Art-Reach and the Possibilities of Accessibility

As we move forward in our #explore1918 project, my classmates and I are preparing to establish criteria for our @phillyhistory grant. To do that, this week, we are identifying needs within Philadelphia's cultural sector and creating hypothetical letters of inquiry, which you can find under the brand tag #loi2018. Check out everyone's contributions and support Philadelphia's cultural sector by upvoting, commenting, and resteeming!

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In a previous post, I discussed the problems that arise when historical institutions exist within a concentrated geographic area that typically caters to a more upper-class and privileged population. The distribution of cultural organizations in Philadelphia, not to mention its context within a classist and capitalist society, creates a culture in which marginalized groups, such as people of color and low-income families, are barred both physically and philosophically from participating in the cultural sector. Admission and transportation costs, not to mention lack of accessible entrances and programs, can make it impossible to visit institutions, and the white-centric and colonialist history of historical institutions can make it difficult for POC to feel comfortable being in those spaces.

While this is a problem much larger than just the local cultural center, what can be done to alleviate these barriers for Philadelphians?

Image courtesy of Art-Reach

Art-Reach is an organization that works to increase access to the cultural center, particularly for low-income and disabled people. Last year, they served over 160,000 people through a variety of access programs and special events. Probably their most well-known program is ACCESS Admission, which provides discounted admission of $2 to anyone with a PA ACCESS card and up to 3 guests, at 36 institutions.

However, this number is barely 1% of Philadelphia's population of more than 1,500,000. What can be done to increase Art-Reach's impact, both in terms of people served and amount of access?

While planning this post, I had a lot of different ideas about how a $10,000 grant could be applied to this organization:

• Reducing or even eliminating the discounted admission (impact: 5,000 - 10,000 people)
• Token pool for those who cannot physically get to institutions in other parts of the city (impact: 5,000 people)
• Hiring a sign language interpreter for an event that previously did not have one
• Stipend for an internship, which they offer but are currently unpaid, which likely prevents those who would benefit from Art-Reach resources to be an intern
• If matched, salary for an additional staff person
• Increased advertising
• Outreach programs that would bring history, culture, and the arts to the communities who can't access it

Of these ideas, which do you think would create the most impact in terms of increasing access to the cultural sector for underserved populations? What else can Art-Reach do to increase access to the cultural sector?

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_{100% of the SBD rewards from this #explore1918 post will support the Philadelphia History Initiative @phillyhistory. This crypto-experiment conducted by graduate courses at Temple University's Center for Public History and MLA Program, is exploring history and empowering education. Click here to learn more.}