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Southwest Community Enrichment Center

History & Mission

The Southwest Community Enrichment Center was established in 1969 as a non-profit, community-run human service and resource organization to provide a wide range of services for the residents of the Kingsessing section of Philadelphia. The SCEC emphasizes empowerment through direct community involvement in program development, implementation, and evaluation. SCEC's philosophy of service emphasizes both the self-worth of each individual and the identification of and coordination of resources to address community issues. Recognizing the importance of community involvement, a majority of the SCEC's staff, Board, and volunteers are local residents. SCEC's current programs, housed in three row houses on south 46th street, serve approximately 350 adults, children, and senior citizens each week.

In 1990, the SCEC opened the Art Center, which, since then, has been directed by Sister Helen David Brancato. The SCEC Art Center was established with the philosophy of self-empowerment through the creative visual arts as a means to explore and develop individual and community cultural pride. As a working artist, Sister Helen established an open studio concept for the neighborhood that allows for drop-in hours, a welcoming environment, an intimate space with knowledgeable teachers, and the freedom to create and explore. The teaching philosophy at the Art Center allows for each individual's personal vision to flourish -- peers teach peers, techniques are demonstrated and explained, and each person is encouraged to let her or his own artistic magic unfold. The Art Center also encourages and is a haven for intergenerational art making where families, seniors, teens, and young children can work together on art projects. The program at the SCEC Art Center is tailored for the community of the Kingsessing area as a means of fostering self-empowerment and cultural awareness. Art is explored as a means of healing and transformation through the development of the imagination and creative thinking.

The Objectives of the Art Center are as follows:

To encourage artistic talent, self-expression and cultural esteem through the visual arts and education

To provide an alternative to violence through the positive expression of creative energy

To expand cultural awareness by providing outreach programs to artists' studios, gallery and museum trips, and other cultural events

To foster self-responsibility and competence through the production, exhibition, and sales of artwork

To maintain and expand scholarship programs in higher education for young people wishing to develop their artistic talent

To respond to the creative needs of the community by offering cultural programming on a consistent basis.

Front Page

Click on artists' name for more images:

Ruth Barkley, Mina Casey, Ida May Sydnor