Art Assembly was an arts organization I co-founded to serve multiple purposes in the Philadelphia area arts community.
We aimed to establish an organization offering collective workspace for artists, inspired by the ‘Maker Space’ model, providing community, tools, instruction, and workshops through a membership system.
We also sought to organize events, discussions, panels, and lectures that would enrich the community’s critical discourse on the conceptual aspects of artistic creation, practice, and craftsmanship.
From 2011 to 2015, we occupied a large space in the Loom building in North Philadelphia, which featured a shared area for coworking, events and private workspaces available for rent.
We hosted monthly or bimonthly public art critiques, where artists could showcase work in progress, get advice on their practice, and present project ideas to discuss with peers. We hosted an Artist’s talk series, featuring curators, writers, and artists who shared insights into their practice, specific projects, or responded to prompts, such as discussing research conducted for a project without showcasing the project itself.
We also hosted panel discussions on the state of the Philly art scene or other relevant topics. We organized and hosted a range of events in the space, including workshops, parties, and performances, such as a house music and projection mapping event, as well as a community design workshop for the River Wards district’s Philadelphia 2035 plan, both for A/A and other local organizations like St Clair Mag and the City of Philadelphia . We also participated in community-wide events as an organization such as the Philadelphia Citywide Art Festival and The Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby.
My co-founder Sari Widman and I planned, established, and managed the organization, handling a wide range of tasks, including creating the corporate entity, fundraising, dealing with city government on taxes and regulations, overseeing daily and long-term operations, managing finances, negotiating with vendors, scheduling events, finding event partners, marketing, and collaborating with other organizations, as well as programming the space, which involved leading monthly critiques, moderating discussion panels, lectures, and workshops. All the while, we both worked full-time jobs.
