Vox Populi

It’s a great gallery that really reflects the old and the new — historic beauty and the emerging culture in the city.
Narrow, tall, stairs, labyrinth, kegs, rebellion… you get the picture.

This is such a great spot to visit on First Friday. There’s a lot of interesting contemporary art to see and it’s pretty accessible. The place has a visibly artsy/​hip crowd but the vibe isn’t pretentious, and it’s packed on First Fridays. There are several levels of galleries to check out. They have a bar. It’s an unassuming building from the outside and in a quiet part of town, but it’s worth the visit. It’s right by the Trestle Inn, too.

What a cool little gallery. Never would’ve found it had I not ran into some people headed there on First Friday — a great night to visit, by the way, as there’s a bar, and on the night I went, some raffles.
The installations were intriguing and great for conversation — the crowd was of the hipster slant, but I didn’t feel any judgement going on. If anything, it was a diverse crowd, whereas I might feel uncomfortable at the more fancy fance First Friday venues.
For art galleries, I bet you could write a new review each month. For example, when I went, there was a brilliant painting series, with both the painter and the painter’s inspiration there to talk with — very accessible and very interesting conversations.
I feel like Vox Populi is a unique space, and with the nearby watering holes (Trestle Inn, The Institute), visiting Vox Populi can make for a great night out.

Been here a few times, mainly for music. The art is always interesting and fairly diverse. Definitely not the most convenient location for an art gallery but make sure you check ‘em out! Also keep an eye out for upcoming shows as they occasionally have really great musicians/​artists/​bands play.

A first-​friday staple. Always has a mixture of art– video installations, found art, photography, painting, etc. Less yuppie tourists than the old city spots.

This gallery is always a priority stop on First Fridays, and essentially anytime I go gallery-​hopping in Philadelphia. They embrace a variety of media and artists– sculptors, painters, printmakers, photographers, film makers — some of everything. If you are looking for a contemporary space in Philadelphia with some young (well sort of young) members and some inspiration, go to Vox. It is also attached to Copy Gallery on the same floor– which is a smaller space, but definitely worth a look.
It is not in Old City (but what is anymore besides AITA which is more like a store/​party), but it is situated near the Fabric Workshop and Space 1026 and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and not too far from the Print Center.

Fortunately I just found out that this place stills exists, Because the whole street that it used to be on is currently being revamped big time. now the address is 319 North 11^th Street, 3^rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19 107. it’s Gallery hours are Wednesday-​Sunday 12−6pm and they usually have a lot of good alternative arts. They have a special First Friday viewing that’s open to the public from 6 – 11 PM.
Although Vox has been in three different buildings, it has been a non-​profit art collective that has supported emerging artists since 1988. so it’s good to here that it’s still going strong. The Vox on Cherry street had an occasional concert. so maybe this one will too, but it’s too soon to tell.

Vox uses to be tucked away in this decrepit building in Olde City. Back then it had much more of a lassiez-​faire feel, similar to Space 1026 with a lowish-​brow skate punk aesthetic. Then it moved to the Cherry Street location and smartened up its act. This move was definitely a good one for the members who were then able to take the whole enterprise more seriously. Also, it put the gallery in close proximity to the Fabric Workshop and Museum and PAFA, both of which have established reputations in the world of art.
What I like about Vox is that it still maintains some of the rebellious attitude that made it an interesting gallery to begin with. It shows more cutting edge work than many of the other galleries in Philly– or I should say, the placement of the work within the overall scope of art is more on the inside-​track than 1026 or Spector but a hell of a lot cooler than some of the other galleries like Nexus or Pentementi. Also, they used to have kick ass shows including Melt Banana which rocked. I don’t know if they’re still in show-​biz, but it’s definitely worth checking out.

’twas good. My favorite type of an evening is when I get an art high by seeing something novel and beautiful that sets my soul afire. Mission accomplished here.