24HrPHL—Art, Culture and The City After Dark

Free and open to the public with RSVP
Presentations and discussions with music/socializing to follow

PennPraxis is excited to invite the public to a presentation and discussion of themes and ideas in nightlife by 24HrPHL, a collective dedicated to building resources and community with a progressive vision for Philly's nightlife arts and culture. 

The event will feature rapid-fire presentations on 24HrPHL's community projects, including a harm reduction facilitation program, a toolkit for those looking to open a performance venue, a community survey and more. Speakers include Philadelphia Harm Reduction Coordinator Allison Herens, DJ/Poet and Barnes Foundation Scholar Rich Medina, DJ/Producer and PennPraxis Researcher Michael Fichman and more. After Q&A, a casual feedback and workshop will take place to the tunes of DJ Craig Dash.

Over the last several years, 24HrPHL members have inserted themselves into civic and cultural discussions in Philadelphia. The collective has facilitated dialogue between venues and the City's Licenses and Inspections Department, weighed in on Council bills and has facilitated venue staff training with harm reduction and sexual violence professionals. Additionally, the group is now building informational resources for the nightlife arts and culture community, including the first community survey.

This all comes at a time when global cities are becoming more attuned to the necessity of engaging nightlife on its own terms. Some cities are learning to stop saying "no" and are trying to understand the unique policy and cultural issues to allow nightlife to thrive - as an artistic outlet and an economic asset.

This is not the first collaboration between Praxis and 24HrPHL, which was founded by Praxis researcher Michael Fichman. Last year, Praxis worked with 24HrPHL to bring Berlin Club commission's Lutz Leichsenring to Philadelphia to present to the group, and later worked with Leichsenring's Creative Footprint Project to inventory and analyze New York's creative space. The CFP report was covered extensively by CityLab and the New York Times.

This event deepens the partnership as PennPraxis student interns will be helping to solicit feedback for a road-map they helped develop to clarify the procedures for venues securing a Special Assembly License. 

Program:

Philadelphia Nightlife History and Culture
Rich Medina (DJ, Author, Poet, Scholar - Barnes Foundation & Cornell University)

What is 24HrPHL?
Michael Fichman (DJ/Producer, Lecturer - Stuart Weitzman School of Design)

Accountable Spaces
Kerri Hughes (DJ, Musician, Activist)
Cristina Caudill (DJ, Activist)

Stayin Alive: Harm Reduction for Party People
Michael Lasday (DJ, Designer, Activist)
Allison Herens (Harm Reduction Coordinator - City of Philadelphia)

The Venue Toolkit
Lily Goodspeed (Outreach Coordinator - scout)

Panel Moderator:
L'Oréal McCollum (Sexuality and Mental Health Educator)

Music following the event by DJ Craig Dash (@craigdash)

Photos by Tim Blackwell (@shotsfired215)

Questions? Contact Michael Fichman, PennPraxis, 
mfichman@design.upenn.edu