Philadelphia's Community Arts Center Faces an Uncertain Future
Sylvia Wright first came to the Asian Arts Initiative (AAI) in Philadelphia the summer after the eighth grade. One of her friends invited her there to work on art projects and attend a dramatic performance where the actors pulled her onstage. She was instantly hooked.
Since then, Wright, 15, has taken a mural arts class at the community arts center. She has also appeared in several Asian Pacific American plays in roles that stretch across the racial spectrum.
"It's like home," said the Philadelphia native who aspires for a career in graphic design. "There's no type of prejudice. No 'hey, you look this way. You suck.'"
But in June, Wright had to help pack up her "home" and move to a new temporary location. They needed to make room for a bigger and better Pennsylvania Convention Center, she was told.
Ironically, the temporary location is located across an alley from AAI's original site.
"It feels weird walking down an alleyway to knock on a door like it's some kind of secret society. People are probably thinking what is that child doing?" said Wright with a laugh.
Functioning in Limbo
For almost 10 years, the non-profit AAI had nurtured young artists at the Gilbert Building, an eight-story brick building less than a mile north of the convention center and a few blocks from Chinatown. Because of its low rent and convenient location within center city, the building became an "accidental art center" with multiple art organizations and artists working in the same space, said Gayle Isa, AAI executive director.
But the building is also in the path of a million dollar expansion project that when completed will boast the largest contiguous exhibit space in the Northeast and the largest convention center ballroom on the East Coast.
How could a comparatively small arts organization stand in the way of economic revitalization?
After receiving official notice to vacate their building, AAI identified their dream location: 12,000 square feet of space at 1219 Vine Street in Chinatown that needed a lot of renovation work. With the help of the state redevelopment authority, AAI was given temporary refuge across the alley.
But their new home is anything but sweet.
"It's fairly awful," said Isa, a 36-year-old Yonsei originally from the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. She moved east to attend Swarthmore College and started out at AAI as an intern. "This temporary location is also in the path of destruction, so basic city services don't seem to be working."
There is no trash pick-up, so staff members have been trying to figure out the most efficient way of dumping their garbage. Hot water is unpredictable, and worst of all, there's no centralized air conditioning. In a city where August temperatures can soar well into the 90s and humidity can reach up to 50 percent, the absence of a clean and cool place can kill most creative energy.
But the kids still come.
"The rooms are hot, but the kids are so passionate about their art they hardly notice the heat," said Sovansuny Uy, an assistant teaching instructor.
A Refuge for Kids
For many young APAs, visual literacy is not engrained in their cultures, said Eliseo Silva, a second-generation Filipino American artist and former lead artist of AAI's Big Picture Program.
"It's important to paint the cultural landscapes. Collectively we're defining ourselves in a more diverse, but connected way," he said.
Most of the AAI students are first generation with parents who don't speak English. Most are from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. For these kids, art is their only escape. Studies have shown that an interest in the arts leads to better academic success.
For a year, Silva ran the Big Picture, an after-school program for teens 11-18 years old to conceptualize and create an indoor and outdoor mural.
"It gives kids the opportunity they can't find anywhere else. They get a chance to work on something permanent. They choose the stories that need to be told."
Everyday, AAI is buzzing with activity. Paint gets thrown on a canvas, dialogue is rehearsed and the next great American masterpiece is being sketched. But all around them, debris boxes and electrical wires remind them of their temporary status.
"Most of the youth have been real troopers," said Isa. "It's been scary for them just like it's been for all of us. Before we identified where we were going, we thought this space would not exist."
When word got out that AAI was getting pushed out in the name of economic development, angry residents signed an online petition to pressure the state to help the community arts center find a new space.
"Describe any Asian American clubs and hangouts throughout the city of Philadelphia where Asian American talent can rehearse and perform on a regular basis," wrote Charles Ramirez.
Looking into the Future
The renovations on AAI's permanent location is slated to end in September, but Isa is afraid of getting kicked out of the temporary location before the new one is done.
"That's part of the larger reality of gentrification. There are good and positive things about it," said Silva, who pointed out that Philadelphia's Chinatown had been bisected by a highway leaving the northern part of the ethnic enclave underdeveloped.
For Silva, AAI's new site signifies a new future. "I see it more of a way of changing landscape - planting the seeds on the other side."
While many AAI staff members remain optimistic about their new location, others see the convention center expansion as a potential threat. The two-block convention center casts a shadow on nearby Chinatown.
"They built it with its back facing Chinatown," said John Chin, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Center (PCDC).
Without proper marketing, the convention center has not helped Chinatown businesses. The PCDC is not happy with the design of the expansion either saying it would create a parking nightmare.
"All ethnic enclaves are gateways for new immigrants. They provide temporary housing, instant employment and affordability. Any new change like this would change the character of the community," said Chin.
For now, AAI is still trying to navigate out of the path of destruction. They have negotiated a long-term lease and an option to purchase the building in Chinatown for $2.5 million, so fundraising is also a priority.
The organization has received funding support from the city and state, said Isa. But AAI is eligible for additional funding from the Pennsylvania state budget, which is legislatively controlled. That means the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the governor are in charge of getting the AAI their much-needed funds.
"There is bureaucracy," said Isa. "We're hoping it's going to be a win-win situation in the long run."
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