Panoramic Programs serves as the non-profit arm [501(c)(3)] of October Gallery that has worked predominantly with African-American artists in the greater Philadelphia area, as well as national and international artists of color for the past twenty years.  Since Panoramic Programs’ inception in May 1998, our mission is to provide a space where artists of color can build upon their existing talents via networking and share their craft with fellow community artists.  Primarily, Panoramic Programs’ experiences have consisted of  various writing and performance skills workshops as well as on-going poetry performance events (Panoramic Poetry) in which poets perform their work for members of the audience.

Panoramic Poetry events are conveniently located at the October Gallery in Old City, Philadelphia which has connected people in the community and beyond with contemporary African-American art for the past twenty years.  As such, Panoramic Programs is uniquely situated as a meeting place for literary artists of color who aspire to broaden their understanding of African American art (conceived broadly) and deliver it to a wider audience of Philadelphians (those who may not have not much exposure to the spoken word and literary art form).

Panoramic Poetry events are held on the second and third Fridays each month. The international and national reach of the “spoken word,” or communicative art form based on strong oral, musical traditions and call and response methods, now includes poets from the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and North America.

The constituency with whom Panoramic Programs has worked with also includes Pennsylvania Congressman Chaka Fattah, Senator Vincent Hughes, City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown and Representative Dwight Evans.  Famous artists who have come through Panoramic Programs include Jill Scott, Trapeta Mayson, Black Ice, Stephanie Renee, Twin Poets, Musaq, Rich Medina, and Talaam Acey.

Panoramic Poetry has reached through the international travel of our poets to the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, Africa, Jamaica, and Toronto.  In the USA, we have traveled to or been visited by poets from Boston, New York City, Baltimore, Washington DC, Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, New Orleans, Birmingham, Memphis, Houston, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, Austin, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, Portland, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Newark, Atlantic City, and Trenton.

Previous local venues for Panoramic Poetry included the Lancaster Ave. Coffee Shop for one year and Hot Sauce Café in Manyunk for two years.

UPCOMING PROGRAMMING:
CRAFTING THE ARTREPRENEUR

Panoramic Programs is planning provide professional development training for approximately fifty artists of color in the greater Philadelphia area, entitled “Crafting the ARTrepreneur: professional development training designed for artists of color in the greater Philadelphia area.” Crafting the ARTrepreneur workshop series will consist of one workshop per month, and will focus on I) creating portfolios, II) marketing and promotions, III) the business of art management, and IV) networking in your community and beyond.

Crafting the ARTrepreneur workshop series will further Panoramic Programs’ mission by expanding the organization’s scope to incorporate a broader spectrum of artists (visual, musical, kinetic, etc), while educating typically underserved populations in the greater Philadelphia area, such as artists of  color about the obstacles and skill sets required to successfully transform artistic sensibility into profitability.

UPCOMING PROGRAMMING:
PROLIFIC PROGRAMMING:  LEARNING POETRY AND PERFORMANCE

Panoramic Programs seeks to offer poetry workshops entitled Prolific Programming: Learning poetry and performance by Panoramic Programs to aspiring literary artists and poets in the greater Philadelphia area. Panoramic Program’s Prolific Programming workshop series will teach approximately fifteen artists of color from the greater Philadelphia area about poetry, specifically the spoken word, and provide a forum where participants can cultivate, develop and perform their artistic talent.  Participants will learn specific techniques and methods employed by Panoramic Program’s regular poets.  Prolific Programming will consist of a two-hour workshop, once a month focusing on the interrelated components of poetic theory, history and performance.  Upon completion of the workshop series, participants will be invited to take part in a poetry slam in February at the October Gallery for their peers and community members in honor of Black History Month.  This forum will give participants the opportunity to demonstrate the new skills and techniques that they will have acquired as well as promote the art form of this literary genre.