On Saturday, July 20, in the courtyard outside of the Crane Arts Building, a fundraising BBQ was hosted for the upcoming Citywide collective exhibition. This Knight Arts grantee presents a project that will serve to connect and combine the efforts of Philadelphia’s prodigious and nuanced visual arts community into one gigantic collaboration.

A ticket to the Citywide BBQ is a ticket to new and exciting Philadelphia art!

At the event, which was a veritable who’s who for Philly’s army of artist-run spaces, the vibe was somewhere between a 4th of July picnic and an extremely well-attended gallery opening. The steamy summer air was awash with fresh beats courtesy DJ Mazelov (Micah Straight) and Alter Opius (Rubens Ghenov), while patrons enjoyed grilled burgers and dogs (veggie options too), corn on the cob and watermelon washed down by some locally brewed beer from Philadelphia Brewing Company. There were also raffles and lawn games as well as sprinklers for the kids in attendance.

DJ Mazelov looks through his records to spin for the attendees.

This kickoff to November’s gallery-swapping Citywide exhibition was a very enlightening and entertaining experience, not least of which because it was notably devoid of art. In a group of people as saturated by art as this one, it was worth an afternoon of sitting back and exchanging ideas instead of doing what we do day in and day out. Perhaps the most important thing to emerge from this encounter was the camaraderie of individuals instead of the analysis of art hanging directly nearby. Of course, this is not to say art wasn’t discussed – it most certainly was – but this social experiment proved as a healthy primer to the upcoming projects that will soon consume much of the time and effort of the assembled creators.

The assembled picnickers at the Citywide BBQ.

Many starting and well-established groups are set to take part in Citywide including (but not limited to): Vox Populi, Space 1026, Grizzly Grizzly, NAPOLEON, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Fjord, Marginal Utility, Practice, Little Berlin, Mt. Airy Contemporary Artists Space, Rebekah Templeton, Basekamp and McCartney/Belknap Projects.

Come November, more than 20 DIY and artist-run collectives from around Philly will swap ideas, curators, spaces and artwork in order to generate a healthy, open dialogue amongst the city’s many imaginative minds. This opening of doors will undoubtedly encourage discussion and partnership amongst artists who may have otherwise not communicated in such a forum. If nothing else, Citywide encourages everyone to step outside of their insular groups and comfort zones in order to assemble something completely new. Stay tuned for more events and couplings to emerge from Citywide as they work toward matching their Knight Arts Challenge grant and build bridges throughout the Philadelphia art world.

Citywide: A Collective Exhibition: [email protected] or citywidephilly.com.