Our Mission

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists exists with a mission to cultivate, nurture and advance the careers of artists. Also aiming to engage the public more fully in our local art scene, CFEVA expands opportunities to discover and connect with art through city-wide programming and community building initiatives. Approaching arts programming through a new lens, CFEVA’s services are designed to raise the profile of Philadelphia’s professional artists, build upon its strength in bringing the creative process into the public realm, foster artistic experimentation and innovation, and showcase how vibrant artistic communities boost cultural tourism and foster economic development.

Through fellowships, residencies, educational outreach, exhibitions, professional development, and city-wide events, CFEVA provides artists with the tangible resources needed to develop viable and sustainable careers and deepens public understanding of the visual arts space in Greater Philadelphia.

Cultural Equity

Since its inception as an organization that includes and supports artists, art lovers, and students, The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA) has tried to ensure that our work takes place in and is focused on a diverse and inclusive community and that it is accessible to everyone. Art will always remain most powerful when it is the result of inclusive and varied voices, and when it reaches diverse audiences. We are committed more than ever to those goals and will strive to make sure that as an integral part of our region's creative force, CFEVA continues making these equitable principles a priority in every program that we deliver and in all the hiring decisions that we make.

CFEVA plans to evaluate: 1) whether we are doing our best in this regard, 2) that our Board and staff are actively working towards a more equitable future for our organization and 3) that the artists and art lovers in the region we serve feel adequately heard, included, and empowered to be a part of the work that we do. The results of these evaluations will be our guide stars in the process of moving ever closer to cultural equity, diversity and inclusivity.  

Our History

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA) was founded in 1983 as the Creative Artist Network by Felicity R. “Bebe” Benoliel to encourage the professional development and community involvement of Philadelphia's emerging visual artists. Bebe compiled a prestigious board of artistic advisors made up of local and regional artists as well as curators to assist in the identification and mentorship of emerging talent, and she served as Executive Director until her untimely death in 2000. 

In 2004, the organization changed its name, but its core mission remained steadfast.  Today, CFEVA’s innovative programming serves more than 500,000 individuals annually, including an extensive network of more than 1,000 artists and growing.  Now in our fourth decade of operation, we are committed to providing relevant programs that support, equip, and position visual artists as valuable contributors to our region’s vitality, cultural identity, and livability.

As CFEVA’s programming has grown over the years, so have the services that the organization offers for visual artists in all career stages.  CFEVA continues to provide access to resources that artists need in order to mature as professionals, educators, and/or community leaders.  We also understand the importance of helping artists reach new audiences. We present public and private exhibitions around the region, as well as lead major city-wide festivals such as the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (POST), the largest open studio program in the region with audiences reaching over 47,000, and the biennial Art in the Open.

Additional opportunities are available for artists to interact with their communities through educational outreach programs, including the award-winning Senior Partnership Initiative, an intergenerational project serving elders and students, and Hand-in-Hand, a program connecting artists with homeless youth residents of city shelters.  CFEVA also provides professional development and lifelong learning opportunities for working artists. Through such initiatives and with new ones ahead, CFEVA combines time-tested and innovative programming to bring arts opportunities to underserved populations and professional education opportunities to those building visual art careers in Greater Philadelphia. 

No other organization in the region employs such a holistic, hands-on approach to meeting the practical needs of visual artists. CFEVA believes its work is crucial to maintaining the cultural wellbeing of the greater Philadelphia area by supporting the people, organizations who make cultural improvement possible.

At CFEVA, our goal is to coordinate a strong support system for our region's visual artists. By providing artists with the tools and resources they need to succeed and by creating meaningful connections between working artists and the local community, CFEVA is helping to nurture the region's most promising artistic talent and cultivating new generations of art lovers.