Painted Bride Art Center 230 Vine Street front from east

The Painted Bride Art Center, sometimes referred to informally as The Bride, is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

artist-centered performance space and gallery particularly oriented to presenting the work of local Philadelphia artists, which presents dance, jazz, world, folk and electronic music, visual arts, theatre and performance art, poetry and spoken word performances. It is located at 5212 Market Street in the West Philadelphia neighborhood of

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, The Painted Bride was founded as a gallery space in an old bridal shop on South Street in 1969 by Gerry Givnish, Sylvia and Larry Konigsberg, Frank Vavricka, A. John Kammer, and Deryl Mackie. Its name derives from a mannequin placed in the shop's window, which became an attraction as people came by to see what provocative outfit it was wearing, or what lewd position it was placed in. In 1973, the gallery gave rise to the ''

Painted Bride Quarterly The ''Painted Bride Quarterly'', also known informally as ''PBQ'', is a Philadelphia-based literary magazine. It was established in 1973 by Louise Simons and R. Daniel Evans in connection with the Painted Bride Art Center, an art gallery founded ...

'', a poetry and literary journal. In 1977, having received funding from the

Comprehensive Employment and Training Act The Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA, ) was a United States federal law enacted by the Congress, and signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973 to train workers and provide them with jobs in the public service. ...

(CETA), the Bride hired its first paid staff. The six employees worked in all aspects of management. In 1982 it moved to its current location. The Bride, which is part of the National Performance Network includes a 225-seat performance space – the Gerry Givnish Theatre – and has several galleries in which to mount visual arts shows. The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' referred to the center as a "wonderful, welcoming and often edgy" venue which "set the trend of cultural activity in Old City" when it was founded."Travel Guides: Philadelphia: Painted Bride Art Center"
''

'' Accessed:March 11, 2012 The center receives funding from numerous sources. In 1984, it was the only Philadelphia arts institution to be awarded a $100,000 challenge grant by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, but by 1996, with Federal grants to the arts diminishing, it received only $10,000, which was $20,000 less than had been budgeted for that performance year. The center also receives funding from the City of Philadelphia and the

Pew Charitable Trust The Pew Charitable Trusts is an independent non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO), founded in 1948. With over 6 billion in assets, its stated mission is to serve the public interest by "improving public policy, informing the public, a ...

. The outside of the former industrial building The Bride is located in is completely covered by ''Skin of the Bride'', a mosaic by Philadelphia artist

Isaiah Zagar Isaiah Zagar (born 1939) is an American mosaic artist based in Philadelphia. He is notable for his murals, primarily in or around Philadelphia's South Street. Early life Zagar received his Bachelor of Arts from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, ...

, which he created between 1991 and 2000 and donated to the center. In 2020, the Painted Bride organization sold the building to developer Atrium Design Group. They had to go to court in order to sell the building. They refused a $2.65 million offer by the

Lantern Theater Company Lantern Theater Company is a not-for-profit regional theater founded in 1994 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Led by founding artistic director Charles McMahon and managing director Anne Shuff, the Lantern produces a mix of classics, modern, and or ...

, which would have kept the building as an arts venue.

References

Notes

External links

Official website
*Finding aid for th
Painted Bride Art Center records
at th
University of Pennsylvania Libraries
{{Authority control Arts centers in Pennsylvania Theatres in Philadelphia Art museums and galleries in Philadelphia Mosaics Art galleries established in 1969 1969 establishments in the United States Old City, Philadelphia

See also

References

External links