Our Work
Camden FireWorks’ mission is to use art to create social change. We envision a more vibrant Camden through equitable, inclusive access to the creative community.
InnerWorkings
Camden FireWorks offers paid curatorial training opportunities to emerging curators through our Inner Workings: Emerging Curators Initiative.
InnerWorkings not only enhances the exhibition experiences of our patrons but also provides much-needed developmental opportunities for new curators who would not ordinarily have these opportunities.
Art in the Commons
Camden FireWorks looks for opportunities throughout the city to address what Sharon Kallis calls the “unloved corners” in our community. These interventions are part of our public art program called Art in the Commons.
Thanks to support from the Hummingbird Foundation and Subaru of America Foundation, Art in the Commons connects emerging public artists to paid opportunities that showcase their talent, broaden their reach, and deepen their ties to Camden.
College Internships
Camden FireWorks partners with Drexel University (DU) and Rutgers University – Camden (RUC) to provide paid educational opportunities in support of students’ academic experience.
DU’s Co-Operative Education experience offers undergraduate students hands-on training as emerging arts administrators.
RUC’s Community First Fellowships partners graduate students with Camden FireWorks for community-led arts research projects.
Firehouse Quilters
The Firehouse Quilters began as a one-year project funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and later supported by MidAtlantic Arts. The guild was established to preserve Black quilting traditions and also serve as a community gathering place.
Every first Saturday from 9 to noon, master quilters and novices alike gather to learn and make quilts together.