Dec 4, 2017

Support Refugee Communities and Artrepreneurial Spirit with the Perfect Holiday Gifts

by: Laura Kochman

We can’t believe it’s already December! If you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift, we’ve got you covered with pop-up sales and Mural Arts merch. Porch Light’s Southeast by Southeast and Art Education’s Artrepreneurs are holding two sales, starting this weekend. On December 10, find handmade crafts and textiles at the Bok Building in South Philadelphia, and on December 15, visit &pizza in Center City to peruse colorful phone cases, keychains, and more from our talented Artrepreneur students.

Southeast by Southeast is a community hub and storefront space in South Philadelphia, where refugees and immigrants have come together over the past six years to connect with emotional and economic support systems. Classes at the hub space range from ESL to sewing and weaving—highly-skilled craft making is often culturally significant to the Bhutanese, Burmese, and Nepalese communities that we serve. The holiday sale is held yearly, with crafts and textiles from all over the city, made by people from all over the world. Give intricate weavings, delicate jewelry, wall hangings, and more as gifts this year, knowing that the sale directly benefits Philadelphia’s refugee and immigrant communities. All proceeds go directly to the vendors, and we’re also hosting a toy drive for kids in Porch Light and Art Ed programs.

 

  • Make, Weave, Sew Sale at Southeast by Southeast, December 2015. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Make, Weave, Sew Sale at Southeast by Southeast, December 2015. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Make, Weave, Sew Sale at Southeast by Southeast, December 2015. Photo by Steve Weinik.

Our Artrepreneurs initiative reaches students ages 14–18, helping them develop their artistic talents and learn professional skills from area business leaders and local art teachers. Throughout the year, they hold pop-ups for their own micro-businesses, showcasing skills from sewing to printmaking to silkscreening and beyond! The experience of creating and selling their colorful wares is all about confidence, personal growth, and economics.

 

  • Artrepreneurs at the Annual Art Ed Exhibition, 2017. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Jewelry made by Artrepreneurs, at the Annual Art Ed Exhibition, 2017. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Artrepreneurs at the Annual Art Ed Exhibition, 2017. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • A student at the Artrepreneurs class. Photo by Steve Weinik.

And of course, you can’t go wrong by sending your loved ones on a tour through the City of Murals. We’ve got gift cards for a variety of tours that run year-round, and right now we have a few holiday bundles on sale. Go on a Love Letter train tour and remember all 20 blocks of this visual valentine with the full-color art book, or get the full-blast Mural Arts experience with the Mega Mural Arts Merriment Bundle: two trolley tours, the vibrant Mural Arts @ 30 book, and an awesome foldable shopping bag printed with your favorite Martha Rich mural. Go shopping!

 

  • Tell the Truth © 2016 Mural Arts Philadelphia / Martha Rich. Photo by Kat Kendon.

  • Shopping bag printed with Martha Rich mural design.

  • Mural Arts trolley tour. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • A Love Letter For You: Brick Valentines On The Philly Skyline, from artist Steve Powers.


Southeast by Southeast is a project of Porch Light, a joint collaboration between Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS). Support for Mural Arts’ Neighborhood Storefronts & Hubs is provided in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funders include DBHIDS, the Hummingbird Foundation, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and the Patricia Kind Family Foundation.

Support for Mural Arts’ Art Education program is provided by: Berkowitz Family Foundation, Blick Art Materials, Chubb, City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services, City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Office for Transportation, Christopher Ludwick Foundation, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, Forrest & Frances Lattner Foundation, FS Investments, Glenmede, Graham Partners, Hummingbird Foundation, Independence Foundation, Keystone Property Group, Liberty United Foundation, Lincoln Financial Foundation, Lomax Family Foundation, Margaret Harris & Phil Straus, Origlio Beverage, Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, School District of Philadelphia, Seed the Dream Foundation, SEI Investments, Surdna Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation.

Last updated: Dec 4, 2017

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