Social & Civic Practice

Playwright Anna Deavere Smith on "Crossing the Bridge Between Me and You"

In this interview, conducted while Anna Deavere Smith was in Philadelphia for the first workshop performances of her new historical drama Basil Biggs, she reflects on her approach to activism as a theater maker, why she views herself as "a humanist," and how she hopes her plays can build a bridge to understanding. 

Fellow to Fellow: Artists Cesar Viveros and Ada Trillo on Art Created from Memory and Cultural Identity

Visual artist Cesar Viveros and photographer Ada Trillo ask each other about their practices and discuss the process of parsing through difficult imagery, staying true to their own perspectives, and what motivates them to create.

Building a Sense of Belonging through Community-Centered Theater

In fall of 2022, Theatre Horizon debuted TOWN on the lawn of Eisenhower Science and Technology Leadership Academy, a Norristown middle school. The performances featured more than 60 performers, nearly all of whom were non-professional actors from Norristown with personal stories to tell.

Excerpt from The Sentient Archive: Choreographer Gregory Maqoma on Expressing Cultural Identity

Gregory Maqoma’s Sentient Archive essay “Exit/Exist – Embodiment,” the artist examines how he translates his ancestral history into performance, rejecting a “conceptual” framework for which descriptions supersede the work itself and instead embracing a historically driven approach.

Questions of Practice: Artist Yael Bartana on Participating in Politics Through Art

Yael Bartana explains her approach to engaging with the political in her work and why she found a connection forged with a “right-wing religious woman” so meaningful.

Questions of Practice: Choreographer Nora Chipaumire on a Dancer’s Skin

Choreographer Nora Chipaumire explains how embracing her skin allows her to more deeply investigate what audiences impose on dancers.

Questions of Practice: Farm for the City Participants on What Urban Farming Can Do for a Community

Farm for the City program curator Charlyn Griffith, farmer Stan Morgan, and Broad Street Ministry chef Stephen Shillingford discuss how food access can revitalize a community and the connections among art, agriculture, and creativity.

Questions of Practice: Ernesto Pujol on Pursuing Aesthetics

Ernesto Pujol discusses the significance of pursuing the portrayal of beauty in his site-specific, durational works and its potential to transcend suffering.

Questions of Practice: Curator Koyo Kouoh on Politics and Socially Engaged Practice

Curator Koyo Kouoh on working with artists who have embedded in their practices thinking systems that are political. 

Questions of Practice: Photographer Zanele Muholi on Museum Accessibility

Zanele Muholi discusses how their Women’s Mobile Museum, created for the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, considers issues of museum accessibility, affordability, and mobility by presenting exhibitions in community spaces and in collaboration with local residents.