Painting a Fabulous Philadelphia

I love painting on walls. Just check out the faux painting all around the Volpe home. Raised by my grandfather—a painting contractor and amateur artist—I expressed myself with a paintbrush from the age of six or seven.

So I’m enthralled with Philadelphia’s murals—the visually striking, super-sized artwork on walls in every corner of the City. They’re images of famous Philadelphians and neighborhood children, inspirational leaders and grandmothers from the community. There are 3,000 of them and they’ve earned us an international reputation as “the City of Murals.”

This week, I boarded a trolley at the Independence Visitor’s Center for an official Mural Arts Tour http://www.muralarts.org/. Ours was to West Philadelphia where among the abandoned buildings were massive displays of public art that told stories of community, of culture, of tradition. Among my favorites is Patti Labelle at the corner of 34th and Mantua, recently redone to bring Philadelphia’s native diva into the new millennium and show her support of breast cancer.

Philadelphia’s murals are the brainchild of Jane Golden, who redirected graffiti writers into positive creativity during the 1980s. Since then, hundreds of artists have turned Philly into an outdoor gallery. Each mural is the expression of a neighborhood to create pride, to engender hope and to pass on history.

A baseball fan, I was excited to see the Philadelphia Stars Negro baseball league http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Stars_(baseball) commemorated at 44th and Parkside, site of their ballpark.

There’s the Song of Hope which shimmers with a message of a bright future for children.

And on a dilapidated block of Aspen Street is a tiny oasis—a lush garden bordered by two matching murals called “Holding Grandmother’s Quilt.” Its message: wisdom will always be passed from generation to generation.

Next year, two new audio tours will be created: one on Center City and one on African American murals. They’re made possible with the support of PNC Arts Alive, a five-year, $5 million initiative to make the arts more accessible here. (I'm happy to say that we enjoy a 10-year relationship with PNC, as their local public relations agency of record.) http://www.pncartsalive.com/

If you’re like me, you won’t want to wait until then. So hop a trolley at the Visitor’s Center, or set out in your car or on foot to explore Philadelphia’s great outdoor art museum. For tour information and downloadable maps visit the Mural Arts Program website, http://www.muralarts.org/getinvolved/tours/. -Bev Volpe

All Roads Lead to Philly

After four years in Hawaii, an island with only two “highways” in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Philadelphia, the second-largest city on the East Coast, is a welcomed change. In terms of accessibility and travel, the City is truly in an ideal position, nestled amongst a vast network of well-connected streets and public transportation lines. Whether Washington D.C, the Shore, or the corner bar, it is easy to go from point A to point B.

Philly is in the top five of America’s best walking cities, behind New York, Boston, and San Francisco. We have city founder William Penn to thank for this. In 1682, Penn helped design a system of wide streets intersecting at right angles between the Schuylkill River to the west and the Delaware River to the east, making Philadelphia one of the first cities in North America to use the grid system.

His initial intent was to create an orderly design to prevent issues affecting European cities such as overcrowding, fire, and disease. Although, I like to think he had someone like me in mind—a young professional traveling by foot, most likely in heels, from the subway stop to my office building, and from here to a local lunch deli, Happy Hour favorite, or trendy boutique. The network of relatively short blocks and four-way intersections makes walking an efficient (and healthy) mode of transportation, with several direct routes, which I often decide depending on the color of the traffic signal.

When I am in the mood to trade skyscrapers for trees, Fairmont Park’s 63 neighborhood parks are always within walking distance. In just a few minutes, I can be on a hiking trail smack in the middle of nature.

The public transportation system is another plus of Philadelphia. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is the nation’s fifth largest public transportation system, providing transit services for Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties.

Going to a Phillies game or the Bruce Springsteen concert? Take the Broad Street Line. Time to visit the parents in the suburbs? Hop on the Market-Frankford Line to 69th Street Station, and from here, the trolley’s Route 100 heads up the Main Line. Bachelorette party in New York City? Simple. 30th Street Station is the hub, with Amtrak train service to almost anywhere in the country.

Now, living in Philadelphia, walking or riding in any direction leads to more city secrets to explore, opposed to my time in Hawaii, where I always seemed to hit a dead end. -Meredith Wertz

PNC Jolts Local Arts Scene with PNC ARTS ALIVE, a $5 Million Funding Program

What’s more positive than a Bank’s foundation funding 23 different Philadelphia and South Jersey arts organizations this year to the tune of $1 million in a down economy? The Bank is PNC and Simon PR is lucky to have worked with the philanthropic corporate leader since 2000. Pinch me!

“PNC opens the vault for 23 arts groups.” That’s the headline on Philadelphia Inquirer arts writer Stephen Salisbury’s article in yesterday‘s paper. It’s our job in this enviable partnership to draw mass media coverage of PNC Arts Alive, the monumental five year $5 million program. Thanks to longtime Simon PR media relations ace Beverly Volpe, there was a deluge of local market TV, radio and print coverage in the last 24 hours. What better way to let the entire Region know about this positive endeavor?

Our media blitz came a few months after PNC Arts Alive was introduced to the market in April. Arts groups submitted their applications in June. Yesterday’s festivities were in celebration of the 23 winning groups and their projects, all designed to make art more accessible to wider and more diverse audiences in our Region.

In an arty public ceremony in the lobby of the PNC tower at 1600 Market Street, representatives of the arts groups were called to a dais and awarded berets by PNC President Bill Mills. A lovely, intimate luncheon in the Bank’s event facility followed.

“It’s hard to know where PNC begins and Simon PR ends, they’re such wonderful partners and I’d like to recognize and thank Lisa Simon and Beverly Volpe from Simon PR.” Those words spoken at the podium by PNC Chief of Staff Jean Canfield will resonate with me for a very long time. I’m still choked up. For a small agency that thrives behind-the-scenes, this is a big slice of positive pie for us to relish for a very long time. We wholeheartedly welcome the opportunity to support this great company and the creative, dynamic individuals at the helm who have created PNC Arts Alive. They are positively impacting our community in Philadelphia and South Jersey in ways too numerous to measure. But, of course, we will try. . . –Lisa Simon

2009 PNC Arts Live Grantees:

Arts Groups

Appel Farm Arts & Music Center
Bay Atlantic Symphony
Cape May Stage
Fabric Workshop and Museum
Greater Philadelphia Film Office
Group Motion Dance Theater
James A. Michener Art Museum
Kimmel Center
Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts
Mural Arts Program
Pennsylvania Ballet
Philadelphia Folklore Project
Philadelphia Live Arts Festival/Philly Fringe
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and The Pam Band
Philadelphia Young Playwrights
Spiral Q Puppet Theater
Wilma Theater

Service Partners:

Art & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
City of Philadelphia, Office of Arts and Culture and the Creative Economy
South Jersey Cultural Alliance

Home Sweet Philly

While growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I always knew I wanted to live in the big city one day. So when that time finally came, I was intent on finding the right spot to call home.

Philadelphia is comprised of numerous neighborhoods, each with their own distinct personality. Center City is all about the hustle and bustle, while the posh Rittenhouse Square boasts a Parisian-style plaza and high-end boutiques, and the up-and-coming Northern Liberties is a hub for artists and musicians.

All of these areas are wonderful places to reside, but I was on the hunt for a community that paralleled my own disposition. My greatest love in life besides traveling is food, and when Bella Vista, home of the delectable Italian Market, was mentioned, my ears perked up, my stomach growled, and my decision was made.

Settled by Italian immigrants in the late 1800’s, Bella Vista, Italian for “beautiful sight,” is a historic neighborhood in South Philadelphia bordered by South and Wharton streets to the north and south, and 6th and 11th streets to the east and west. The old is blended with the new to create a cozy community with pocket parks, quaint row homes and my favorite-- the Italian Market.

The century-old, open-air Italian Market, nestled in the heart of Bella Vista, is famous for its food—from vegetables straight from the vine and fish from nearby ports to a multitude of gourmet cheeses, fresh-baked pastries, and fine-cut meats. Cafes, coffee shops with character, and gourmet restaurants line the streets, offering authentic Italian fare as well as International flavors and traditional Philly cheese steaks.

Come August 1, my childhood aspiration will turn into reality. We discovered a charming row house with restored original oak floors, exposed brick walls, and a view of the city skyline. It is perched along a tree-lined street in Bella Vista, and most importantly, just steps from the Italian Market. Home Sweet Philly.

-Meredith Wertz

Lincoln Has Philly Talking

I had a great conversation with Abraham Lincoln today.

We talked about how Philadelphia was a hub, inspiration and support system for him back in the day. I expected his intelligence, his quiet intensity. What I didn’t expect was his unabashed enthusiasm. I should have known that our 16th president visited our city more than any other during his presidency. And he’s looking forward to a return trip this week, when he’ll greet the hordes flocking here to celebrate Independence Day in the best place in the world—Philadelphia, where liberty was born.

On Thursday morning, I’ll take Abe to Fox TV’s Good Day Philadelphia. He’s appearing live at 8:30 am to talk about his love of the City and the love he’s about to get back through Lincoln 200--the city’s official celebration of his 200th birthday.

Lincoln is actually Robert ‘Fritz’ Klein, the nation’s foremost Lincoln interpreter. And I couldn’t be more excited to have him on television so Philadelphia can get to know him, and the massive Lincoln 200 festival, filled with fun, education and entertainment.

Fritz fell into playing Lincoln by chance. Believe it or not, he was a landscaper in Hawaii and acting on the side when somebody noticed that he’s a dead ringer for Lincoln. It was 1976 and with all the U.S. Bicentennial events going, it was a great time to start his career as Honest Abe.

Fast forward 33 years. Fritz lives in Springfield, Illinois and travels around the country portraying the Great Emancipator. And this year—the Bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth—bookings are especially good.

Fritz’s is just one of the hundreds of interesting stories behind Lincoln 200, which goes well beyond the history books to tell Lincoln’s story—showcasing his life, his work, his interests and his influence.

There’s something for everyone at the Festival which runs through July 5 on Independence Mall. Want to be entertained? Check out the play, “My Dear Mrs. Lincoln,” watch the Lincoln Bicentennial Tap Celebration as incredible dancers pay tribute to tap’s origins in slavery, or “Ask Abe” (aka Fritz) your burning questions. Are you a science buff? You’ll love the College of Physicians’ forensic look at the Lincoln assassination (I can’t wait for that one!) and the Academy of Natural Sciences’ Hadrosaurus Foulkii dinosaur, which was found in Haddonfield a year prior to Lincoln’s election.

If you’ve got little ones, then Lincoln for Kids is the place to be for make and take crafts, face painting, jugglers, stilt walkers and of course, Lincoln Logs!

And, if you’re purely a history buff like I am, you’ve got to see the locket containing a lock of Lincoln’s hair, a cast of his face and hands and a large swath of the flag he raised at Independence Hall in 1861, all from the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia.

Lincoln 200 is a labor of love of two incredible women—Dianne Semingson, a good friend of Simon PR’s since our days representing the YMCA of Philadelphia & Vicinity and Mary Hagy, a new friend and one who is incredibly passionate about keeping our city’s civil war history riches right where they belong—in Philadelphia.

The two are founders of the Civil War History Consortium and Lincoln 200. Their mission: to help our region realize a new tourism opportunity in the story of Philadelphia as the engine that drove the Union victory at Gettysburg and nationally.

In an op-ed that Simon PR placed about Lincoln 200 in The Philadelphia Inquirer they wrote: “It will whet the appetites of the million or more expected to visit Independence Mall over the July 4 weekend. It will also set the stage for the region’s long-planned commemoration of the Civil War’s 150th anniversary set to begin in 2011. By 2015, we look forward to the road between Philadelphia and Gettysburg being worn bare by busloads of tourists eager to experience the state’s rich Civil War history.”

In the meantime, there will be boatloads of tourists and area residents alike on Independence Mall this weekend for Lincoln 200. I hope they all get to talk to Abe, and walk away as excited as I am to discover his Philadelphia story.

-Bev Volpe