Arts & Culture

We believe in the transformative power of the arts, and how they can impact a community. The Northwest already has a rich cultural heritage, and we have worked to promote and leverage this precious community resource.

A prime example of the work we have done to promote the arts and the community is the West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival, an event that grew out of a street fair held annually since 1983. This rapidly growing event is integral to our work and helps raise the community's profile and power as a hub for arts, entertainment, and dining.

Using the festival as a neighborhood showcase, we are seeking to attract new visitors and consumers into the community, further boosting the commercial success of new and established businesses. We are finding that festival attendees who had never been to the West Oak Lane community are now repeat customers at OARC-supported restaurants like Sadiki's Restaurant and Cornbread and Coffee.

Recognizing that a sustainable retail corridor will thrive if it can draw consumers from beyond the neighborhood, OARC now works closely with other community-based organizations and agencies serving Northwest Philadelphia to more effectively market their communities.

OARC produces a series of smaller arts and culture events at a variety of venues located within Northwest Philadelphia. These events are used to market and increase the visibility of the businesses located along the commercial corridors in West Oak Lane and other communities bordering West Oak Lane.