for performances, demonstrations, rehearsals, and
classes. The sector is undercapitalized; dance artists
need large open spaces and they cannot afford to rent
them at ‘market value.’ It’s time for [the Philadelphia
dance community] to advance itself and better serve
the community through Partners for Sacred Places’ new
initiative.” These types of relationships have proved
successful in places like New York and Philadelphia, but
the potential for many more of these relationships is
supported by the study’s findings.
88% of congregations and 82% of
arts groups in the Making Homes
for the Arts in Sacred Places study
indicated a strong desire to work
with each other.
The study found that sacred places and arts
organizations are highly compatible in terms
of scheduling needs and audience sizes. Arts
organizations expressed the need to use spaces from
morning to evening up to seven days a week, and
although sanctuary spaces are usually unavailable on
Sunday mornings or Friday evenings, non-sanctuary
spaces were found to be abundant and readily available
at most times. In addition, the average capacity of
larger, non-worship spaces was found to be around 400
people, which can accommodate the average audience
size of 363 for arts organizations.
Both congregations and arts organizations are often
lacking in staff that are skilled at handling the complex
rental and insurance issues that arise from intensive
arts use and capital investment in a space. Partners
will address this need through the Making Homes for the
Arts in Sacred Places program. Training opportunities,
labor resources, and outsourced personnel for both
groups will help support the sustained success of these
partnerships.
Importantly, 88% of congregations and 82% of arts
groups in the study indicated a strong desire to work
with each other. Viji Rao, Artistic Director at Three
Aksha Performance Institute, got to the essence of the
connection when she said, “We at Three Aksha highly
appreciate [Partners’] efforts to transform sacred
places into new homes for the arts. Our traditional
Indian art forms have always been based in Eastern
(Indian) sacred places, and we are eager to continue
this practice in the Western venues of Philadelphia. It
will truly feel like performing back home!” Of course,
Inis Nua Theatre
Company performs
Dublin by Lamplight at
Broad Street Ministry in
Philadelphia, PA. Photo
by Karl Seifert.
Sacred Places • Summer 2011 • 14