The Athenaeum’s Young Friends
As a national historic landmark, a members-only library set in Old City, Philadelphia, The Athenaeum had a small issue with membership for ages below 65. With Alexa Perillo, the Events & Membership Director, we created programming and collaborations with other Philadelphia Arts & Culture organizations to build out our membership & bolster the local communities.
Movie Nights
We began by hosting small movie nights in our reading room, often bringing in local directors and writers who worked on the film. This quickly turned into a collaboration with the Philadelphia Film Society, another membership-based organization, providing opportunities for our existing members and theirs to collaborate and discover new intersections of art and architecture.
Blackout Poetry Night
In collaboration with Club Connection & Poet’s Row, we hosted a blackout poetry night where members and friends were invited to complete blackout poetry with discarded historic books. We asked independent writers and publishing houses to bring zines and other literature to facilitate an exchange of ideas between the many cultural organizations, and ended the night with open mic reading.
Secret Book Exchange
Uniting book lovers from all corners, we hosted a community book exchange where each guest brought a beloved read they were ready to pass on. Wrapped in simple butcher paper, every book was labeled with a note describing the kind of reader who might enjoy it next.
Over the course of two hours, the exchange sparked genuine connections—friends delighted in discovering each other’s recommendations, while new acquaintances bonded over shared titles. Through Club Connection, we created a welcoming space that fostered curiosity, conversation, and a sense of belonging for those within and beyond the NA community.