PHILADELPHIA, PA.- Thirty-six ideas for the Philadelphia arts will receive $2.7 million from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of a community-wide contest to inspire and enrich the city.

The Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia, a three-year, $9 million initiative, launched in October of last year and asked the question: “What’s your best idea for the arts in Philadelphia?”

The first-year winners represent a broad spectrum of the community. They include individual artists and artist-driven organizations such as Nichole Canuso Dance Company, author Kathleen Bonanno, and theater company Tiny Dynamite Productions, in addition to some of the city’s premier cultural institutions, including the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Theatre Company and the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

Selected from a field of over 1,700 submissions, the winning ideas include projects to:

• Nurture young residents through poetry by establishing a gathering space offering cultural workshops, as well as homework tutoring and life-skills mentoring, presented by Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement;
• Help Philadelphia sculptors create their works safely by creating a “sculpture gym,” organized by sculptor Darla Jackson, where artists can use heavy-duty tools, have storage space and get one-on-one help with projects; and
• Attract new audiences to classical music by bridging genres and generations with a Cross-Over Classical summer series that pairs cultural icons and larger-than-life multimedia presentations with world-renowned orchestras in a relaxed outdoor setting at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts.

The full list of winners is included below, with additional project details available online at KnightArts.org. Knight Foundation will open year two of the challenge in the fall of this year.

"People understand that the arts move and inspire us. On another level, they also bring people together around shared experiences and help us imagine our collective potential,” said Alberto Ibargüen, Knight Foundation’s president and CEO. “As we look for artists and arts institutions who can do this, we don’t tell them what to do or how to do it. We want Philadelphia artists to tell us what moves them and by supporting them, we think we can move the soul of the community.”

The Knight Arts Challenge began in 2008 in Miami, where the initiative is now in its fourth year. Philadelphia is only the second city in which Knight is offering this program.

The challenge has just three rules: The idea must be about art, must take place in or benefit Philadelphia, and winners must find funds (within a year) to match Knight Foundation’s grant. Applications were open to anyone in the region and were accepted online at KnightArts.org.

“Anyone can enter the Knight Arts Challenge – all you need is a great idea. Tonight’s winners show that Philadelphia has an abundance of them – coming from a thriving creative community that makes this city special,” said Dennis Scholl, Knight Foundation’s vice president/arts.

Three of The Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia 2011 Winners

Dance and Music Enliven Seventh Street Plaza
Project: RAAMP It Up Wednesdays
Recipient: African American Museum in Philadelphia
Award: $45,000
To showcase local artists by presenting commissioned dance and gospel performances through free weekly concerts at the museum’s Seventh Street Plaza.

Arab Music Promotes Cross-Cultural Understanding
Project: Arab Music Concert Series
Recipient: Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture
Award: $50,000
To promote cross-cultural understanding and appreciation for Arab music by creating a unique concert series with a resident ensemble

African-, Asian- and Latin-American Cultures Celebrated Through Classical Music
Project: Spiritual Voyages Festival
Recipient: Astral Artists
Award: $35,000
To spotlight distinctive voices in classical music by celebrating composers who are exploring their African-, Asian- and Latin-American cultures through their music

* Not all the winners are listed above