role in the community, and artistic diversity.
As a multi-disciplinary arts venue, the Bride collaborates with independent artists, supporting their creative process from inception to presentation. This support manifests in myriad ways, including identifying funding opportunities, cultivating strategic partnerships for audience development, and championing artists and their work to a now international network of partners.