Philly Arts and Culture Fair brings citywide art to campus

This past Friday, hundreds of students, an oboe player, a zombie and a pirate named Calico Jack shared a room in Houston Hall.

It was the fourth annual Philly Arts and Culture Fair, hosted by Penn’s University Life Arts Initiatives, during which more than 50 Philadelphia-based arts organizations set up to showcase the myriad of off-campus arts and culture opportunities available to Penn students.

Some of the representatives — like the Independence Seaport Museum’s pirate or the living dead from “Terror Behind the Walls” at the Eastern State Penitentiary — were more colorful than others, but all were eager to give flyers and discounts to students.

“We’re giving away tickets to the ballet in the raffle,” said Claudia van Poperingen, marketing manager for the Pennsylvania Ballet. “It’s a great way to get the word out about our current season.”

The fair, which was set up in a similar fashion to the annual student club fair on Locust Walk, involved a wide range of organizations. Among those represented were theater and dance companies, music venues, art galleries and even Penn’s own Morris Arboretum.

Students responded well to the variety, according to Jamie Hall, Drexel student and marketing assistant for the Philadelphia Film Festival. Said Hall, “This fair is a real opportunity for us to get students involved in our volunteer program, and we’ve been really pleased so far with Penn student interest in the film festival.”

From year to year, the fair has taken many different shapes. Ty Furman, director of University Life Arts Initiatives, explained, “When we held the fair on Locust Walk, the organizations felt people were rushed and weren’t stopping to talk. Last year, it was pouring rain and we had to move to 1920 Commons,” he said. “This summer we got a jump on planning — we examined our list of arts organizations, saw where there were gaps and we asked around.”

Furman battled the weather this year as well. The fair was moved from Wynn Commons to the Class of 1949 room in Houston Hall in anticipation of rain, but student attendance was still strong with at least 100 students present in the first hour of the three-hour event.

The fair was also a First Year Friday event. Troy Majnerick, FYF program director and associate director of New Student Orientation, explained the program’s mission. “During NSO, there’s so much going on that it can be overwhelming,” he said. “First Year Fridays are designed to continue the orientation process into the school year. We try to get the word out about departments and resources available to students after NSO is over.”

Still, freshmen weren’t the only ones at the fair. College sophomores Tara Fernandez and Blake Harwood both perused the offerings, which included raffles for event tickets, student discount vouchers and information about internship opportunities in Philadelphia. “This is my second time coming to the fair,” said Fernandez. “Just knowing that this exists is the best part.”

College sophomore and Vassar transfer student Ella Cohen agreed. Gushing over discounted student tickets to the Arden Theatre Company’s production of the musical “Next to Normal”, Cohen said, “I love to go see live shows. This is part of the reason why I transferred.”

Furman saw the fair as a win-win for both Philly’s arts and culture organizations and Penn students. “We do this because we want students to be engaged,” he said. “It makes Penn a better place. We want them to know what an awesome city Philly is, so hopefully they won’t spend four years never going past 40th or 20th.”

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