"Aside from being pitch perfect in every way, these performers really connected with their characters. I had goose bumps during every single song..."

"The songwriting was excellent...each tune had a memorable melody, thoughtful lyrics, and real emotional integrity"

Read the full article from Rock on Philly here.

"An impressive collaboration between a diverse array of artists and community members..."

"...the ideal of what education should be."

Read the full article from Hidden City here.

"The work has this blend of despondency and ambition that touches the soul."

"...a lesson that...sparing a dime and sharing one’s time serve the same function – the fostering of hope."

Read the full article from the South Philly Review here.

The paradigm
of Spare A Dime
finds parallels of place and time,
the mystery
of history
repeating, and we hope you'll see
true Liberty
finds unity
of purpose in community.
Rise or fall, we'll always be
together, indivisibly.

A big shout out and our deepest gratitude to the fantastic cast, musicians, and crew of Spare A Dime, and to all of the project's community participants.  You define the very essence of the power of art to transform lives.  Thank you.

Above: the Bok Tech Theater entrance, photo by Bradley Maule at Hidden City.

Spare A Dime's performances this weekend are a wonderful opportunity for the community at large to see Bok Tech High School and its glorious theater before the building is closed by the School District of Philadelphia in June.  Hidden City is publishing a two-part article this week on Bok and the Spare A Dime project. You can read about Bok in Part 1 here and Spare A Dime in Part 2 here.  It's also a special chance for all Bok alums in the area to visit the school as we celebrate its 75th anniversary and Works Progress Administration origins.  Bok's culinary department is even cooking up some Depression-era recipes for our concession stand!  Please join us!  Your $10 ticket cost benefits COSACOSA's youth programs!

Tickets online: www.pifa.org/events/10
Tickets by phone:  215-893-1999
Tickets at the door, starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday this week: Bok Tech Theater, 8th and Mifflin Streets in South Philadelphia
For more information, please call COSACOSA at 215.385.2554
We look forward to singing for you!

We're in the thick of Spare A Dime rehearsals and tech set-up at the Bok Theater.  In an homage to Federal Project Number One (the artists' initiative) during the song Changing Places, Spare A Dime's set animations celebrate the wide variety of civic posters created by WPA artists.  These two (at left), about healthy eating and the value of science are some of our favorites, illustrating the wide range of subject matter tackled by WPA posters.  They especially resonate with COSACOSA staff,  as we're in the midst of testing new art & biology and art & healthy eating curricula in North and South Philly middle schools!  (And it's ironic that Spare A Dime composer Kimberly Niemela was a chemist in her first career!

Click here to buy Spare A Dime tickets – just $10 general admission!
Proceeds benefit COSACOSA's youth programs citywide – including those where art meets science!

It's now official. 
Bok Tech is closing in June. 

Bok Technical High School (our venue for Spare A Dime) rose during the Great Depression. On Thursday, amid the Great Recession, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission voted to close Bok Tech along with 22 other district schools.  Read more about the history of Bok Tech and the issues surrounding its closing on our earlier blog posts here.

After 75 years of artful operation, Spare A Dime will be the last performances to occur Bok's marvelously New Deal deco theater.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Bok Tech Theater is a grand 1000-seat Works Progress Administration (WPA) project.  How sad and ironic it is that a piece about the WPA will be the last to be hosted at the site.

Visit this hidden treasure while you can; tickets for Spare A Dime are available by clicking here or by calling COSACOSA at 215.385.2554.

"A coloring book is such a great, hands-on way to educate children about history," said visual artist Liv Rothfuss.  Rothfuss is creating a coloring storybook with Spare A Dime imagery for COSACOSA's youngest constituents. "The lessons of the Great Depression are particularly relevant today as we experience the worst economy since the 1930s.  We need to realize the importance of looking out for others and of thinking ahead.  We can learn from history to rework our plans for tomorrow.  I'm excited to be a part of COSACOSA and its mission to engage Philadelphia communities through art.  Illustrating images for Spare a Dime allows me to use my creativity to inspire youth by showing them how to work together to improve the future. " 

Rothfuss is a Philadelphia based photographer and visual artist creating work that explores the human condition -- with all its philosophical and practical implications.  She works as a freelance photographer and illustrator, and also loves using fiber art in mixed mediums.  Her work in fabric has ranged from creating original tapestries that examine the psychology behind the story of Snow White, to designing marketable commercial textiles, to creating costumes for regional theater productions. Rothfuss has worked with youth in a variety of settings, including managed classes for Main Line Art Center and creating painted tiles with pediatric hospital patients for several of COSACOSA's large-scale mosaic projects at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.  Rothfuss graduated with honors from Arcadia University, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art with concentrations in both photography and illustration.  She has studied abroad at Accademia Italiana in Florence and at City University in London. 

"To me, the lesson of the WPA is how to empower individuals and, by doing so, build community," said John Pickersgill, COSACOSA Youth Development Specialist and Spare A Dime teaching artist. "Everyone has something to contribute to society, and a true community can only originate in the creativity, effort, and skill of all its members.  We need to be inspired.  We need to cultivate creativity. As the arts wither away from a public education based in standardized testing, we need to recall a time when culture was valued.  Through the WPA, art educated and lifted the spirits of the entire country.  We need to recapture that grand sense of cultural identity and look to the arts as a mode of critical thinking rather than a mere commercial endeavor.

Pickersgill is an alumnus of Temple University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary English Education.  He has taught in public and charter schools throughout Philadelphia.  His work with COSACOSA applies his pedagogical expertise to create new curricula infusing art into K-12 education.  A Philly native, Pickersgill connects with a wide variety of arts, cultural, and educational organizations throughout the region to engage students in their larger community while building lasting literacy and social studies skills in the classroom.  In his spare time, Pickersgill prioritizes travel, musical expression, and his passion for cooking.  He attributes much of his culinary curiosity and inspiration to travels in Southeastern Asia.  His favorite contemporary author is David Sedaris (for his cynical wit, lyrical agility, and lighthearted, campy perspective regarding dysfunctional families and the like). His favorite musical artist is Regina Spektor, and his favorite food to prepare is fresh, homemade bread.  Pickersgill also writes the Something for Nothing: Thrifty Foods from the 1930s entries for the Spare A Dime blog!

COSACOSA Program Manager and Spare A Dime teaching artist Sharnae Johnson truly enjoys working with youth on civic engagement initiatives. "Our Bok Tech students bring such insightful ideas to our discussions of liberty and justice in America," Johnson said.  "Our conversations are very lively.  It's interesting to see what they already know about the Great Depression and the WPA, as well as about our current economic situation and how the government is addressing it. Helping the students translate their diverse views on our rights and responsibilities into WPA-style posters and new Liberty dime designs is a great experience!"

Johnson is a multimedia artist specializing in community-building projects. As COSACOSA's Program Manager, she has been integral to the development of accessible, intergenerational programming. Johnson has been an artist in residence at a wide range of community centers, as well as a youth development leader at the Free Library of Philadelphia. As an arts educator, she has taught new media and dramatic arts at numerous elementary and secondary schools throughout the Philadelphia region, including working with Spare A Dime participants at Bok Tech.  She is founder of Mask Media, a multimedia production company providing photographic, videographic, and new media services to the community at large.  Johnson holds a degree in Theater and Communication Arts from Temple University.  She is Communications Officer on the Board of the Nicetown-Tioga Improvement Team and a member of the Philadelphia Urban Coalition.