The submission deadline is Monday, November 30, 2026. Please read the FAQ on the Made by Many website https://www.villageofindustryandart.com/made-by-many before you send any questions via email. Questions can be sent to madebymany@viaphl.com.

Village of Industry & Art is one of Philadelphia’s most significant new creative anchors – historic buildings on the Avenue of the Arts reimagined as affordable artist housing, live/work studios, and a thriving hub of public programming. With 45 generously scaled units and spaces for woodworking, metal foundry, ceramics, gallery exhibitions, film screenings, and more, Village of Industry & Art is both a physical and symbolic investment in Philadelphia’s cultural future.

At Village of Industry & Art, we believe that great spaces and places are built by many people from different experiences, backgrounds, and artistic disciplines. We draw on Jane Jacobs' guiding philosophy that cities can provide something for everybody, but only when everybody creates them. Made by Many puts into practice the idea that the Village of Industry & Art was built on: that its buildings are a platform for Philadelphia's whole creative community. We are committed to making that vision real by keeping working artists on S. Broad Street at the heart of Philadelphia's cultural life.

Made by Many is a new pilot initiative, supported by the Knight Foundation, inviting artists and arts organizations from across Philadelphia to submit ideas for commissioned projects throughout the Village of Industry & Art's spaces, ranging from public programs to exhibitions to site-specific works. It is dedicated to expanding public access to arts and culture, generating real economic opportunity for working artists, and activating the Village of Industry & Art campus as civic infrastructure for Philadelphia. We're launching Made by Many as a pilot to open conversations and find a process that works well for the community, so we're keeping it simple: instead of a full application, we're asking for a short description of your idea (500 words or less) plus answering a few non-narrative questions. If you would rather not write, you can submit your idea as a voice note or video instead.

We're not asking for a finished plan - we're asking what you would do with the space, and why. We want to hear from Philadelphia artists with no prior connection to the Village of Industry & Art, former University of the Arts students and alumni now living in Philadelphia and elsewhere, and current Village of Industry & Art tenants - artists, artist collectives, and organizations who have a compelling creative vision for what could happen at Village of Industry & Art.

Ideas will be reviewed by the Philadelphia Artist Council, an external cohort of Philadelphia-based artists from a range of disciplines convened to represent the diverse creative community Made by Many is meant to serve. The Council will recommend a select group of ideas from artists, organizations, and businesses. The Village of Industry & Art leadership will then interview a select group to identify ideas that best activate the space through publicly accessible events, programs, performances, exhibitions, and more.

The Village of Industry & Art believes arts and culture are not a luxury - they are essential infrastructure for a thriving city. Made by Many is an investment in the artists, organizations, and ideas that prove it.

This is the first round of Made by Many. Subsequent deadlines will be scheduled based on what we learn from this pilot and funding availability.

In this first year, the Village of Industry & Art is allocating up to $50,000 in total funding for commissions chosen through the call. Funding will cover artist fees, production, materials, and equipment that enable new public programming, and VIA's onsite team may also provide technical and onsite assistance.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for ideas for commissioned projects that specifically activate the Village of Industry & Art as a public resource. We’re interested in a broad range of creative work, including, but not limited to:

• Performances, concerts, and live events open to the public
• Installations and public-facing visual art and exhibitions using the built environment, including site-specific works
• Art-making classes, workshops, and educational programs
• Film screenings, readings, and literary or media programming
• Residencies or rehearsal programs with a public-facing component
• Equipment purchases that enable new public programming at Village of Industry & Art
• Other ideas that activate Village of Industry & Art as a civic and cultural destination

All Ideas must:

• Be publicly accessible with options for free or low-cost entry
• Take place at Village of Industry & Art between March 2027 and March 2028
• Have a clear connection to how Village of Industry & Art’s spaces or buildings will be used
• Help to advance cultural infrastructure in Philadelphia and/or create economic opportunity for the artists involved

We do not fund

• General operating expenses, rent, or utilities
• Ideas with no public-facing component at the Village of Industry & Art
• Ideas taking place entirely outside the Village of Industry & Art campus

WHO CAN APPLY

Made by Many is open to:

• Individual artists with an established or emerging creative practice and who live in Philadelphia, including artists with no prior connection to the Village of Industry & Art
• Artist collectives - two or more artists working together without a formal organization, where at least the lead artist lives in Philadelphia
• Organizations, companies, and small businesses with an arts and culture–focused mission or established arts programming that are physically located within the City of Philadelphia
• Current Village of Industry & Art tenants (artists and organizations)
• Former University of the Arts, PMSIA, Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia College of Performing Arts alumni, students, faculty, and staff, including those now living outside Philadelphia

You must fit into at least one of these categories in order to apply. We especially want to hear from former University of the Arts students and alumni now living elsewhere, Philadelphia artists with no prior connection to the Village of Industry & Art, and current Village of Industry & Art tenants.

KNOW BEFORE YOU SUBMIT AN IDEA

• PLEASE review the Made by Many Frequently Asked Questions and Sites for Activation to understand which spaces are available. Both are available on the Made by Many website: https://www.villageofindustryandart.com/made-by-many. Review both before submitting your idea.
• Submit your idea through Village of Industry & Art’s online portal. You may submit your idea in writing or as a voice note or video.
• Ideas submitted by other means (e.g., mail or email) will not be accepted.
• One idea per person or organization per round.
• We cannot accommodate tours of the space during the initial Call for Ideas.
• Review the definitions below.

Definitions

1. Cultural infrastructure is arts, cultural, and creativity programming that functions as essential public infrastructure: open to all, rooted in place, and creating lasting value for the communities it serves. Like a library or a park, cultural infrastructure belongs to the city. What this means in practice is: 1) Programming is genuinely accessible to the public, and not members-only or limited to one community or demographic. 2) The concept engages the Village of Industry & Art spaces and platform as a civic anchor, and not just a venue. Village of Industry & Art’s presence in the work is substantive. 3) Creates new access points by engaging people who wouldn’t otherwise encounter this work - expanding who participates in arts and culture. 4) Leaves something behind and builds lasting relationships, recurring programming, or new pathways for artists and/or the public
2. Paths to economic mobility for artists and artist collectives involve opportunities that expose artists’ work to new audiences, increase artists’ income or earning capacity, create new jobs for artists, allow artists to scale their work, or help artists build new relationships and communities that may support them in the future.

Your concept should help build cultural infrastructure and/or create opportunities for economic mobility for artists.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

• Project leads submit an idea by Monday, November 30, 2026, through the provided portal link.
• Eligible Ideas will be reviewed by the Philadelphia Artist Council, an external cohort of Philadelphia-based artists, using the published Review Criteria.
• The Philadelphia Artist Council will recommend a select number of ideas from artists and organizations to Village of Industry & Art leadership.
• The artists and organizations with recommended ideas will be invited to interview with Village of Industry & Art leadership December 2026/January 2027. A formal presentation will not be required for the interviews and questions for those interviews will be shared in advance.
• Based on interviews with Village of Industry & Art leadership, a select group from the original set of recommended artists and organizations will be asked to complete a more detailed questionnaire, and from there, final ideas will be chosen and commissions awarded.