The Village of Arts and Humanities

The Village of Arts and Humanities resides in the Fairhill-Hartranft neighborhood in North Philadelphia, its home since 1986. The organization is a nationally renowned model for ground-level work that blends art with social justice, neighborhood revitalization, and youth development. The Village's iconic creative campus comprising art parks, murals, sculptures, and revitalized buildings, was created over 36 years ago by the hands and imaginations of artists and community members. These spaces, nestled within the residential fabric of the Fairhill-Hartranft neighborhood, impart and energize lessons of self-determination, perseverance, and co-creation.

The Village is a safe haven for Black artists, civic practice artists, and artist-activists who dare to wrestle with the most urgent and intractable socio-economic challenges of our time. The Village's dynamic web of trusted community relationships, memories, and histories provide a foundation for these individuals to learn and practice alongside those whose daily lives are most impacted by injustice. Most importantly, the organization has been an anchor for a half-century of Black families who have watched the fabric of their neighborhood unravel as a result of systematic disinvestment. The Village is a symbol of staying power in a city and world that are rapidly changing.