Discovery Grant: Planning for Making Place Matter

The Clay Studio will engage community members of Philadelphia’s South Kensington neighborhood to develop an exhibition plan for an inaugural project in the organization’s new facility. As the Studio prepares to relocate to South Kensington, the discovery process will enable staff and artists to connect with its new neighbors by initiating a collaborative, arts-based exploration of the theme of place. Artists Roberto Lugo and Jennie Shanker will host a series of community workshops and art-making activities to gather community input surrounding questions such as: “How can your experience of a neighborhood be translated into a physical object?” The community’s reflections will lay the foundation for the artwork proposals that Lugo and Shanker will create for the subsequent exhibition, Making Place Matter. Project advisors will include South Kensington Community Partners; Amber Art & Design, an artist collective based in South Kensington; and Glenn Adamson, a craft and contemporary art scholar and former director of New York’s Museum of Arts and Design.

Additional unrestricted funds are added to each grant for general operating support.