Hidden City

The success of the Hidden City Festival in Philadelphia makes me giddy. In early summer 2009, Peregrine Arts--in concert with a number of local organizations and sponsors--hosted a 5-week festival that highlighted some forgotten historic treasures of Philadelphia. What made the festival particularly interesting was not only public access to locked-down buildings, but using the structures as venues for contemporary art performances and installations. To me, this is the perfect embodiment of a new approach to celebrating history: it's fun; it reaches across interests and social groups; it created new public access to historic resources; and it blends a number of elements into a memorable and unique experience.

Nine sites throughout the City were featured, including the Disston Saw Works, Founder's Hall at Girard College, and a number of churches. For each site, a local or international artist was commissioned to create a piece inspired by the history of the structure. Six sites hosted visual arts projects that were open to the public during set weekend hours; the other three sites served as venues for music or dance pieces but were also accessible to the public for a general gander during the days of performances. What was particularly cool about this event was that it engaged three different audiences that don't typically overlap: history enthusiasts, contemporary art-lovers, and urban explorers (abandoned places hobbyists, like these guys http://www.urbanexplorers.net/). The elements of all three were not only present, but added value to one another for an experience that was greater than the sum of its parts. For example, the average audience for the Group Motion Dance Company is about 200; their Hidden City performance at the old Metropolitan Opera House was experienced by 1,210 audience members. Performances for most events were 100% sold-out, and in some cases oversold. Some of the most popular tickets were for bus tours that took in a number of sites on the same day, and provided "behind the scenes" tours.

Why blog about it now? Well, the Festival did the critical step of evaluating its impact. A recently published report on the Festival reveals the magnitude of its success: over one million website hits, 10,000 visitors, and 3,044 event tickets sold. The Festival is an excellent example of how arts, history, and culture are not just fluffy amenities, but can have significant economic impact: it is estimated that the Festival created about $1.2 million in expenditures from organizations and attendees (imagine what that means for the local multiplier as well!). But perhaps the best outcome of the Festival is its long-lasting changes it has inspired. Apparently, the drop forge buliding at Disston Saw Works is no longer on the chopping block to be demolished, and there are now discussions about Shiloh Baptist Church becoming activated as a community/cultural center. And good news: plans are in the works for a second Hidden City festival in 2012. Mark your calendar.

To read more, check out the great article from Philadelphia City Paper: http://citypaper.net/articles/2009/05/28/my-city-was-gone

Or...go straight the source: http://www.hiddencityphila.org/