Tours
In the afternoon on Friday, September 30 at 3:15 pm buses will leave from the hotel and fan out across the city on guided tours of several distinct corners of Philadelphia. Each tour will visit a particular neighborhood and stop at one or more media arts organizations or cultural gems. Tours will run approximately 2 and 1/2 hours. You are strongly encouraged to sign up for these tours in advance when you register for the conference as space is limited.Tour 1 - West Philly Indy Media Tour
This tour will head to the left bank of the Schuykill River to West Philly that over the past few years has become a focal point of indy media activity. This tour will visit the new space of Conference host Scribe Video Center. Other stops will include the People's Emergency Center, a test site for the City's wireless initiative and Spiral Q Puppet Theater & Museum.
Tour 2 - Avenue of the Arts Walking Tour
Broad Street, the longest, straightest urban street in the world, has developed over the past decade into Philadelphia's premiere cultural and entertainment district. This tour will start at with a tour of the Media Arts Department at the University of the Arts. The tour will continue on foot through Philadelphia's towering City Hall to the Fabric Workshop & Museum and the Asian Arts Initiative.
Tour 3 - Scribe Video Center's Precious Places Community Oral History Tour
Take a tour of North Philadelphia narrated by video oral histories made by the residents, activists and cultural leaders of these neighborhoods. Meet the participants in this citywide oral history project and visit their precious places -- a community garden reminiscent of Puerto Rico, a church turned gallery, and more.
Tour 4 - Eastern State Penitentiary Art Installation Tour
This national historic landmark opened in 1829 set the standard for penal reform, with its soaring, castle-like Gothic architecture and its founders' Quaker-inspired belief that solitary confinement could reform criminals. Every year the ESP commissions art installations. See nine new works by Philadelphia artists and internationally acclaimed sound artists Janet Cardiff and George Burns.
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