In a city once known for manufacturing nearly everything under the sun, artists are now migrating to the spaces formerly dedicated to machines and industry.
“Philadelphia has a network of resources and physical spaces,” says Ann Peltz director at Philadelphia Open City Tours at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists. “There are huge post-industrial studio spaces, complete with freight elevators and loading zones, to produce large works of art. Some artists are reclaiming the machinery and making it into sculpture.”
Attracted by affordable rents and plenty of light and space, artists from New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C are setting up shop all over Germantown, Fishtown and Southeast Philly, mixing it up with the Irish, German, and Asian populations in each neighborhood.
They’re also opening up their studios during two weekends in October, to welcome 35,000 people into 280 artists’ workspaces, for the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours.
Among the venues is the Globe Dye Works, a yarn dying facility in business from 1865 to 2005. At 30,000 square feet, it’s now almost exclusively studio space for artists.
“It’s three floors, with exhibitions spaces,” she says. “All the machinery and equipment is still in place – it’s not in use, but serves as a backdrop for site specific installations. It’s work that merges and blends with the machinery.”
To raise awareness of the 14th annual tours this year, the center has launched a multi-media campaign called Made in Philly that features a number of Philadelphia artists’ work.
“It calls attention to the sheer quantity and quality of work being produced here,” she says.
The tours are a barometer for a prolific amount of artists’ activity in the city. They also provide an opportunity for arts administrators and curators to go out, under the radar, and see what kind of work is there.
“It’s a great way to explore the city, and for cross-pollination and transformative experiences in the studios,” she says. “It’s a really nice, interactive experience between people – and a huge eye-opener.”
Self-guided tours will be held Oct. 5 and 6 for all studios east of Broad Street, and on Oct. 19 and 20 for all studios west of Broad Oct.
For more information, go to www.philaopenstudios.org.
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