Paula Marincola, executive director of The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, spoke with art and lifestyle magazine Whitewall for a recent feature on how the Center’s grants help artists and organizations realize their visions. The conversation covers Marincola’s leadership role at the Center as well as the variety and scope of work in the Philadelphia arts scene.
“I think that in the environment, a thriving ecology needs healthy organisms of all sizes and types. I like to think that our work does go toward fostering that healthy and vibrant and thriving ecology,” Marincola says. “[You see] all these very ambitious and imaginative and substantive projects, but they’re coming from all these different places.”
To address the challenges brought about by COVID-19, the Center has awarded an additional $535,000 in unrestricted funds to recent Fellows and Project grant recipients, who are facing lost income due to closures, postponements, and event cancellations resulting from the pandemic. In her conversation with Whitewall, Marincola shared her perspective on how the pandemic will shape the field and how the art community might continue to evolve in response to these changing circumstances.
“I imagine new modes and reimaginings of artistic production and engagement will continue to emerge,” Marincola says. “Strength of mission as well as relevance to audiences and viewers are more important than ever.”
