2009 Hidden City Festival

About:

The Hidden City Philadelphia festival started as a way of celebrating the power of place through the imagination of contemporary artists. The idea was to create an avenue for the public to visit abandoned, obscure or inaccessible sites of historical interest throughout the city. To add another layer of meaning, artists of diverse disciplines and media created site-specific work that illuminated the memories (and possibly the futures) of these places. We hoped the experience would inspire people to explore the city’s history and imagine new futures for the urban landscape.

Hidden City Philadelphia was presented for the first time May 30 – June 28, 2009. The festival featured ten works by leading local and international artists created for nine sites throughout the city. Critical and visitor response was overwhelming. Six of the sites were home to visual arts installations, which were free and open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays during the festival. Three locations housed music and dance pieces and were accessible on performance days.The festival engaged 102 volunteers, 111 artists (creative and performing), and generated more than 10,000 visitors, 35 print articles, 1,100 FaceBook fans, 6,000 photographs, 1,000,000 web hits and one very unforgettable experience.

Festival Credits

Executive and Production
Executive
Thaddeus A. Squire, President
Jay Wahl, Managing Producer
Becca Bernstein, Director of Development

Production
Perry Fertig, Technical Director
Derek Hachkowski, Master Electrician
Sarah L. Hunter, Samuel S. Fels Research Intern
Nick Kourtides, Sound Advisor
Catherine Pidgeon, Production Assistant
Jordan Rockford, Curatorial Associate (2006-2007)
Josh Schulman, Lighting Director
Rebecca Starr, Administrative Support

Risk Management
Shawn Evans, AIA, Architecture & Life Safety
Peter Gulia, Esq., General Counsel
Daniel O. Kelly, FAIA, Architecture Consultant
Craig Long, Insurance Broker & Advisor
Michael Schade, AIA, Architecture & Life Safety

Artistic and Historical Advisors
Artistic Advisors
Kathleen Forde, Experimental Music & Performing Arts Center
Terry Fox, Philadelphia Dance Projects
Christian Marclay, Independent Artist
Richard Torchia, Gallery at Arcadia University
Stephen Vitiello, Virgina Commonwealth University

Historical Advisors
John Andrew Gallery, Preservation Alliance for Greater Phila.
Elizabeth Laurent, Founder’s Hall, Girard College
Bruce Laverty, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Bryant Simon, Temple University

Co-Producing Partners
Ars Nova Workshop
City of Philadelphia
Fairmount Park Commission
Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation
Group Motion Dance Company
Leah Stein Dance Company
Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia
Network for New Music
Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia
The University of the Arts

Participating Artists and Ensembles
Marshall Allen
Sanford Biggers
Wally Cardona
Stan Douglas
Phil Kline
David Lang
Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle
Aleksandra Mir
Jemeel Moondoc
Bill Morrison/Laurie Olinder
John Phillips/Carolyn Healy
Todd Reynolds
Steve Roden
Leah Stein
Steven Earl Weber
Group Motion Dance Company
Manfred Fischbeck, Artistic Director
Mendelssohn Club Chorus
Alan Harler, Artistic Director
Network for New Music
Linda Reichert, Artistic Director

Marketing & Visitor Experience
Staff & Consultants
Kala Moses Baxter, Tour Actor
Amy Harting, Box Office Manager
Laris Kreslins, Strategic Marketing & Game Consultant
Ed Tettemer, Messaging Consultant
Andrew White, Marketing Coordinator
Andrew White & Jay Wahl, Tour Script Writers
Photography
Joseph E.B. Elliott, Architectural Site Photographer
Ryan Donnell, Textile Photographer
J.J. Tiziou, Performance & Neighborhood Photographer

Design & Publicity
Braithwaite Communications, Publicity & Media Relations
Tabula Creative Communications, Website & Graphic Design
Jesse Schlabach, Design Intern

Marketing Partners
Amtrak 30th Street Station
Dutch Umbrella
Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation
Philadelphia Media Holdings
Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia

Funding Credits

Foundation and Government
Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation
Samuel S. Fels Fund
National Endowment for the Arts
The Hess Foundation
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
Pennsylvania Humanities Council
Philadelphia Cultural Fund
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

Co-Producer Partner Funders
Argosy Foundation Contemporary Music Fund<
National Endowment for the Arts
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
Dance Advance
Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative
Philadelphia Music Project
The Philadelphia Cultural Fund
The William Penn Foundation

Individuals
Heath Allen
Peter and Miriam Burwasser
Penelope and Andrei Constantinidi
Paul and Adele Epstein
Sandra Folzer and John Dulik
Aaron S. Goldblatt
Alan Harler
Pam and Jan
Marc Lombardi
Eileen S. Moghadam, M.D.
Marc Nabi Moghadam
Celian B. Putnam
Sally Simmons and Charles Thrall
Mary I. Skromak
Andre C. Stephano
Mr. and Mrs. Constantine Stephano
Mr. Bert Strieb
Yvonne Paterson and Milt Rossman
Leonard and Eve Warren
Senator Constance Williams

In-Kind Support
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Blick Art Materials
Walnut Street Theater
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe
Young Scholars Charter School