The University City Arts League has a long tradition of involvement in the community and strives for partnership with other art organizations throughout the area.

Some of our Community Partners and Friends

UCAL is a member of the 40th Street Community Arts Collective which is a group of individuals and organizations in West Philadelphia who work together to promote and host cultural events and advocate for artists within our community. Many UCAL Faculty and Staff were instrumental in organizing and presenting the first ever West Philly arts Fair at International House on April 21st 2006.

UCAL has an ongoing collaboration with the Penn Alexander School, located across the street from us. Our most recent initiatives include after school Chinese, Spanish and Arabic language classes, and after school Arts Club whose children painted scenery for the school musical. UCAL also sponsored a trip to the Wistar Institute to see the Nikon Small World Exhibit. See the full story in the University City Review.

At right a class of second graders from Penn Alexander School visits our Gallery. We welcome all school groups to visit our Gallery. Please contact the UCAL Office, if you are interested.

Located in the midst of various higher education institutions in West Philly, UCAL maintains a wonderful relationship with the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and collaborates with them on our summer camps. We also participate with Penn's Annenberg Center for their annual Children's Festival where we have a table at the outdoor Playworks event. And UCAL works closely with the University of the Sciences where the Annual Auction was held on April 21, 2007.

In the Fall, 2007, design students from Drexel University participated in a project to assess the UCAL space. Interviewing UCAL staff and students, they came up with the following suggestions:



Local Dance Companies
UCAL has close links with Philadelphia based dance companies. Both Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co and Underground DanceWorks have members who teach at UCAL and perform in our studio.