This March, the Department of Commerce is celebrating Creative Economy and Arts in Education Month. During this month, Commerce will shine a spotlight on the vibrant creative economy of Philadelphia, sharing and spreading awareness on the importance of artists and creators in the area. Commerce will also connect creatives with business-related workshops, networking sessions, resources, creative dialogue, arts education webinars held by partner organizations. The goal is to support Philadelphia creatives with entrepreneurial education while promoting our growth-filled arts, culture, and creative industries.

Together, artists, cultural nonprofits, and creative businesses produce and distribute cultural goods and services that generate jobs, revenue, and quality of life in our great city. The economic impact from the pandemic continues to be felt by our artists and creators. We hope this Creative Economy and Arts in Education Month will bring the city together to acknowledge, engage, and support the creative contributions that are vital to Philadelphia’s economy and culture. To share details about the Creative Economy and Arts and Education Month events, find the Social Media Toolkit (PDF).

This blog post will be updated on an ongoing basis with events.

25th Anniversary Home Season KyLin’s Garden 麒麟的花園: – A Space For Tending, Sharing & Imagination

Join one of the country’s premier contemporary Asian-American professional dance companies, Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers (KYL/D) for its 25th Anniversary Home Season KyLin’s Garden 麒麟的花園: – A Space For Tending, Sharing & Imagination – at the Mandell Theater. This concert advances Lin’s vision of cultivating the next generation of dance-makers by including two world premieres: Shrill by Evalina Wally Carbonell and Dragon by Weiwei Ma, both of which were inspired by a sculpture at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ by Taiwanese artist, Yuyu Yang.

When: March 10-11, 2023

Women’s History Month Marketplace

Join the Women’s History Month Marketplace for a two-day marketplace curated to support women-owned businesses featuring dozens of talented visual artists, makers, and merchants.

When: March 11-12, 2023

Creatives Chat Series 2023

Join the Women’s Coalition for Empowerment, Inc. for its Creatives Chat Series 2023, a pop-up series of curated discussions infusing creative industry topics, best practices, networking, and live music. Moderated by Shekhinah B., author of the Art Economic Empowerment Workbook, an artistic multihyphenate, arts administrator, Edutainer, and vocal performer. Artists from every discipline are welcome to attend. This event will be an open dialogue between attendees and the moderator, a judgement free zone to explore innovative approaches towards creative freedom.

When: March 12, 2023

Creative Conversations

Join Da Vinci Art Alliance for its Creative Conversations event covering topics surrounding how to prep work, edit photos, and research what to submit those photos to. The session will begin with reviewing how to present and install different types of 2D, 3D, and digital work. If you have artwork, you’re struggling to figure out how to install, bring it with you for a hands-on brainstorming session and demo! The session will then cover how to research art opportunities relevant towards your own creative practice. And lastly, the lesson will conclude with a tutorial showing how to edit photos of your artwork on Photoshop.

When: March 12, 2023

Asian American Artist Town Hall

Join the Asian Arts Initiative for its Asian American Artist Town Hall inviting artists to come together to pitch their latest projects, share resources, and catch sneak peeks of new work. This event will take place in-person only at the Asian Arts Initiative’s Theater, and you are invited to present a live pitch. Presenting is not required to attend the event.

When: March 13, 2023

Tools of the Trades

Join CraftNOW and NextFab for their second annual Tools of the Trades hybrid conference focused on connecting artisans and makers to business resources in Philadelphia and beyond. This four-day event provides a concentrated period for creative learning to help craft-focused businesses accelerate growth and find success however they choose to define them. Tools of the Trades delivers a variety of programming and materials – lectures, resource directories, and a collaborative event – to address the needs voiced by our creatives running small businesses. The conference strives to emphasize approachability, affordability, and a supportive environment where everyone can come together, and no question goes unanswered.

When: March 22-25, 2023

Business Development Series: Creating a Pathway to Generational Wealth

Join the Department of Commerce’s Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to learn more about resources available for businesses and develop a strategy for pursuing City contracts. This series is part of OEO’s initiative to create educational sessions designed to promote growth for our minority-, women-, and disabled-owned (M/W/DSBE) businesses.

When: March 22, 2023

Public Art, How To Start:The First Steps to a Winning Public Art Proposal

The City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) launched a quarterly series of virtual Public Art professional development workshops in November 2022 called “Public Art, How to Start?” for artists who are interested in pursuing public art projects, but don’t know what a public art project entails, or how to start. These workshops are intended to demystify the public art process and build the capacity of local, diverse and emerging artists to apply for public art opportunities in Philadelphia and beyond. The next workshop on March 29, 2023 will be moderated by Tu Huynh, OACCE Program Manager, and will feature a panel of public art decision makers in Philadelphia who will share experiences applying for public art projects. Workshop participants will receive valuable tips for artists to get their foot in the door to public art opportunities, starting with their initial submission of qualifications and past artwork, and including steps they should take to strengthen their application before they submit.

When: March 29, 2023

Mayoral Forum for the Arts and Culture Community

Join Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, through Every Voice, Every Vote project for its Mayoral Forum for the Arts and Culture Community. Philadelphia’s mayoral candidates discuss the issues facing the city’s arts and culture sector.

When: March 30, 2023

Designing Motherhood

Join the Bernan Museum for Designing Motherhood event to explore the arc of human reproduction through the lens of design. It has created numerous conversations related to motherhood and the systems, taboos, and inequalities associated with it. The project exists in several forms: book, public programming, Narrative Portraits, curriculum, and exhibitions at the Mütter Museum and the Center for Architecture and Design.  Michelle Millar Fisher and Gabriella Nelson will share a conversation about their work to promote equity and transparency in the workplace and beyond through advocacy, policy-making, and community activism.

When: March 30, 2023

The Inaugural Forum for the Creative Economy & Arts in Education Month

Join the Department of Commerce and partner organizations as we host the Inaugural Forum for the Creative Economy and Arts in Education Month! The goal of this event is to celebrate creatives in Philadelphia and amplify a forum of discussion with City leaders. We will shine a spotlight on the vibrant creative economy of Philadelphia, sharing and spreading awareness on the importance of artists and creators in the area. We will wrap up the month with a day of arts activated activities, discussions, networking, food, and the City’s outlook on the Creative Economy.

When: March 31, 2023

Thank you

Thank you to our many partners across City departments and arts and culture organizations that supported the Department of Commerce in planning the Creative Economy and Arts in Education Month Events. Our partners include:

  • Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy
  • Mayor’s Office of Youth Engagement
  • Rivers Casino
  • Hip Cinema
  • Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers
  • Hip Hop Fundamentals
  • Indie Life Media
  • Philly Fashion Week
  • Stand by Stages
  • A & H Media, LLC
  • Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
  • GL Agency
Register for the Inaugural Forum for the Creative Economy and Arts Month Event