Arts and Culture

The Southside Piano on E. Third Street by the Northampton Community College Fowler Center.

The City delivers direct services:

Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission; Created in 1963, the Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission (BFAC) was established to advise the city in matters concerning fine arts, including maintaining and furthering fine arts in Bethlehem and encouraging cooperative cultural enterprises in the community. The BFAC maintains the Mayor’s gallery and sculpture garden. The produce a summer music series in the sculpture garden, host a fine art and crafts show and provide grants to encourage new art, educational programs, exhibits, presentation and other arts-related activities.
Southside Arts District: In partnership with the Bethlehem Economic Development Corporation, the SouthSide Arts District (SSAD) is a program that uses the nationally recognized Main Street Four-Point Approach to support commercial revitalization. The SSAD’s mission is to build upon the community’s entrepreneurial, cultural and artistic heritage to support economic development in South Bethlehem. The Urban Arts Trail is a 2.75 mile experience that sprawls across the Southside and includes murals, sculptures, mosaics and functional art structures. The SSAD has supported arts and culture through grant writing and commissioning works of art, including the Greenway Stair Mural, a street mural “Connected by Kindness”, and a public piano. On the First Friday of each month, the community can find musicians performing in the many cafes, restaurants and retailers on the Southside.

Street mural on the intersection of Adams street and E. Third street.

Moravian Church Settlements - Bethlehem: The position of World Heritage Coordinator is a position though the Bethlehem Mayor's Office and an officer position on both the Bethlehem World Heritage Council and Commission. The Coordinator serves as the single point of contact for the Council and communicates and reports to the six Permanent Members of the Bethlehem World Heritage Council (Moravian University, Bethlehem Area Moravians, Moravian Church, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, Northampton County and the City of Bethlehem). The Coordinator also serves as the single point of contact to the Bethlehem World Heritage Commission comprised of over 20 Community Stakeholders. Additionally, the coordinator serves on the Transnational Coordination Group, a multinational group comprised of the four Moravian Church World Heritage Settlements in Christiansfeld/Denmark, Gracehill/Norther Ireland/UK, Herrnhut/Germany, and Bethlehem/USA. Additionally, the Coordinator Chairs the Tours & Visitation Committee and the Community Celebration Planning Committee.

Inscription Event for Transnational Moravian Church Settlements Designation at Moravian University

City Supports Service Delivery through funding sources

The City of Bethlehem allocated $109,800 from the Community Recovery Fund towards Arts and Culture Implementation.
The Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley: Nutcracker For Students will allow Bethlehem students to experience live performances of the Nutcracker and bring the arts to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds
Godfrey Daniels: 2023-2024 Programming will allow Godfrey Daniels to continue to provide cultural and musical experiences for residents of all ages
Touchstone: Festival Unbound provides the community with five days of free public art and civic engagement; a second funded project will support the sixth annual Festival UnBound Community Arts Initiative which will, for the first time, extend its Festival UnBound programming throughout the year – drawing on its theme of "Access and Accessibility" and hosting events beyond a single weekend.
Icehouse Performing Arts Center: Community programming will combine civic engagement with the performing arts through programming aimed to foster a sense of community and appreciation of the arts; a second project will support the on-going development of an active resident arts community with a focus on Educational Outreach, Downtown Nightlife, Community Days, and Mid-week Workshops/Performance Sessions.
Pennsylvania Youth Theatre: Literature-based Theatre for School Children Program will provide students with an educational opportunity to learn about literature and theatre from professionals
National Museum of Industrial History: Capacity Building for Diverse Audiences will support efforts to broaden the reach of their programming by distributing educational materials in both English and Spanish
Bach Choir of Bethlehem: With this fund, the Bach Choir will focus on reaching diverse new audiences through community partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations, including the Bach to School free assembly program, Bach at Noon – a free concert series in downtown Bethlehem with a focus on commissioning new works by BIPOC and LGBTQ+ composers; Cantaré, a 10-week after school elementary choir program; A Musical Heart, a music in hospice program; and the Bel Canto Youth Chorus that explores equity issues and cultural context through music.
Lehigh University's Southside Initiative: Partnering with the SouthSide Film Institute and the South Side Initiative and led by a team of regional artists, filmmaker Aidan Gilrain McKenna will create documentary drawing interviews, new and archival videos, music, and photos that will distill and celebrate the story of a community transformed by art, of artists transformed by a community - to be premiered at the SouthSide Film Festival, 2025.
Esther M. Lee African American Heritage Center: Funds will be used to create a community-based repository for African American history, all while providing resources, art exhibits, online data research, and speaker series for children and adults.

City Collaborates and strategizes with service providers:

ArtsQuest provides art, culture and education programing for the residents of Bethlehem and beyond. In 1984, Musikfest was first founded by ArtsQuest help with the revitalization of Bethlehem’s main Street. Today, ArtsQuest manages Steelstacks, the Banana Factory, and Levitt Pavilion and hosts countless music concerts and events, including Oktoberfest, Christkindlmarkt, PeepsFest, Sabor! Latin Festival.