The NonprofitCenters Network

Following displacement due to the expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Asian Arts Initiative relocated in August 2008 to a three-level, 24,000 square-foot building at 1219 Vine Street in the developing northern end of Chinatown, Philadelphia. With funding from the City, State and private sources, we completed partial renovations and are now operating and programming in 6,500 square feet on the first floor of the facility. We are now working to purchase and develop the entire new location into a multi-tenant arts facility. Incorporating individual artists studios and office and program space for peer organizations on the second and third floors of the facility, and shared access to Asian Arts Initiative resources on the first floor, including room for workshops and meetings, gallery and exhibition areas, a black box-style theater, and a dedicated teaching space, media lab and library for youth programming the Multi-Tenant Arts Facility will offer opportunities for creating and viewing art, and exchanging ideas and dialogue between and among individual artists, arts organizations, local neighborhood residents, and the greater Philadelphia community. The Facility will serve as a lab exploring the intersections of contemporary art-making and community building, and advance Philadelphia as a vibrant and creative city.