Collective Futures

is a city-wide celebration of Philadelphia’s vibrant network of artist-run spaces, DIY venues, and community-driven art initiatives. Taking place over six weeks in fall 2026, the festival will showcase the creative power of collectivity through exhibitions, workshops, performances, and public programs that engage both local and national audiences.

Bringing together more than 25 independent spaces and organizations, Collective Futures highlights the vital role of grassroots initiatives in shaping civic dialogue, cultural innovation, and community resilience. With a focus on supporting underrepresented artists and amplifying local voices, the festival will activate neighborhoods across the city—including Kensington, North Chinatown, West Philly, Fishtown, and Old City—creating accessible, neighborhood-based cultural experiences.

Coinciding with the celebrations surrounding America’s 250th birthday, Collective Futures situates Philadelphia’s artist-run ecosystem within a broader national conversation about democracy, creativity, and collective care.

At its core, the project is a multifaceted exploration of collective practices, storytelling, and the intersections of art, community, and infrastructure. Rooted in collaboration and experimentation, it seeks to amplify diverse perspectives while fostering connections between local and national networks. Through exhibitions, publications, and public programs, Collective Futures investigates the inner workings, histories, and creative processes of collectives—centering storytelling as a tool for cultural preservation and expression. Using oral histories, printmaking, and site-specific artworks, the festival will illuminate the interplay between artists, communities, and their environments.

By combining critical reflection with artistic production, Collective Futures aims to create a blueprint for equitable and sustainable collaboration—reimagining how art can mobilize resources, deepen connections, and envision transformative futures.

Collective Futures

is:

The Mobile Zine Library

Pink Noise Projects

October 2 — November 15, 2026

Pink Noise Projects is a collectively-run exhibition space in Philadelphia. We value inclusivity of diverse artists and artistic practices, responsibility to our community, and creativity in the work that we do and how we run our space. We are committed to presenting art that is thoughtful, challenging, and relevant, ranging from precisely crafted objects to wildly experimental projects. We focus on engaging with the vibrant people and groups beyond our walls through programming that welcomes all. Pink Noise Projects works with emerging and under-represented artists to present exhibitions in our space, and we deepen this dialogue through an ongoing series of essays written by artists, curators, and members of our art community.

A project to collect oral stories, hystories, tall tales, and blue humor from the diverse Philadelphia art scenes, an ecosystem encompassing:

Fine arts
Performance
Dance
Music
Murals/Community transformation
Education
Libraries

The oral histories will be transcribed to print for and the resulting material will become a book, zines, prints, etc., and will be exhibited during the Creative Futures series.