Volunteering meets art studios: West Philly’s Neighborhood Time Exchange

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3 minute read
Fiber and textile artist Betty Leacraft is an inaugural member of the NTE. Image courtesy of MAP.
Fiber and textile artist Betty Leacraft is an inaugural member of the NTE. Image courtesy of MAP.

The art of helping. That’s what the new Neighborhood Time Exchange (NTE) is all about.

The Neighborhood Time Exchange: West Philadelphia Artist Residency aims to combine artistic endeavors and community outreach. The residencies last from one to three months (though it’s possible some projects could continue longer than that) in a newly-renovated storefront at 4017 Lancaster Avenue. The artists are given 15 hours of free studio space, a monthly stipend, and basic tools and supplies. In exchange, they spend 15 hours using their time and skills working on civic projects identified by residents and community-based organizations.

The collaborative project founders are Broken City Lab, the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program (MAP), and the People’s Emergency Center. MAP project manager Dave Kyu, of South Philadelphia, is one of NTE’s managers. He’s hopeful the residencies can be directly responsive to the community’s needs.

A new approach to a familiar idea

They’re doing so in a unique way, too. Usually in residencies, artists come up with their own ideas and spend their time working on whatever they choose. “We’re trying to change the script a little,” Kyu said. “We say ‘we have these artists and this is what they’re good at.’ Then we turn to the community and ask ‘what ideas are interesting to you?’” NTE also reaches out to local organizations to let them know “we have these resources — we have artists and some money,” he said.

January’s three Artists-in-Residence are Betty Leacraft, Ian Sampson, and Philippe Leonard. More will be participating as the program moves forward. The projects may be small or large, depending on what the community or organizations ask for, what NTE’s artists can do, and what the parties agree on during project discussions.

One resident asked NTE to work on vacant homes on her block. “We’ll reach out to different people and try to figure out does it affect one person or a lot of people or no one? How do we get permission? What does it mean to beautify?” Kyu said.

Kindling for the arts economy

Kyu thinks there’s a lot of interest around the idea of social responsibility in the artistic community. “The energy in the art world and in Philadelphia is ripe for this type of project,” he said. “We want to see not only what we can offer to the immediate community, but also the potential of this practice.”

The area that NTE covers in West Philadelphia — including Mantua, Belmont, West Powelton, Saunders Park, and Mill Creek — was designated a Promise Zone in 2014 (meaning federal agencies provide resources and expertise to expand economic mobility and opportunity), and it’s changing, slowly. Many artists already live and work in the area, though it’s not yet known as an arts hub. “We’re taking advantage of the art economy, but also putting a little kindling in,” Kyu said.

Artists are creative problem solvers, he added, and can make vibrant communities without a lot of money. “We’re not saying this isn’t happening already. We’re sure that these communities already have this energy. We’d like to make that energy more apparent and help out."

Artful dialogue

“Art becomes a platform for wildly different communities to come together and have open conversation on what we agree on,” Kyu said.

Discussing vacant homes, for instance, may bring up people’s biases about property ownership or zoning codes, but “in an art context, you can have another focus to the conversation that allows wider audiences to come in." Art creates common ground and can be "a safe space for those conversations to occur naturally. And they can be fun, but touch on things that are important."

NTE is open from 1-5pm every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 4017 Lancaster Avenue, and during Lancaster Avenue’s monthly Second Friday event. People can see some of the artists’ work and submit their own ideas for community projects.

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