08/16/2024
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) announced the addition of six communities to the Creative Communities Initiative (CCI). These place-based community and economic development projects, which were each selected for their innovative and comprehensive approach to addressing a variety of local challenges and opportunities, will receive multi-year funding from the PCA to support creative placemaking work. Each site will receive a total of $100,000 over a four-year period.
06/01/2024
Philadelphia, PA – On Saturday, Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) visited The Roots Picnic at the Mann Center in Fairmount Park to present The Roots with a proclamation recognizing the group for their storied contributions to music and impact on the Commonwealth’s creative sector legacy. The proclamation also commemorated the sixteenth anniversary of The Roots Picnic.
05/30/2024
Highspire, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) unveiled newly installed student artwork at the Highspire Service Plaza on the PA Turnpike. Steelton-Highspire High School students created the three-panel, glass mosaic. This is the fifteenth artwork created in conjunction with Art Sparks, a PCA and PTC partnership to bring student-created, locally relevant artwork to service plazas across the PTC’s more than 550-mile system.
05/06/2024
Somerset, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) unveiled newly installed student artwork at the North Somerset Service Plaza on the PA Turnpike. Students from Shanksville-Stonycreek High School created the two-piece mural, which features landmarks and activities around Somerset County. This is the fourteenth artwork created in conjunction with Art Sparks, a PCA and PTC partnership to bring student-created, locally relevant artwork to service plazas across the PTC’s more than 550-mile system.
04/15/2024
Harrisburg – Newly released data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) show significant contributions by the creative sector to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022. Up 6.8 percent from 2021, Pennsylvania’s creative sector added more than $30.1 billion to the Commonwealth’s economy, employing more than 175,000 FTE positions and providing $15 billion in compensation. BEA data rank Pennsylvania seventh in the nation for creative sector employment and eighth for creative sector GDP.
03/04/2024
Today, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) announced that Sulette Lange, a junior at Hazleton Area Arts and Humanities Academy in Luzerne County, is Pennsylvania’s 2024 Poetry Out Loud (POL) state champion. Lange will represent Pennsylvania in the National Finals, which will be held in Washington, D.C., beginning April 30, 2024.
02/16/2024
Today, the Shapiro Administration announced the appointment of Susan Silver Cohen as Chair and Emmai Alaquiva as Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA). Cohen succeeds Jeffrey Parks, who served as PCA's Chair since 2016.
12/13/2023
Today, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) unveiled newly installed student artwork at the Allentown Service Plaza. Students from Emmaus High School and Building 21 High School created the piece, which is a painted mural featuring various points of interest in the Lehigh Valley region. This is the thirteenth artwork created in conjunction with Art Sparks, a PCA and PTC partnership to bring student-created, locally relevant artwork to service plazas across the PTC’s more than 550-mile system.
08/01/2023
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), announced the expansion of its Creative Business Loan Fund (CBLF) to include a new loan partner, Rising Tide Community Loan Fund. The addition of Rising Tide represents an expansion of the CBLF to $2.6 million in affordable, flexible capital for creative small businesses across the Commonwealth. Rising Tide will focus on servicing the loan fund in the Lehigh Valley and Northeastern PA. Funding for this expansion comes out of the 2022-23 Commonwealth budget.
07/24/2023
A public greenspace project nearing completion in downtown Meadville, funded in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), has been named a 2023 Great Place in Pennsylvania by the state chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-PA).
05/15/2023
Today, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) unveiled newly installed student artwork at the Peter J. Camiel Turnpike Service Plaza. Students from Twin Valley High School created the piece, which is a series of glazed ceramic mosaics highlighting historical and natural sites in the region. This is the 12th artwork created in conjunction with Art Sparks, a PCA and PTC partnership to bring student-created, locally relevant artwork to service plazas across the PTC’s 564-mile system.
05/03/2023
Today, in celebration of Small Business Week, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) launched the Creative Business spotlight series, which shines a light on the role small businesses play in the economy and Pennsylvania communities.
04/24/2023
Today, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) unveiled newly installed student artwork at the South Midway Turnpike Service Plaza. Students from Chestnut Ridge High School created the piece, which is a glazed ceramic mosaic depicting area landmarks. QR codes that link to custom videos about each location are incorporated throughout the piece. This is the 11th artwork created in conjunction with Art Sparks, a PCA and PTC partnership to bring student-created, locally relevant artwork to service plazas across the PTC’s 564-mile system.
04/17/2023
Today, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) unveiled newly installed student artwork at the North Midway Turnpike Service Plaza. Students from Everett Area High School developed the installation, which is a glazed ceramic mosaic depicting the history and landmarks of Bedford County. The installed piece is the tenth artwork created in conjunction with Art Sparks, a PCA and PTC partnership to bring student-created, locally relevant artwork to service plazas across the PTC’s 564-mile system.
03/22/2023
Newly released data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) show significant contributions by the creative sector to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021. Up 8.5 percent from 2020, Pennsylvania’s creative sector added more than $28.6 billion to the Commonwealth’s economy, employing more than 165,000 FTE positions and providing $14 billion in compensation. BEA data reflect that Pennsylvania ranks seventh in the nation for creative sector employment and eighth in the nation for creative sector GDP.
03/13/2023
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) announced that Peachy Lee, a senior at Lancaster Country Day School in Lancaster County, is Pennsylvania’s 2023 Poetry Out Loud (POL) state champion. Lee will represent Pennsylvania in the National Finals, which will be held in Washington, D.C., beginning May 8, 2023.
03/03/2023
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) unveiled newly installed student artwork at the Valley Forge Turnpike Service Plaza. High school students from Archbishop John Carroll High School developed the installation, which is a glazed ceramic tile mosaic depicting the history and evolution of Valley Forge Park. The installed piece is the ninth artwork created in conjunction with Art Sparks, a PCA and PTC partnership to bring student-created, locally relevant artwork to service plazas across the PTC’s more than 550-mile system.
10/03/2022
Today, Karl Blischke, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), announced the launch of the Academy for Creative Aging, a free, digital platform that offers a certificate of completion for teaching artists and on-demand video lessons for older adults.
05/31/2022
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn today announced a new diversity, equity, and inclusion partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts that is connecting students with local artists to create and display art at three state parks.
03/17/2022
Governor Tom Wolf today announced that more than $4 million has been awarded to six projects in Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Region through the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) initiative.
03/14/2022
Mario Grugan, a senior from Tyrone Area School District in Huntingdon County, is Pennsylvania’s 2022 Poetry Out Loud (POL) state champion. Grugan will represent Pennsylvania in the National Finals, which will be streamed virtually beginning on May 1, 2022.
12/06/2021
Today, Karl Blischke, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), announced availability of the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator (CEA) Program, which matches eligible creative entrepreneurs with existing, free, local, small business consulting services and financial resources up to $2,000 to help grow their businesses, audiences, and revenue. Grant funds may be used for activities such as research and development, purchase of supplies and equipment, and professional and business development fees.
06/10/2021
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) Executive Director, Karl Blischke, today announced one of the country’s first statewide partnerships using creative arts therapies to support well-being and resiliency among frontline healthcare workers. The initiative is a partnership of the PCA, a state agency under the Office of the Governor, and the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP).