Reading Terminal, Mural Arts get design grants

A bleak Center City street could get revamped and the community will have more of a say in development near Bartram's Garden thanks to grants announced this week.

Reading Terminal Market and the city's Mural Arts Program are among the 38 recipients of the ArtPlace America grants.

Reading Terminal will get $160,000 for a streetscaping project on the 1100 block of Filbert Street, while Mural Arts is receiving $415,000 for a project called Art@Bartram's, a partnership between the program and Bartram's Garden to bring various groups together for creative developments in the garden's Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood.

The two were selected as ArtPlace grant winners from about 1,300 applicants across the country. The grants program aims to encourage art and culture as key parts planning and development.

As described on the ArtPlace site profiling the grantees, the block of Filbert Street that is the focus of the Reading Terminal project is "a dark, uninviting, covered corridor that discourages foot traffic."

The market says it will use its funds for art installations, events and performances to make the dreary street more welcoming.

"While we know firsthand that deploying the arts can transform communities, having our work recognized by a grant from a national philanthropic initiative further supports and validates our efforts," Anuj Gupta, Reading Terminal's general manager, said in a statement.

Across the city, Southwest Philadelphia residents have wanted a say in the future of their neighborhood as development picks up near Bartram's Garden, Mural Arts officials said.

The grant will fund "a series of creative initiatives that amplify local assets and address neighborhood challenges," bringing together residents, businesses, planners, designers and artists, the program says.

ArtPlace, which is a collaboration of foundations, federal agencies and financial institutions, says the grant winners demonstrate a range of approaches to integrating the arts and development. Grants awarded ranged from $50,000 to $500,000.

Projects in Pittsburgh and Orange, N.J., also received funds.