Arts in Sacred Places in Penn Treaty Special Services District

This year, with the support of the Penn Treaty Special Services District, we are providing a free space sharing program combining our Arts in Sacred Places and New Dollars New Partners training for Philadelphia congregations located in Northern Liberties, Fishtown, Kensington South, and Olde Richmond.*

Partners’ experience and research has shown that many urban congregations are overwhelmed with the burden of caring for surplus space. At the same time, artists who are struggling to find adequate and affordable space in which to work, may not know that the former Sunday school wing of a local church, for example, could be available for office, performance, or studio space. This program was designed to capitalize on these challenges by facilitating mutually beneficial space-sharing relationships between arts organizations without a home and the city’s houses of worship with space to spare.

Through this program, congregations will connect with arts organizations, learn how to share space, and explore a new revenue stream that aligns with their mission and helps them take good care of their historic buildings. All faith traditions are welcome to participate. Our program benefits the local community by making these sacred spaces more vibrant and effective at being the community centers they were originally built to be. We hope to initiate and encourage a productive relationship between houses of faith and artists that extends beyond the training sessions.

  • SITE VISITS – MAY 2023
    A Partners for Sacred Places staffer will conduct a 30-minute visit to your congregation to assess and determine the space-sharing possibilities.
  • TRAINING – JUNE 2023
    Participants will attend three online training sessions and one in-person training to learn about space sharing, caring for your historic building, and community-wide fundraising.

    • Session 1 – Monday, June 5 @ 6pm-8pm ONLINE – Telling Your Story
    • Session 2 – Monday, June 12 @ 6pm-8pm ONLINE – Mission-Vision-Impact-Values
    • Session 3 – Thursday, June 22 @ 6pm-8pm ONLINE – Know Thyself
    • Session 4 – Monday, June 26 @ 3pm-7pm IN PERSON – Fundraising, Space Re-envisioning, & Basic Terms of a Space Sharing Contract

Our session topics will include:

  • Aligning artists’ and sacred places’ missions
  • Telling your congregation’s story to the broader community
  • Dos and don’ts of space sharing
  • Creating a space sharing agreement that works for both parties
  • Building capacity for raising funds and leveraging community-wide support
  • Making the most of historic sacred places as community assets

  • Sacred places are community spaces and artists expand that definition.
  • Artists avoid the costs of property ownership while sacred places can earn income to maintain their buildings.
  • Sacred places are generally able to rent their spaces below market rate.

Partners is seeking arts organizations in Philadelphia city limits. Individual artists, co-ops, and organizations are all free to participate in this process. Visual and Performing artists are all accepted. We recommend the artists:

  • Have a willingness to make a creative home within a sacred place, specifically in Northern Liberties, Fishtown, Kensington South, and Olde Richmond;
  • Are currently paying rent in another space or are ready to make that leap;
  • Have human capacity to handle the space sharing relationship; and
  • Have artistic and management leadership interested in sharing space with sacred places.

Partners is seeking Philadelphia congregations in Northern Liberties, Fishtown, Kensington South, and Olde Richmond who meet the following requirements:

  • Any faith tradition or denomination with historic or older buildings with unused or underutilized space of any kind (hall, classrooms, parsonages, rectories, etc.);
  • Those interested in more deeply engaging their local community and building partnerships;
  • Those who are curious about their public, or civic value to the community and using that value to tell their story to neighbors and leaders; and
  • Those who are eager to learn how to leverage the support from the wider community to help steward their historic buildings.

How to Participate!

1. Fill out our participation form:
For Artists | For Sacred Places
2. Attend all four training sessions.
3. Connect and share space with one another!

Participation Form: Sacred Places
Participation Form: Artists

Our Collaborators on this Project: