Why suffer for art when you can instead eat a relatively cheap ‘stake’ dinner instead? This Sunday evening, March 25, head over to the First Unitarian Church for Philly Stake, a micro–granting program that hosts a three–course meal every few months with food sourced from local farms and prepared by volunteers. Diners pay $10–$20 (you choose!), and contributions in turn nourish creative endeavors pioneered by fellow Philadelphians. Stake invites local groups to submit project proposals that will help the Philadelphia community and that often support an artistic or environmentally–conscious cause. 10 projects, seven randomly picked and three selected by the Stake organizing team, are presented at the dinner, after which attendees can vote on which ones they think most deserve the proceeds. As Theresa Rose, one of the founders, explains, Stake champions untapped areas of potential in the city because there aren’t really any other sources where burgeoning groups can obtain the funds or platform to implement their ideas. “I kind of see everything as art if it’s done in a creative way,” Rose says, and the diversity of the proposals proves that Philadelphia has an abundance of innovative thought to offer. Previous proposals have included a lending library of musical resources for young girls, a workshop in which war veterans could create art and communicate about military trauma and an urban farm cultivated by refugees.
PHILLY STAKE 3/25, 5 p.m. First Unitarian Church 2125 Chestnut St. phillystake.org $10–20 donation encouraged
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This Stake's Candidates Include
The Afrofuturist Affair: A workshop for authors, artists and musicians to produce sci–fi and fantasy–inspired works and to stimulate dialogue about black culture in the future
Invisible River: Performance art that allows people to experience dance and visual installations along the Schuylkill River by taking them for a journey in beautifully ornamented dragon boats.
Tiny WPA: An ambitious civic teen challenge to build a prototype bus stop, providing high school students the chance to contribute positively to the city and simultaneously hone their design skills
