Bartol Foundation

Bartol Foundation At the Bartol Foundation, we believe that everyone deserves access to the arts.

Everyday, in every corner of Philadelphia, young people are learning to play Bach or Miles Davis, artists are creating work that will challenge us or make us laugh, communities are transforming empty lots into visual stories. Through our grant programs in the arts, we support organizations that provide creative opportunities to connect and engage, that give voice to a community’s history and future, that sustain and share a rigorous artistic process. Through our extensive free professional development programs for teaching artists, we invest in the vital contribution artists make to our community by strengthening their teaching practice and building a network in the field. In addition to our grantmaking and workshops, we lend our expertise and resources to build the strength of cultural organizations while advocating for the inclusion of arts and culture in broader community strategies.

10/09/2026

What happens when a young person picks up a camera for the first time? For Bartol Teaching Artist Award winner Adam Cooper-Terán, it can be the beginning of an awakening.

A multimedia artist and video and photography teacher, Adam works with students across Kensington and North Philadelphia, helping them discover new ways to express themselves and envision creative careers that once may have felt out of reach.

As his photography students became increasingly interested in video, Adam saw an opportunity to build something collective: a crew where young creatives could learn together, collaborate, and gain experience through paid work. Support from Bartol is helping him expand that vision and create more pathways for his students.

“In a time of such upheaval, I feel the teaching artist is the one who can spread the seeds for dreaming of a future that is possible. It’s not some faraway thing. It can happen in a collective way.”

Get to know Adam Cooper-Terán in the latest installment of Faces of Bartol.

A Production

10/09/2026

What happens when a young person picks up a camera for the first time? For Bartol Teaching Artist Award winner Adam Cooper-Terán, it can be the beginning of an awakening.

A multimedia artist and video and photography teacher, Adam works with students across Kensington and North Philadelphia, helping them discover new ways to express themselves and envision creative careers that once may have felt out of reach.

As his photography students became increasingly interested in video, Adam saw an opportunity to build something collective: a crew where young creatives could learn together, collaborate, and gain experience through paid work. Support from Bartol is helping him expand that vision and create more pathways for his students.

“In a time of such upheaval, I feel the teaching artist is the one who can spread the seeds for dreaming of a future that is possible. It’s not some faraway thing. It can happen in a collective way.”

Get to know Adam Cooper-Terán in the latest installment of Faces of Bartol.

10/09/2026

Trauma-informed practice takes practice, and the conversation doesn’t stop after certification!

Join us for TIP of Your Tongue, a new community conversation series exclusively for Bartol TIP Alumni. Bring your questions, challenges, experiences, and ideas as we connect, reflect, and learn from one another.

Our first conversation will be led by Bartol TIP Facilitator Candy Alexandra González!

📅 Tuesday, October 27
⏰ 6–8 PM ET
📍 Zoom

Come ready to share, listen, and grow alongside your fellow TIP alumni. We can’t wait to reconnect!

🔗 In our bio. Register today!

🎉 Directory Spotlight: Manuela GuillénMeet Manuela—a Philadelphia-based painter, muralist, digital illustrator, and art ...
10/05/2026

🎉 Directory Spotlight: Manuela Guillén

Meet Manuela—a Philadelphia-based painter, muralist, digital illustrator, and art educator whose work brings together her Cuban and Salvadorian heritage, vibrant visual storytelling, and a passion for community.

Inspired by plants, tropical colors, and her upbringing, Manuela’s art explores mental health, art education, and sociopolitical and environmental issues. Her murals have transformed spaces across the U.S. and Mexico through collaborations with organizations both locally and internationally.

As an educator, Manuela creates learning environments that embrace cultural differences, encourage critical thinking, and support creativity and individual achievement. She believes art can bring communities closer together and inspire students to create meaningful work as they grow in their artistic journeys.

Discover more artists and educators making an impact in the Bartol Directory.

TIPTA Live #17 applications are OPEN!This fall, we’re excited to welcome Candy Alexandra González as a facilitator for ...
09/30/2026

TIPTA Live #17 applications are OPEN!

This fall, we’re excited to welcome Candy Alexandra González as a facilitator for our next Trauma-Informed Practice for Teaching Artists (TIPTA) Live cohort.

Candy is a multidisciplinary visual artist, poet, activist, and trauma-informed art educator whose practice explores the intersections of creativity, identity, equity, healing, and community. And Candy knows TIPTA from both sides of the room; they’re also a graduate of Bartol’s trauma-informed training programs.

Now, they’re bringing their experience back to help guide the next cohort of teaching artists as they deepen their practice, connect with peers, and explore how trauma-informed strategies can shape more caring, safe, and connected learning spaces.

📅 TIPTA Live #17: November 7, 14 & 21 + December 5 & 12
📍 Friends Center | Philadelphia
💰 Participants receive a $200 stipend upon successful completion
📝 Applications are open through October 9

Ready to deepen your teaching artist practice? Apply today!

🎉 Directory Spotlight: Valentina SierraMeet Valentina Sierra—a Colombian-American soprano and educator passionate about ...
09/24/2026

🎉 Directory Spotlight: Valentina Sierra

Meet Valentina Sierra—a Colombian-American soprano and educator passionate about creating spaces where students can cultivate their musical voices, explore their identities, and express themselves.

Having migrated to the U.S. at age nine, Valentina brings both Western classical training and a deep connection to the popular music of their Colombian culture, including salsa, cumbia, and reggaeton. Their teaching encourages students to think critically, make connections to the world around them, and engage in learning through discussion and shared experience.

A multilingual educator, Valentina has taught in English, Spanish, and German, incorporating language, music, and culture into their teaching practice. They currently serve as Residency Program Manager and Teaching Artist with Opera Philadelphia’s Community Initiatives team and as a Teaching Artist with Esperanza’s Artistas y Músicos Latinoamericanos (AMLA).

Valentina is also a Bartol Certified Trauma-Informed Teaching Artist, bringing a trauma-informed lens to both their artistry and education practice.

Discover more artists and educators making an impact by exploring the Bartol Directory.

🎉 Directory Spotlight: Ayiana VivianaMeet Ayiana Viviana—a Philadelphia-based multidisciplinary artist, writer, curator,...
09/18/2026

🎉 Directory Spotlight: Ayiana Viviana

Meet Ayiana Viviana—a Philadelphia-based multidisciplinary artist, writer, curator, and creative facilitator whose work explores healing, identity, ancestry, and connection.

Through painting, storytelling, writing, and community-based projects, she creates spaces where personal reflection becomes shared experience. Her practice centers memory and the belief that creativity helps us understand ourselves and one another.

Ayiana’s work also focuses on preserving personal and communal stories through workshops, oral histories, and public art. As a resident artist with Tacony Lab Community Art Center, she helped create multilingual community banners along a one-mile corridor in Northeast Philadelphia. She has also collaborated with Mural Arts Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Horticultural Society.

At its core, her practice sees creativity as a way to remember, honor, and connect.

Find more artists and educators making an impact like Ayianna by exploring the Bartol Directory.

Hispanic Heritage Month: Unidos, Somos MásToday marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, and this year’s theme, “...
09/15/2026

Hispanic Heritage Month: Unidos, Somos Más

Today marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, and this year’s theme, “Unidos, Somos Más” — “Together, We Are More,” is a beautiful reminder of the power of community and collective creativity.

At Bartol, we’re celebrating the many contributions of our Latine and Latinx artists, educators, teaching artists, and cultural leaders who use their creativity to tell stories, build community, preserve culture, inspire young people, and create new possibilities through the arts.

From classrooms and studios to stages, galleries, community spaces, and beyond, their work reminds us that when we come together, our stories become stronger, our communities become richer, and our collective impact becomes greater.

💛 Join us throughout Hispanic Heritage Month as we celebrate the artists and educators in the Bartol community who embody the spirit of Unidos, Somos Más.💛

📸:

🚨 Applications for TIPTA Live #17 are officially open!Teaching artists in the Greater Philadelphia region: this is your...
09/14/2026

🚨 Applications for TIPTA Live #17 are officially open!

Teaching artists in the Greater Philadelphia region: this is your opportunity to deepen your practice, build community with fellow artists, and gain practical tools for creating arts education experiences rooted in care, safety, connection, and community.

This fall’s 20-hour, in-person cohort will be facilitated by Enoch the Poet and Candy Alexandra González, bringing together theory, reflection, conversation, and creative practice.

✨ TIPTA Live #17
📅 November 7, 14 & 21 + December 5 & 12
📍 Friends Center | Philadelphia
💰 $200 stipend + Certificate of Completion + digital badge
⏰ Applications close October 9

If you’ve been waiting for the next TIPTA Live cohort, this is your sign. Apply now!

09/11/2026

For Alex Shaw, 2026 Bartol Teaching Artist Award Winner, music and
teaching begin with one fundamental practice: listening.

Through music, composition, and Afro-Brazilian cultural practices,
Alex creates spaces where young people can connect with themselves,
build community, and discover new possibilities for creativity and
transformation.

His work reflects the power of teaching artists to do more than share
an art form — they open doors to expression, affirmation, and change.

In this feature, Alex shares what has shaped his
practice, what this recognition means to him, and why investing in a
vibrant teaching artist community matters.

A Production

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1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA

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