July 1, 2009

When Photography alumna Sarah Stolfa returned to Philadelphia after earning her MFA from Yale, she was frustrated by the declining number of darkrooms and limited resources available for young photographers. The problems are compounded today as students learn photography on high-end digital equipment, but then lose access to these resources upon graduation. "Sadly, what happens is that many artists stop making photos when they get out of school because they can't afford the necessary equipment," says Stolfa. The Philadelphia Photo Arts Center (PPAC) stemmed from Sarah's desire to create a place where artists would have affordable access to the equipment they need-a kind of shared digital darkroom.

The Philadelphia Photo Arts Center opened its doors this month and it offers access to state-of-the-art processing, printing and scanning equipment, along with classes, workshops, critiques, lectures, exhibitions and professional digital services. The first exhibition at PPAC is NEXT: Emerging Philadelphia Photographers, featuring 36 works by 21 different photographers, selected by Ariel Shanberg, Executive Director of the Center for Photography at Woodstock. For more information on PPAC and the exhibition, click here.

PPAC is open Monday and Tuesday 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, Thursday and Friday 10:00 AM- 7:00 PM and Sunday 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM. Initial classes will include Digital Photography 1 and Advanced Digital Photography, along with seminar classes and workshops about Portraiture and Color photography. From August 11th through September 9th PPAC will offer a 10% discount to all clients for the digital rental lab and digital services.