University of the Arts

Established in 1876, the University of the Arts is one of the nation's only universities dedicated solely to educating students in the visual and performing arts and design. The university offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 1,900 students who connect, collaborate, and create across disciplines and traditional boundaries. Center-supported projects include Gray Area 3, an active engagement of community members, designers, and historic preservationists on re-use strategies for two vacant Philadelphia buildings; and the exhibition Invisible City: Philadelphia and the Vernacular Avant-garde, highlighting and exploring Philadelphia’s significant contributions to visual culture from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 2018, the University of the Arts School of Dance received Center support for The School for Temporary Liveness, an eight-day pop-up performance experience presented in the format of a school that occupies the Philadelphia Art Alliance building, featuring choreographer and performer Nora Chipaumire and interdisciplinary performance artist Isabel Lewis.