For one full day and night, DVAA will open its doors for 24 straight hours of art, community workshops, and controlled chaos. The marathon will feature live-streamed and in-person programming, including workshops, film screenings, artist talks, karaoke, performances, collaborative art-making, and plenty of surprises along the way. Meet DVAA artists, learn a new skill, make new friends, stay up way too late, and support a 95-year-old institution continuing its mission of using art to build collective resilience.
Like many arts and culture organizations across Philadelphia, DVAA has faced financial challenges in recent years. Rising costs and shrinking opportunities for funding have placed pressure on nonprofits throughout the city. While DVAA continues to present exhibitions, artist opportunities, educational programs, festivals, community events, and workshops that reach tens of thousands of Philadelphians every year, that work is dependent on people who believe that arts and culture are worth investing in.
DVAA-A-THON is a fundraiser and a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to keep community-centered arts programming alive. Every donation made during the event will help sustain free and low-cost programming, support artists, maintain DVAA’s historic building at 704 Catharine Street, and ensure that DVAA remains a space where artists and neighbors can gather, create, and connect for years to come.
Programming will take place throughout DVAA's galleries and outdoor space. Every hour of the marathon will feature a new raffle item, challenge, activity, or fundraising goal, creating opportunities for supporters both near and far to participate. Throughout the event, artists and community members will share stories about the impact of the organization, reflecting on their last 95 years of creative exchange while imagining what the next century of community-based arts practice could look like. The entire event will be broadcast live, allowing supporters across Philadelphia and beyond to tune in, participate virtually, and contribute to fundraising efforts in real time. Whether joining from home in the middle of the night or stopping by in person for breakfast, karaoke, a workshop, or a performance, everyone is invited to take part in this celebration of creativity, resilience, and collective action.
For 95 years, Da Vinci Art Alliance has adapted, evolved, and grown alongside Philadelphia's communities. DVAA-A-THON celebrates that legacy while raising the resources needed to ensure that artists and neighbors continue to have a place to gather, learn, create, and build a more connected future together. Get your energy drinks ready and help us get to 100 years