The Arts for Peace Place (TAPP)

Non-Profit Cultural Arts Space with For-Profit Revenue Streams

I believe that a space dedicated to using the arts and historic preservation to celebrate the
diversity within South Philadelphia would be very exciting to participants and observers alike
and would promote mutual understanding and empathy. It could be used primarily as an art
space but it could also be a type of living museum with the arts telling the history & stories of
the people who have come from all over the world to South Philly. Board members representing
major ethnic groups in the area would ensure that the facility is used by the people and for the
people; however, it would benefit financially from being located in an area that is beginning to
re-gentrify.
The non-profit would have to be flexible. For a period of time South Philly community
members who are disadvantaged can benefit from area re-gentrification. However, when
community members begin to be pushed out, the art space would need to be able to move in
order to maintain a close enough distance between the re-gentrified areas and the poorer
immigrant communities. It is a way of capitalizing on the positive aspects of early regentrification.
The space would be large enough to have performances, classes, exhibition space and
even a kitchen for cooking meals. It would become a draw for tourists who come down to stroll
along the avenue every weekend. It would be a source of pride for long-term and new
community members. Seeing so many different cultures using one space could be a beacon of
hope and peace to the world.
The term Cultural Arts encompasses:

visual arts and crafts

performance arts
culinary arts
story-telling and language arts

The program would serve the community by providing:

opportunities for community members to learn their own cultural arts or those of another
ethnic group
affordable space for community events
affordable afterschool programming for community children
preservation and education about the various cultures of South Philadelphia

The program would have revenue streams from several areas:

Small caf or take-out serving ethnic specialties open on weekends or during special
events
Rental of exhibition/performance space
Rental of ethnic performance groups
Sales from handicrafts gallery and website

Income from arts classes/workshops/afterschool arts programming

Income from language classes

The Board
I believe that a board of a non-profit needs to have members with skills, access to resources,
and political and community connections. Not every board member will have all three of
these skills, but the board in an overarching manner, needs to have all three.
CHAIR: Cindy Nguyen (professor of arts administration)
Ms. Nguyen is a native of South Philadelphia with a BFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of
the Fine Arts and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania. She currently teaches at the
Westphal College of Media Arts & Design in Arts Administration. She is an experienced
visual artist, trained and skilled in business administration and has connections with local city
government through her former role as Chief Cultural Officer at the Office of Arts, Culture
and the Creative Economy. Ms. Nguyen has strong ties to the neighborhood having grown
up in South Philadelphia in a second-generation Vietnamese immigrant family.
Job Description: The role of the Chair is to ensure that the overall mission and vision of the
organization are preserved. The responsibilities include board development, overseeing the
roles and responsibilities of all the board members and training board members in areas of
need. Networking with other political, culture and local community organizations will be
ongoing as well as helping the organization in finding necessary funding and resources.
Maintaining a positive face for the organization and upholding ethical standards is a given.
VICE CHAIR: Oscar Ramirez (businessman/consultant)
Mr. Ramirez has an undergraduate from Haverford College in Economics. He founded the
company, ARTsource, LLC, in 1997 to offer business development and management services
for cultural organizations. He serves on several committees including the advisory
committee for the Arts and Business Council of Greater Philadelphia and the National
Association of Latino Arts and Culture. He is also a member of several cultural and businessnetworking organizations. Ramirezs experience in business and management from the
perspective of a minority ethnic group in America is invaluable to the position of vice chair.
Job Description: The Vice Chair is responsible for helping the organization develop and
maintain a strategic plan and to develop and approve policies and goals. Ensuring excellence
among management and staff will be ongoing as well as making sure that programming is
consistent with the organizations mission. Helping to develop and maintain donor relations
will be expected.
SECRETARY: Joe Farino (historian and gallery owner)

Mr. Farino is the owner of SACI Art Gallery in New York and Florence, Italy. He has a B.A.
in Art History from Tyler School of Art, Temple University and an M.A. in International
Relations from Johns Hopkins University. For almost ten years he has been the Chief
Operating Officer in ArtHistoryinClassrooms.org and is an adjunct professor at Cabrini
College teaching art history. Mr. Farino has been interested in the immigrant history of South
Philadelphia for many years, specifically the early Italian migration. His expertise in
education, history and international relations is an asset for the responsibilities of the
secretary.
Job Description: The Secretary is responsible for overseeing the planning and opening of
meetings and special events, ensuring accountability and good stewardship of the
organizations resources including the historical library and general maintenance of the
building. Consulting with staff regarding publications, outreach materials and overall public
image and taking and keeping records of meetings and activities.
TREASURER: Michelle Gunawan (accountant)
Ms. Gunawan is a first generation child of Indonesian immigrants. She received her
undergraduate degree in accounting at the Wharton School of Business and she is an
accomplished dancer studying from a young age at the Rock School for Dance Education.
She has performed all over the country with the Philadelphia Cultural Dance Company
(PCDC). She is a certified public accountant in Philadelphia and serves on the board for the
Passyunk Square Civic Association in South Philadelphia where she resides full-time. Ms.
Gunawan has roots in South Philadelphia that go very deep and knows fully the experience
of being a child of new immigrants. She is very passionate in preserving the history and
stories of all the immigrant groups and has strong links in her community. Her expertise as a
CPA will be invaluable.
Job Description: The Treasurer is responsible for the fiscal well-being of the organization
making sure of financial accountability, proper book-keeping and appropriate salaries.
Helping with grant-writing and fundraising will be expected as well as developing and
maintain donor relationships.
References
Beavor, K. (2014, May 27). Right from the Start: What Your Nonprofit Board Needs in Three
Easy Tables. Retrieved from Bridgespan Group: Collaboraing to Accelerate Social
Impact: http://www.bridgespan.org/Publications-and-Tools/Hiring-NonprofitLeaders/Recruiting-Board-Members/Right-from-the-Start-What-Your-BoardNeeds.aspx
Ingram, D. (2016). Non Profit Organization Vs. Profit Organization. Retrieved from Houston
Chronicle: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/non-profit-organization-vs-profitorganization-4150.html
OK Arts Council. (2011, July 13). Nonprofit Arts Development Guide, Chap. 4. Retrieved
from Oklahoma Arts Council:

http://arts.ok.gov/Arts_in_Communities/Nonprofit_Arts_Development/Chapter_4.ht
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