 | SPRING GARDEN CIVIC ASSOCIATION |
BRINGING THE ARTS TO BRANDYWINE
Local couple and long-time Spring Garden residents, Jeanne Ruddy & Victor Keen, have transformed the 1500 block of Brandywine Street with two amazing institutions that highlight and support the Arts!
With a background as a Principal Dancer with the Martha Graham Company and Founder of Jeanne Ruddy Dance, as well as a choreographer, artistic director, and educator & writer on the art of dance, Jeanne, along with her husband Victor, is a Co-Founder of The Performance Garage - a unique, multi-functional space located at 1515 Brandywine Street, that provides rehearsal space, professional dance training, and a performance venue for the Philadelphia dance community. Jeanne & Victor purchased the building that houses The Performance Garage in 2000, and renovated the derelict, but historic and very spacious, property to provide rehearsal space for the newly begun Jeanne Ruddy Dance. After the Company's final performance in 2012, Jeanne turned her focus and use of the space to providing the structure and opportunities that helped nurture her career to the local dance community. In addition to providing a space for professional dancers, The Performance Garage also offers a series of programs, performances, and classes for the general public throughout the year. Check out a recent WHYY feature of the venue to learn more about this amazing space! |
|
| A retired lawyer who practiced in the areas of partnership and corporate taxation, Victor has been a life-long patron of the arts, and has dedicated many years to establishing The Keen Collection - a stunning, extensive collection of Outsider Art - featuring works by historically-recognized artists such as Bill Traylor, Howard Finster, and George Widener - along with smaller collections of Folk & Vernacular art, including colorful Catlin radios from the early to mid 1900's, large hand-painted signage from traveling circuses, and cast iron toys from the turn of the 20th century. The Keen Collection is housed at Bethany Mission - a building built in the mid 1850's that once served as an institution that provided literacy and religious education to Philadelphia's African American community - located at 1527 Brandywine Street (next door to The Performance Garage). The beautifully-renovated Bethany Mission Gallery features a series of small galleries and a library on the first floor, and a large second floor gallery with a dramatic vaulted ceiling, that also serves as a space for social gatherings and film screenings. Read about Victor's beginnings and experience as a collector in this art.org profile from 2021 to understand more about what The Keen Collection is, and what it has meant to his life. |
Spring Garden Civic Association 601 N. 17th Street (215) 236-7334 |
