Student Resources

There are many resources available to students at Penn who are interested in participating in the arts: funding for projects and internships, venues for rehearsing or for presenting art, and other ways to access and engage with the arts on and off campus. This is a list of resources primarily available to Penn students (though not always exclusively). Resources available to other members of the Penn community, including all Services, can be accessed from the Resources landing page.

Student Resources are organized into the following categories:

Funding
- Making and Experiencing Art
- Internships
Venues
Access

Funding

There are a number of Funding Resources available to Penn students interested in making, organizing and otherwise actively engaging in the arts and with topics and themes connected to contemporary creative practices. For those interested in pursuing careers in the arts, there are also internship support resources available. The Sachs Program has compiled a comprehensive list of funding resources for students on Issuu, and we link to many of those opportunities here.

Making and Experiencing Art

Alice Paul Center for Research on Gender, Sexuality & Women Funding
The Alice Paul Center for Research on Gender, Sexuality & Women offers multiple grants and awards to graduate students and undergraduate students, including support for: research, travel, and community engagement.
Campaign for Community
The Office of the Provost’s Campaign for Community Grants support events that promote understanding of and respect for multiple points of view on important topics related to the community, and which encourage and allow for dialogue and discussion around those topics.
Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing (CPCW)
CPCW offers a range of opportunities for Penn students studying and pursuing writing, including grants, fellowships, and prizes.
First Year Experience Grants
First Year Experiences Grants support events run by Penn students designed to promote cultural awareness.
Kelly Writers House
Similar to CPCW, Kelly Writers House offers a number of funding opportunities to Penn students pursuing writing, such as the Creative Ventures Project which supports innovative ideas, interdisciplinary projects, and intellectual risk-taking.
Late Night Events Grants
New Student Orientation Late Night Event Grants support opportunities designed to expose first-year students to the wide range of student groups at Penn.
The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation
The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation offers two grants to students for making art: Ben Art Bucks and Student Arts Innovation Grants. Ben Art Bucks also support travel, tickets, museum memberships, and other expenses related to experiencing the arts.
Theme Year Grants
The Provost’s Theme Year Grants support programming related to the current year’s theme.
Wolf Humanities Center
Wolf Humanities Center provides fellowships for Penn students who are interested in conducting research that relates to the Center’s current topic for exploration.

Internships

Career Services Summer Funding
Many summer internships provide only a small stipend or do not pay at all. This means that many students are unable to take advantage of excellent positions, which are sometimes the first step towards a career in a given field. Career Services has a fund of money to allow students to pursue unfunded or under-funded summer opportunities.
Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellows (CURF)
CURF provides support to students for a range of research and fellowship opportunities.
Penn Global Internships Funds
Penn’s Global Internship Program provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to intern or conduct research abroad for eight to twelve weeks over the summer.
Platt Performing Arts – George and Jane Wallace Summer Performing Arts Internship Award
The Wallace Award provides one Penn undergraduate with a $3,000 stipend to support a summer internship in a professional performing arts or related entertainment organization.
Real Arts Internship Prize
RealArts@Penn offers an internship prize specifically designed to help with costs associated with unpaid and underpaid internships in a creative or arts-related field.
Undergraduate Music Fellows (UMF)
College Houses and Academic Services (CHAS) and the Department of Music support the implementation of a performance-centered project designed and proposed by the music fellow. The fellowship will award one semester of one-hour weekly private lessons with an instrument or vocal instructor.

Venues

There are a number of spaces available to Penn students for holding events, rehearsing performances, studying and pursuing other activities throughout campus. Some are available for free, and others require a rental fee. While we have divided the spaces by category, many of them serve multiple functions. There are additional spaces listed on the Venue Resources page, as well.

Event and Performance Space

The Arch
The Arch houses a number of common areas and reservable rooms, including an auditorium.
Houston Hall
There are fourteen special event spaces in Houston Hall.
Iron Gate Theatre
The Iron Gate Theatre houses a theatre and a large rehearsal room with adjacent dressing areas.
Irvine Auditorium
The Main Hall at Irvine seats 1,259 and houses the Curtis organ, the eleventh largest pipe organ in the world. Irvine Auditorium also houses an acoustic recital hall, four additional special event spaces, production offices, a box office, coatroom, dressing rooms, and music practice rooms.

Rehearsal and Practice Space

Annenberg Dance Studio
The Annenberg Center Dance Studio is intended for non-DAC rehearsals.
Platt House Rehearsal Spaces
Platt House has performance, meeting, event, and rehearsal space available to the Penn Community. Spaces are primarily intended for use by student groups under advisement by Platt House staff.
The Platt Rehearsal Room
The Platt Rehearsal Room is equipped with a mirrored wall with dance bar and a sprung hardwood floor, making it especially well-suited for dance, performing arts rehearsals, or martial arts.
Public Music Practice Rooms
The College Houses have music and practice areas available to their residents.
Solomon Rehearsal Space
The Solomon Rehearsal Space (Solomon A29) is intended for theatre and small band rehearsals. Priority for this space is given to TAC-e groups.

Studying and Meetings Space

Classrooms
The University of Pennsylvania has many classrooms with advanced technological capabilities for your use.
Perelman Quadrangle
Perelman Quadrangle is centered around the Houston Hall student union, but also maintains other common spaces for use by students.

Access

A Penn ID gives you free or discounted access to a number of arts and culture spaces and places on campus and throughout Philadelphia. Many are also free for all or they offer free events.

Free Always

Free with Penn ID

Morris Arboretum
Penn students are admitted to the arboretum fo free with a valid Penn ID.
Penn Museum
Penn students are admitted to the museum for free with a valid Penn ID.
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PafA)
Penn students are admitted to PafA for free with a valid Penn ID.
Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA)
Penn arts majors are admitted to the PMA for free with a valid Penn ID. Discounted memberships are also available to all students.

Discounted Access

Many Philadelphia museums and cultural institutions offer discounted student tickets and memberships. Our list here just scratches the surface.

Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Penn students can get $10 tickets to Annenberg Center Live performances at any time. To purchase, use promo code PENNSTUDENT online or at the Box Office. Must show valid Penn ID at pick-up.
Barnes Foundation
The Barnes offers $5 tickets to college students (with valid ID) all the time.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (PCMS)
PCMS offers an Unlimited Student Pass for full-time students 35 or younger. For a one-time payment of $35, pass holders can attend any of their 50 concerts (that are not sold out)—enjoying unlimited access and maximum flexibility.
Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA)
The PMA offers membership to students for $40/year. Proof of current, full-time enrollment is required.
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra offers several ticket options for college students to attend concerts for reduced ticket prices.