Info For:

Andrew Zitcer, PhD

Assistant Teaching Professor, Arts Administration Program
Expertise culture public policy urban planning

Zitcer has been part of the Philadelphia arts and culture community since helping to found the Rotunda in the late 1990s. The Rotunda is a community-gathering place fueled by the belief that art is a catalyst for social change and that the arts can lead to the formation of meaningful partnerships between the University of Pennsylvania and surrounding neighborhoods. His work has been published in such outlets as Urban Geography, Social and Cultural Geography, Journal of Planning Education and Research and Planning Theory and Practice. Zitcer received his bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his doctorate in urban planning and public policy at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University. He serves on the board of directors of Headlong Dance Theater.

Contact

215-571-3703 andrew.w.zitcer@drexel.edu

Media Inquiries

Mike Tuberosa

mt85@drexel.edu 215.895.2705

In The News

Why We’re Teaching Urban Planning Students To Write Poetry
Dec 15, 2025
Andrew Zitcer, PhD, an associate professor in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, co-authored a Dec. 15 column in Next City about a side-by-side class where Drexel students and local community members write poetry as a way of developing skills they will use in civic engagement and community work.
West Philadelphia Uses Art to Confront Neighborhood Problems
Apr 2, 2025
Andrew Zitcer, PhD, an associate professor in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design; Rachel Wenrick, executive director of Art & Civic Innovation and vice president of University & Community Partnerships; and Carol McCullough, an archivists and instructor in Drexel’s Writer’s Room, were interviewed in an April 2 PBS News Hour feature about community arts organizations in West Philadelphia, including Drexel’s Writers Room and Second Story Collective.
What We Learn From Black- And Women-led Cooperative Practice
Apr 14, 2022
An excerpt of a book by Andrew Zitcer, PhD, an associate professor in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design,"Practicing Cooperation: Mutual Aid Beyond Capitalism," was featured by Next City on April 14. The book explores the historic success and struggles of mutual aid organizations.
Arts Organizations
Sep 10, 2014
A new study on arts organizations in Mantua, Powelton Village and West Powelton, conducted by a team of faculty and students in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, was featured on NextCity.org on Sept. 10. Julie Hawkins, assistant professor and program director of arts administration, was quoted.
Drexel aims to improve arts and cultural opportunities in mantua and powelton
Sep 9, 2014
A recent study on arts organizations in Mantua, Powelton Village and West Powelton, conducted by a team of faculty and students in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, was featured on FlyingKite.com on Sept. 9. Neville Vakharia, assistant professor and research director of arts administration, was quoted.
“A Fragile Ecosystem”
Sep 7, 2014
A new study on arts organizations in Mantua, Powelton Village and West Powelton, conducted by a team of faculty and students in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, was featured in the Broad Street Review on Sept. 7. Neville Vakharia, assistant professor and research director of arts administration, and Andrew Zitcer, assistant teaching professor in the arts administration program, were quoted.
Why parts of West Philly not getting the boost from attracting artists
Aug 29, 2014
A new study on arts organizations in Mantua, Powelton Village and West Powelton, conducted by a team of faculty and students in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, was featured on WHYY/Newsworks.org on Aug. 29. Andrew Zitcer, assistant teaching professor in the arts administration program, was quoted.
New report finds small but growing arts community in battered Mantua
Aug 26, 2014
A new study on arts organizations in Mantua, Powelton Village and West Powelton, conducted by a team of faculty and students in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, was featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Aug. 26. Julie Hawkins, assistant professor and program director of arts administration, and Andrew Zitcer, assistant teaching professor in the arts administration program, were quoted. The study was also spotlighted on PhillyMag.com.
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Besides its multibillion-dollar economic impact, a robust arts infrastructure fosters neighborhoods with more social cohesion and greater community engagement, Associate Professor Andrew Zitcer writes in this essay originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Lancaster Ave. Jazz and Arts Festival is hosted annually by the People’s Emergency Center (PEC), a leading civic organization in the area. Why Aren’t Artists Transforming Mantua and Powelton the Way They Did Fishtown or Northern Liberties?
Aug 21, 2014
A surprisingly high concentration of established artists live in the Mantua, Powelton Village and West Powelton neighborhoods of West Philadelphia, according to a new study by a team of faculty and students from Drexel University.So why aren’t artists transforming those neighborhoods the way they did Fishtown or Northern Liberties? A number of reasons, according to the report, which outlines the challenges faced by artists and organizations in the area, including low public investment, the lack of a support network, a need for stronger connections between artists and the community and a lack of centralized communications efforts. The report also outlines proposed action steps to address these challenges.

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