She envisioned neighborhood "hubs" for art; 20+ years later, they're flourishing.

In Other News #30 // Celebrating the stories of everyday heroes among us.

Jun 08, 2025

Within four Philadelphia neighborhoods—amidst the homes, shops, grocery stores and coffee shops—there’s another service Jill Markovitz believes is essential: art.

Neighborhood hubs for art—that was Markovitz’s vision, when she founded Philly Art Center nearly 20 years ago.

“I wanted to create community spaces for art education programs,” says Markovitz, a Philly native.

She designed each location to serve a unique Philly neighborhood and its families. Four locations and about 40 art educators and working artists serve the neighborhoods of Fairmount, Queen Village, Mount Airy and Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Classes are designed for children—from 2-year-old to teens—as well as adults.

“Art is part of our everyday life,” says Markovitz. “For city families, it’s important to them, and that’s why they choose to raise their kids in a cultural hub like Philadelphia.”

Classes at Philly Art Center build in “a thoughtful progression,” Markovitz describes, starting with the “beloved and renowned” Art Start for 2-year-olds, through preschool, elementary and After School Art—“a place where kids can decompress from their day and explore different materials”—plus Saturday sessions and even music classes.

As vital as it is for kids to create, it’s just as important for adults to enjoy creative “zen time” says Markovitz. Additionally, family studio nights set the scene for creative family bonding time.

Teen classes launched about two years ago. “We’ve put a lot of work into developing those, as we’ve seen an emerging need for more creative programming for teens—people have been begging us for those over the years,” Markovitz explains.

Philly Art Center celebrated its banner 20th anniversary in 2024. Twenty years’ worth of community creativity—since its founding in April of 2004—was a lot to celebrate, Markovitz says.

That’s because over the past two decades, Markovitz and her staff have seen the power of the arts, through multi-faceted benefits. At the top of the list? Providing kids and adults alike with an expressive outlet—a way to express themselves through art.

“We create a safe space where kids can ask questions or have the freedom to make a mistake—those things are so important, not only in art, but in life,” says Caitlin Finnegan, director of the Mount Airy center. “Art is an amazing vehicle for confidence, discovery and joy—it’s so essential for kids to experience those things today.”

If kids want to experiment and take a project in a different direction, for example, Finnegan says they’re given the freedom to do so—because that can build confidence.

From drawing and painting, to multi-media, clay and even book-making, classes focus not-so-much on achieving perfect finished projects, Markovitz says, but on the learning and growing process that naturally comes with creating.

“There’s so much we take into life, [from art]—younger kids learn how to transition from one material to another, building fine motor development,” Markovitz explains. “There’s also conceptual understanding—we’re really interested in learning about different cultures. We really go well beyond fine art—we’re thinking about engineering, architecture—it’s a really broad look at solving challenges or problems.”

And she believes art is essential, especially for kids today.

“There’s a need, more than ever. Post-pandemic, there’s more real, data-driven evidence that kids need a little more support these days, and we provide a supportive, creative and caring environment,” says Markovitz.

The kids who began attending Philly Art Center’s very first classes are now heading off to college. Markovitz says she was touched to bump into several, recently.

“We’ve seen kids grow up in our program,” Markovitz describes, “and we’ve seen how it builds creative, dynamic thinkers—so that’s been a privilege and a joy.”

Nature Nugget

A quick travel tip and photo, sharing incredible views, trails, or parks

I recently returned from a trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma. These “land bridges” are part of a massive community park called The Gathering Place.

According to the construction company’s website, they are “the only pair of structures like this in the world … erected in the hollowed-out earth, extensively waterproofed, and then soundproofed with berms.”

Four two-lane tunnels allow Tulsa’s Riverside Drive to bisect the park.

Their construction stats are incredible:

Each tunnel is 408 feet long and 90 feet wide.
Each bridge is comprised of 98 precast concrete arches strategically placed via crane.
About 20 feet beneath each bridge, 84 42-inch piers were drilled into place for support.

This allows for a continuous green canopy over the roadway and the safe passage for visitors and wildlife over a busy thoroughfare.