{"id":13417,"date":"2019-06-03T11:54:49","date_gmt":"2019-06-03T15:54:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillyhistory.wpengine.com\/?p=13417"},"modified":"2019-06-03T12:07:13","modified_gmt":"2019-06-03T16:07:13","slug":"the-re-branding-of-philadelphias-as-arts-destination-1955-1962","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/2019\/06\/the-re-branding-of-philadelphias-as-arts-destination-1955-1962\/","title":{"rendered":"The Re-Branding of Philadelphia as Arts Destination, 1955-1962"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Arts Festival Poster, March 19, 1962 (PhillyHistory.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cSome of us may be inclined to think and talk of Philadelphia in terms of magnificent buildings, colossal machines and other products of imaginative planning,\u201d said Mayor Joseph Clark in 1955. \u201cNot forgotten, but somewhat less talked about today in the cultural vitality which has always identified Philadelphia nationally and throughout the world. Our city is nobly endowed with schools in every field of art, with outstanding art treasures and with widely valued art activities. All of these are expanding rapidly and with a sensitivity to the spirit of our age which I believe will account for much of the city\u2019s greatness in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so, Philadelphia launched an \u201cArt Festival,\u201d a collection of performances and exhibitions that would draw 50,000 attendees. The new idea of re branding the city as an arts destination would catch on, if a bit slowly. In 1959, the second \u201carts festival\u201d (now plural) got off to its start, complete with a rationale, as explained in the Inquirer<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u201cModern technology and increased productivity have added golden hours to everyone\u2019s days. Some of these extra hours, of course, are devoted to sports and travel, gardening, bird watching and the like. But a steadily increasing proportion are being used for the enjoyment of the arts. Never before have so many people taken such an active interest in paintings and sculpture, music, dancing, the theater, and all the other divisions of art. To encourage this growing interest and to acquaint the people of Philadelphia and its suburbs with their wealth of art facilities, is the purpose of the Festival\u201d which presented more than 100 events.<\/p>\n

The third festival took place in 1962.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city is going on a 16-day crash diet of high-calorie culture,\u201d proclaimed the Daily News on June 8th. “It’s called the Philadelphia Arts Festival\u2026 And if this can\u2019t get a fellow away from his television set, nothing can.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Plastering of the First Kiosks, June 7, 1962 (PhillyHistory.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMusic, ballet, painting, sculpture, architectural exhibits, poetry drama, you name it, Philadelphia will have it. And a good many of the cultural dishes will be just what the best things in life are supposed to be \u2013 free as the air. Most of them, in fact, will be in the air. \u2026 There\u2019ll be more than 100 events, more than 5,000 performers\u2014pros, amateurs, students\u2026 An estimated one million persons will peek at some phase of the f\u00eate before the curtain rings down on June 24.\u201d<\/p>\n

The kickoff included the opening of major exhibits at the Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, an illustrated lecture by Jack Bookbinder, director of art education, Philadelphia Public Schools: \u201cUnderstanding and Enjoyment of Modern Art.\u201d \u00a0The festival included \u201can all-star jazz concert\u201d under the stars including Billy Krechmer and his five-man group; pianist Bernard Peiffer with Gusti Nemeth; bassist Billy Root and his octet, and the Vincent Montana Trio. It featured a program of folk songs with George Britton at the Hospitality Center (at what is now Love Park). In all, the festival sponsored by the Mayor\u2019s Arts Advisory Council was a packed schedule of events from a clothesline art exhibition at Rittenhouse Square to the Ferko Mummers String Band on the Parkway, to square dancing at the Cheltenham Shopping Center.<\/p>\n

Theatrical performances included \u201can evening of comedy\u201d featuring \u00a0Jules Feiffer\u2019s \u201cCrawling Arnold,\u201d the barroom scene from Sean O\u2019Casey\u2019s \u201cThe Plough and the Stars\u201d and scenes from Moliere\u2019s \u201cThe Imaginary Invalid.\u201d Dance soloists at the Philadelphia Museum of Art featured character sketches by Andrey Brookspan, Leah Dillon and her Dance Arts Group, Sally Gibbs McClure and her Spanish dance group, and solos by Malvena Taiz.<\/p>\n

Word spread via schedules posted on 25 temporary kiosks throughout Center City.<\/p>\n

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Arts Festival Awards Presentation at the Warwick Hotel June 15, 1962 (PhillyHistory.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The highlight event took place on Saturday evening, June 16th<\/sup> when more than 5,000 filled the cavernous Convention Hall (then in West Philadelphia) for a free concert of Rachmaninoff\u2019s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Jerome Lowenthal, soloist) and works by Shostakovich, Barber, Gershwin and Bernstein.<\/p>\n

The Mayor\u2019s Arts Advisory Council honored eleven Philadelphia creatives \u201cfor bringing credit and renown to the city.\u201d Recipients were presented with engraved silver plates. They were:<\/p>\n

Architecture:<\/strong> Louis I. Kahn \u201cwho did the Art Gallery at Yale and teaches at Penn and Princeton.\u201d<\/p>\n

City Planning:<\/strong> Roy Larson, president of the Philadelphia Art Commission, \u201cwho has \u2018kept a watchful eye on the design of the city.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Dance:<\/strong> Zachary Solov, \u201cwho, after leaving Philadelphia, studied with Balanchine, Scholler and Loring and who was selected by Rudolf Bing to bring a new look to the Metropolitan Opera.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fashion:<\/strong> Tina Leser, \u201cnoted designer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Literature:<\/strong> Loren Eiseley, provost of the University of Pennsylvania \u201cand prize-winning author of The Firmament of Time<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Music:<\/strong> Samuel Barber, \u201ccomposer of prize-winning works and first American to have his work performed at the Salzburg Festival\u201d; famed bassoonist Sol Schoenbach, of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Woodwind Quintet; and Susan Starr, \u201cpianist who recently took second place in the Tchaikovsky International Exhibition in Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Painting:<\/strong> Charles Sheeler, \u201c\u2019the grand old man of painting,\u2019 who studied here, later in Spain, France and Italy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Theater<\/strong>: Playwright George Kelly, \u201cof the famous local family, who won the Pulitzer Prize 37 years ago with Craig\u2019s Wife<\/em>.\u201d And actress Ethel Waters, \u201cChester-born star known for her work on Broadway and Hollywood.\u201d<\/p>\n

[Sources:\u00a0<\/span>Gertrude Benson, \u201cArt Festival Sets Array of Awards,\u201d Inquirer<\/em>, January 30, 1955; \u201c20,000 at Museum See Opening of Art Festival,\u201d Inquirer<\/em>, February 26, 1955; Hugh Scott, \u201cThe Arts Festival,\u201d Inquirer Magazine<\/em>, January 18, 1959;\u00a0<\/span>\u201cCitywide Stage is set for 16-Day Art Festival,\u201d The Philadelphia Daily News,<\/em> June 8, 1962; \u201c3rd<\/sup> Festival of Arts Opens on Saturday,\u201d Inquirer<\/em>, June 9, 1962; [Advertisement] \u201cFree Tickets Philadelphia Arts Awards Gala, Convention Hall, 34th<\/sup> and Spruce, Friday, June 15, 8:15 PM,\u201d Inquirer<\/em>, June 13, 1962; \u201cCity to Honor Eleven Artists from Area,\u201d The Philadelphia Daily News<\/em>, June 15, 1962; \u201cPhila. Pays Tribute To 11 for Achievement In the World of Arts,\u201d Inquirer<\/em>, June 16, 1962; Samuel L. Singer, \u201cConcert Highlights Art Awards Gala,\u201d Inquirer<\/em>, June 16, 1962; \u201cArts Festival Events at Peak,\u201d Inquirer<\/em>, June 17, 1962.]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cSome of us may be inclined to think and talk of Philadelphia in terms of magnificent buildings, colossal machines and other products of imaginative planning,\u201d said Mayor Joseph Clark in 1955. \u201cNot forgotten, but somewhat less talked about today in the cultural vitality which has always identified Philadelphia nationally and throughout the world. Our city […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13417\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}