The Village of Arts and Humanities



Mission Statement

"The Village of Arts and Humanities seeks to build community through its innovative educational, social, construction, and arts programs. In all of its projects and activities, the Village seeks to do justice to the humanity of the people who live in North Philadelphia and in similar inner city situations."

History

Between 1986 and 1989, artist Lily Yeh started to build a North Philadelphia park with the assistance of neighborhood children. Since then, The Village of Arts and Humanities, incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1989, has become a nexus of creative activity for all age groups. With the assistance of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Green and the Anti-Graffiti Network, the village has converted over fifty abandoned lots and buildings into parks, gardens, program facilities, offices, and low income housing. During the school year, over five hundred people participate in the Village's programs that include theatre productions, art exhibitions, and a children's newsletter called My World.

"She (Lily Yeh) has aquired title to abandoned houses for renovation, and vacant lots for community gardens and beautiful tiled parks. As a result, the Village enjoys a substantial amount of locally controlled public space, something rare in a city of private and police-patrolled malls and parks. These pocket parks are also strategic; they are cast out to the geographic and psychic peripheries of the Village, an artistic signal to the neighbors that its borders are expanding." Gil Ott, High Performance:Winter 1994

"As for physical development, Yeh reports that the Village is able to renovate houses for an average cost of $40,000 per unit - a respectively low rate compared with developers throughout the city. She has begun talking with a nearby community development corporation, Manos Unidos / United Hands Community Land Trust, about collaborating on the renovation of six rowhouses." Gil Ott, High Performance:Winter 1994

Curriculum

As a community education center, the Village of Arts and Humanities aims "to create education programs that are founded in the children's creativity, experience, and culture. The classes should guide children to create beautiful, intelligent work that relates their personal culture to a variety of world cultures and to contemporary American culture." The center occassionally has a horticulturist on staff.


Programs

  • Painting and Drawing
  • African Dance
  • African American History
  • Ballet
  • Pottery Class
  • Rites of Passage Program (three year program with two phases)


    Special Program: Creating and Documenting Environmental Awareness

    In the Spring of 1996 a graduate student from the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Landscape Architecture, Carolyn M. Whealan Andersson, introduced an environmental education curriculum to a class of children at the Village of Arts and Humanities. Excercises included: mapping the landscape, materials, narrative drawing, Photomarathon, placemaking collages.


    The Village Neighborhood

  • The Ile-Ife Park (Yoruba for "House of Love") includes mosiac covered benches and a stage with a mural backdrop. Recently, a play called A Different Place in Time, was produced on the stage. The play pertaining to cultural heritage was written, directed and performed by local residents.

  • The Angel Alley is guarded by hoovering Ethiopian angels created by resident mosiac artist Big Man.

  • Arts and Ceramic Workshop was built by a six-man crew trained by a local resident with construction experience.

  • The Main Arts and Workshop Facility has a dance studio, computers, and a radio studio.

  • The Magical Garden

  • The Vegetable Garden was established in 1994 with the assistance of the Neighborhood Green Corps and the AmeriCorps volunteers.

  • The Guardian Angel Park is bordered by a curving wall that is decorated with large mosiac flowers. This the home of the angel sculptures.

  • The Meditation Park is a sunny open space that is bordered by a large colorful mosiac. A tree in the middle provides

  • Family Park

  • The Village Gallery is situated next to the Meditation Park. It was an abondoned rowhouse.

  • Artists' Residencies

  • The Crafts Building houses craft activities as well as offering nutritional instruction and selling healthy baked goods and vegetables.


    Contact

    Executive Director
    Lily Yeh

    Managing Director
    Heidi Warren

    Jamers "Big Man" Maxton
    Operations Manager and resident mosiac artist

    Director of Education
    Jonathan Zellars 215-255-7830; 215-255-9560

    Neighborhood Residents
    Deborah Cooper
    Renee Cureton
    Dorothea Bigsby


    This site is maintained by the Webmaster at wplp@pobox.upenn.edu

    Last Update: 22 August 1997