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The Village of Arts and Humanities in a North Philadelphia neighborhood was created by Ms. Lily Yeh single-handedly. She changed a depressed slum areas into a colorful sculpture park. With a small grant of $2,500 in 1986, she was able to transform 4000 square-foot area into a Village of Arts and Humanities, a non-profit organization dedicated to rebuilding community through the arts. The Village teaches kids after school in art, ceramics, photography, dance and theater. As reported by Peter Michelmore, "the Village has touched the lives of hundreds of children, opening their eyes to life style far removed from the mean streets." Her Village has now expanded to ten square blocks , with 2,500 children attend arts programs.
Lily Yeh, born in China in 1941, came to the United
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in Meditation Park |
From 1968 ro 1998, Ms. Yeh taught at the University of the Arts, where she acquired tenured professorship in painting and art history. She is currently Founder, Executive and Artistic Director of the Village of Arts and Humanities.
An internationally celebrated artist, Ms Yeh has expanded her talents and achievement far beyond Philadelphia to communities in other parts of the country and abroad as well. Through projects in Kenya, the Ivory Coast, Italy, the Republic of Georgia, Ecuador, and china, Ms. Yeh has shared her innovative methodology of educating youth and building community through the arts with impoverished communities and disenfranchised individuals worldwide.
Ms. Yeh has received many awards, including Pew Fellowship in the Arts (1992), Leila Wallace-Arts International Fellowship (1993), Prudential Foundation's Leadership Award (1996), Home Town Hero Award from the Children's Miracle Network (1997), an honorary doctorate from the Massachusetts College of Art (1999), and an honorary doctorate from the University of the Arts (2000), just to name a few.