Germantown: Artists Roundtable Uses Art to Improve Community

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Kenny (Artnsoul) Lashlee performs and original song during Park(ing) Day, Sept. 20.
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Kenny (Artnsoul) Lashlee performed an original song during Park(ing) Day.

The Germantown Artists Roundtable is made up of a group of artists, musicians and music lovers who work together toward creating a unique arts district in Germantown.

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Paula Paul helped artist Melissa Haim install yarn bombing at Park(ing) Day.

“For so long, Germantown has been given a bad name,” said Paula Paul, organizer of the group. “We want to highlight and showcase the people who hold this community together.”

Paul has lived in Germantown for a number of years and she hopes her work with the roundtable will help in creating a better name for her community.

The Germantown Artists Roundtable also supports other local artists and art events both inside and out of the Germantown community. Every third Wednesday of the month, the artists meet for two hours to discuss how the arts can impact the people they live around. They also feature one artist during the night.

The arts group recently took part in Park(ing) day. This is a Philadelphia initiative that intends to raise awareness of the need for more pedestrian-friendly spaces in urban areas. The group turned the corner of 100 Chelten Ave., where parking space was provided, into an “art space for everyone to enjoy.”

Those who drove and walked by experienced yarn-bombing, poetry, African drumming and singing. Photography, paintings and drawings made by those in the community were displayed on the wall behind performers.

“We have to uplift the community and help our children,” singer-songwriter, Kenny Lashlee said. “Art is the way to do it.”

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