For Immediate Release
Contact: Gil Gonzalez 267-251-9809 or Sheena Garcia 215-873-0791
E-Mail: ggonzalez@lacolectiva.com or SheenaGarcia68@aol.com
When: Friday, May 4 from 6-10 p.m.
Where: Opening reception 6:00 at The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave.,
Afterparty networking event 8:30 at Las Cazuelas, 426 W. Girard Ave.
What: La Colectiva, in association with the Girard Nights committee and Charging Bull Massive Productions LLC, will hold their monthly Girard Nights event: the premiere multicultural First Fridays event in Philadelphia. May’s theme is Soul of the Aztec – featuring the Tonantzin Coatlicue Dancers at The Fire and photos of Aztec dancers from Mexico at Las Cazuelas.
Performing at the reception at The Fire will be Philly Soul sensation MOKA. Art will be exhibited at several businesses along Girard Ave.
Participating businesses benefit directly through the publicity generated by the event - visitors are attracted and come inside to see the art and hear the performances. This crowd then attracts more customers.
“We are breaking down the barriers between people,” says artist Gilberto Gonzalez, President of La Colectiva. “On Girard Avenue, there are a lot of different cultures represented: African-American, Latino, Jewish, Irish and more. There are always new people moving in. Even though the communities are next to each other, the people in them don’t always talk. There is a sort of separateness among these groups. We are building bridges.”
The organizers and founders of Girard Nights – Gil Gonzalez, Sheena Garcia, Pauline Houston and Robb McCall – believe that "The Girard Nights event is about eradicating the boundaries, both physical and imagined, that separate cultures and communities. Where many see Girard Avenue as a dividing line, we see it as a connecting point – a bridge across racial, financial, cultural and artistic lines. Girard Nights is a demonstration of the strength and power that can be generated by genuine respect and support for artists and performers from across the cultural spectrum.”
###La Colectiva began programming events in 2003 with Noches de Art en el Barrio. It has since expanded its events to include all artists in North Philadelphia between Lehigh Avenue and Girard Avenue commercial districts. It advances art and the belief that all people have the right to creative expression and development. Its primary focus is Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia, New Kensington and Fishtown).
