The Green Room Grand Opening: Inside West Philly’s New Creative Wellness Studio

Attendees at The Green Room immersed in creative wellness | Photo by Arekusn

People fundamentally want to be around each other. A sense of community is one of the most powerful forces, and The Green Room, Forbidden Fruit’s pop-up creative wellness studio, lives by this. Its grand opening last Friday marked the beginning of a six-week long effort to provide West Philadelphia’s bustling creative economy a space to create and connect, bringing together locals and artists alike as a new pillar of community. 

Stonez and Ty of Forbidden Fruit pose with Deb and Brian of Meantime | Photo by Arekusn

The product of months of preparation with partners Meantime and uCity Square, The Green Room welcomed guests for the first time on the 24th of April for a night of art, music and above all, togetherness. The space, located on the bottom floor of the One uCity Square building on 37th and Warren, beckons its guests into a welcoming, open chamber. A silk art installation, the handiwork of DumoLab, adorns the ceiling and acts as the centerpiece of the room and turns what could’ve felt like an office building into a colorful and open workspace. Underneath it, yoga mats and carpet create a comfortable lounge area. There’s tables with art supplies, activities and games, and tying it all together the whole event is serenaded by the sounds of Soup PHL collective founders Remster & Obvi. An assortment of local creatives filter in throughout the night, some longtime community members of Forbidden Fruit and others curious newcomers. 

This new location isn’t just a pleasant spot to hang out and meet like-minded individuals. Over the next six weeks, the space will function as a full time creative wellness residency, with resident artists and facilitators leading programs nearly every day. Ranging from yoga to financial literacy classes, the goal is to create a resource for the community at large. Founders Stonez and Ty envision it as a spot where West Philadelphia can learn and grow in a multitude of ways- emotionally, socially, even financially. The final showcase, scheduled for the end of the residency, will be a culmination of the efforts of all resident artists and facilitators.

Attendees playing games, viewing installations, and connecting with community | Photo by Arekusn

It’s not only the artists in residence who should find themselves enriched by the space. Ty and Stonez see it as a real asset for the collective, one that can improve the connectedness of people in the area (and beyond). Many locals were introduced to this mission during the grand opening, and as the night progressed plenty of them found what the were looking for.

Jeroen smiles with his art | Photo by Arekusn

“What I'm noticing is that there needs to be more spaces that are accessible to everyone,” says Jeroen Walraven, a Dutch attendee who has spent the last two years in West Philadelphia. Walraven himself is very involved in wellness, working as a facilitator of sound healing. “I feel like wellness and art can be very much like a luxury, so I think it's really cool that they're doing this here.” He hopes to see the space continue to be a local resource as the spring marches on. 

Jeroen wasn’t alone in his optimism towards the gap that creative spaces have the potential to fill. Gianna Stump, a fashion designer who lives in University City, found herself similarly invested. “It makes me excited to see more shared spaces. I think that the U.S. definitely lacks that in general, but seeing all these people come together and just enjoy doing simple things, crafts, live music, it's just really heartwarming.” To Gianna, spaces like these are a part of the beating heart of the Philadelphia cultural scene. “Philly itself suits a lot more inclusivity, and I’ve found it’s more accessible to art than other cities.” She remarks, drawing comparisons to other places she’s lived like New York, where the environment can be harder to break into. 

The vibrant corridor of 37th and Market Street puts Forbidden Fruit right in the middle of an already thriving scene in the neighborhood. Sarah Mueller, director of cinéSPEAK, a Philadelphia based arthouse cinema and journal, is no stranger to the world of creative community spaces that The Green Room joins. cinéSPEAK hosted an event on the same night across the street at The Lawn. The Under the Stars Preview Party offered a look into their summer programming of live films throughout the city. Many guests circulated through both events, an example of the interconnectedness both organizations strive for.

As the night went on, Mueller recalled her own path to success, and hopes to see the scene continue to grow as time goes on. “There's a very special ecosystem in West Philly, of the arts and organizing,” she accurately asserts. "Just up the road, in fact, sits West Philly Bizarre, a local non-profit vendor market whose business resources are similarly aimed at creatives and small businesses. “Folks here who are artists are involved in the collective power of the work. We’ve found a really comfortable, safe home and a place to thrive here.” Mueller hopes to see this same success stem to newer spots, like the Green Room. “I think it's a really important and unique thing about Philadelphia, that so much of our arts and culture and advocacy is grassroots in its nature… We have to fight to break into different systems, to get our stories and our work out there in the public, but ultimately makes the work so much richer.”

Attendees crafting, playing, and enjoying snacks at the art making stations | Photo by Arekusn

During its lifespan, the Green Room has a lot planned. As people come together to create wellness through a variety of different practices, the room offers a tangible space to engage locally. Ty and Stonez call it a “labor of love,” a reminder that it was born not from corporate entities or more traditional backing, but the support and hard work of real, involved people. People who care about what the space becomes for the community. Speaking to those who attended, and seeing their ability to associate with each other as they circulated activities, it’s not hard to get the feeling that the commitment to these goals is paying off. 

A snapshot of upcoming workshops in The Green Room | Photo by Arekusn

In the coming weeks, the Forbidden Fruit team is excited to use the space to its full potential. Things kicked off with a financial literacy workshop led by Univest on April 22, which will be followed by a jam-packed schedule of programming throughout the residency. This includes workshops and courses ranging from yoga, herbalism, and sound healing, to self defense, club music, and even an immersive screening of dance films. If you’re a wellness enthusiast, or a neighborhood member looking to get more involved, there is now a new space waiting for you in University City, a space that’s tapping into all the things that make West Philadelphia thrive. If that aligns with you, look for the full schedule and more on the website, or check out Instagram for daily updates.