April 01, 2020
V-JAM Philly Session Leader: OACCE
The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) is turning its attention to relief and recovering efforts, including collecting data on the economic impact of the shutdown directly from artists and organization/business leaders.
We urge everyone in the community to fill out this critical survey as soon as possible. The survey will allow the OACCE to better understand and advocate for what the cultural community needs to recover.
The OACCE has been a convener and cultural resource in Philadelphia since Mayor Nutter created the office in 2008. The OACCE partners with for-profit and nonprofit organizations to revitalize communities, improve education, and promote economic development. Beyond advising the administration on arts policy, the office also manages and promotes a variety of initiatives aimed at free neighborhood-level arts access and capacity building for artists and organizations, including: Performances in Public Spaces, Arts Education Fair, Creative Workforce and Get Creative PHL.
To encourage Philadelphians to connect with their communities and public spaces, the OACCE launched Philly Celebrates Jazz in April 2010. The office celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month by presenting jazz-inspired events and promoting jazz happenings across the city. This dynamic celebration includes live music performances, art exhibitions, film screenings, dance lessons, discussion panels and more presented by local cultural organizations and artists. In 2019, Philly Celebrates Jazz featured more than 200 jazz-related events, as well as a city-sponsored Jazz Listening Lounge and Reflections artist showcase.
However, in light of the impact of COVID-19 on public gatherings, the OACCE has cancelled its Neighborhood Jazz Series planned for the 10th Anniversary of Philly Celebrates Jazz and will be rescheduling these events for a later date. Cancelled events include: Philly Celebrates Jazz 10th Anniversary Kick-off & Reception, recreation center programming, and neighborhood library Jazz Day celebrations.
Even though public jazz events are postponed, we hope that a Virtual Jazz Appreciation Month (V-JAM) can be a way for us to come together as a community to show our strength, celebrate our talent, and give jazz lovers what they need right now: music.