Exhibition Hub, the global curator behind such large-scale, iconic immersive art exhibitions as “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience,” together with global live-entertainment discovery platform Fever, recently signed a two-year lease agreement for 901 Market St., Suite 1150, in Philadelphia’s Fashion District.
That agreement kicks off this weekend with the opening of “Banksy Was Here: The Exhibition,” which the group hopes they can parlay into a more permanent home, or Cultural Center, for their innovative and oftentimes unprecedented shows.
“Banksy Was Here: The Exhibition” will take up residence in the new Fashion District space from Dec 3 to Jan 31, and feature more than 80 “genuine and certified artworks” by the elusive and enigmatic British artist, according to a press release shared with What Now Philadelphia. However, the beauty of having secured a lease means Exhibition Hub can extend the show if demand sees fit.
What’s more, if Exhibition Hub can extend its lease beyond two years, a permanent home means the group can officially institute one of its iconic “cultural centers,” which currently operates in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and more than 12 cities across the US, culminating in not only an immersive exhibition experience but an immersive “museum” experience, complete with on-site cafe and food and beverage program.
“We’re essentially creating an immersive museum experience,” John Zaller, Exhibition Hub’s executive producer tells What Now Philadelphia. “So we set up something along the lines of what you’d see at a museum cafe – coffee, espresso, high-end pastries, some healthy snacks, and then as we get it in place, an alcohol component.”
On the same token, however, Zaller also understands the importance of both working with and for a community that Exhibition Hub operates in, and the potential for a “symbiotic relationship.”
So while its Fashion District outpost may see a humble cafe at some point down the line, don’t expect a full-service restaurant. For that, Zaller would rather point guests to other businesses in the area.
“There’s tons of great dining right in the heart of the Fashion District,” says Zaller. “You’re a couple of blocks from the Food Terminal, which is an amazing indoor food court that’s been around forever. You’re also very close to Chinatown that’s got some incredible eateries at great rates. And the Fashion District mall has its own share of eateries as well.
“So we don’t feel the pressure to really create something immediate, because what we like to do is draw people from a three, four-hour radius, and then we like to direct them to other businesses whose core competencies are food and beverage. We see it as a symbiotic relationship, it’s part of the reason why we set up the way we set up – to develop a Cultural Center, but also to support other businesses that have other offerings that are complimentary to ours.”
