A South Philly art history lesson

Foley, a dance artist, is currently interested in embodying rock forms. Jones, a visual artist, has been inspired by miscellaneous materials, like traffic cones, cinder blocks, and other heavy objects found around their South Philly neighborhood.

This neighborhood has seen a lot of change. Foley and Jones reflect on how there used to be a ton of small artist studios. They no longer exist, or they moved up to Fishtown or Kensington. Staying in South Philly was important to Foley and Jones. They looked for the right space for two years, wanting to find a physical location to support regular practice for artists. They finally found one, and then opened in 2015.

Foley and Jones bounce back and forth as they reminisce about how much easier it used to be to self-produce in Philly, whether it was gallery shows or dance productions. Jones says this feels out of reach these days. Foley adds that when she moved to Philly in 2004 there were many more opportunities for research and development. A lot of those opportunities have dissolved, including but not limited to Dance-UP and the Susan Hess Choreographer Project.

Ten years in the past

But with the dissipation of the past, comes the creation of the new! And here came The Whole Shebang in 2015, a space to support “trying-out-of-things”.

“You have to take away the preciousness of studio time,” says Jones. “It has to be… plentiful, in order to try things out and make mistakes.” Foley agrees. Access to consistent space is something she ponders as an improviser. She reflects, “I was interested in what happened when I really worked for a long time and let a form find itself, or emerge…”

The Whole Shebang supports these kinds of iterative, messy processes. And since they hit their ten year mark, they’re re-upping their programming and providing even more support to artists in Philly. The Artist Share provides subsidized rental rates and flexibility for artists. It’s not curated. “Let us know if you’re interested and get on the list.” explains Jones. They also host workshops in the dance studio. In May, mayfield brooks will host a “Rage Rave”, “a dance party for all the r(evolutions) to come”, in conjunction with a weekend workshop titled decomposing dance…choreographing breath.

Ten years into the future

When looking to the future, sustainability comes up. Foley says: “This past year was our ten year anniversary and it felt like a real re-opening and an active re-embrace of our roots and why we started… And… I’m starting to think about sustainability in a different way.” We all murmur in agreement.

“Its so hard,” Jones chimes in.

“Where could this go in ten years?” Foley asks.

We start to discuss ways the city can support small businesses like The Whole Shebang. Jones offers that the recent ending of the Use and Occupancy tax and BIRT exemptions is brutal for small arts organizations. Foley replies, “It just feels like a really unstable landscape in terms of thinking about ten years away.” “I’m thinking about… [how] our kind of art making…” (read: messy, iterative, process-based), “is part of what makes Philly so amazing, and [yet] doesn't feel embraced in thinking about Philly as an ecosystem.”

It's not all challenges–Jones shouts out the Illuminate the Arts Grant for making things easier for small arts organizations. Foley says it's amazing that the Philadelphia Cultural Fund is dispersing William Penn Funds to small organizations this year. “Let's keep that up!” she quips. From the start, The Whole Shebang has been a practice in seeing what you want, and making it happen. A very Philly mindset: scrappy, and yet, kind, and in support of community.