It was only 3 months after our grand opening before REC had to close the doors of our 10,000 sq ft state-of-the-art creative facility inside Fashion District Philadelphia due to the pandemic. We were nearing 1,000 active members before COVID took over.
REC had to transition to a completely digital membership, offering 20+ virtual events & workshops per month since March. We also focused our efforts on providing resources to Black Creatives & those impacted by COVID. With the launch of REC Relief alongside our community partners, we ended up providing over $20,000 in micro-grants to Black Creatives & 40+ free REC memberships to those in the community.
After months of being closed down, there is finally some good news for creatives in the Philadelphia region — REC officially reopens our doors on August 1.
Members will once again have access to the 14 private studios (recording studios, video/photo labs, podcast studio, dance studio, design studio) and coworking space. Though things will look a bit different to ensure the cleanliness of the space & the safety of the community…
If you’re headed over to REC to create, look out for these COVID Policies to be in place:
- Masks will be mandatory to enter, and required in any public area within REC
- Handwashing will be mandatory when entering REC, and after any studio sessions
- Coworking will have limited seating to ensure Social Distancing guidelines
- Private Studios will have a capacity limit of 4 people per studio
- All events will continue to be virtual
We’ve also doubled down on our investment in cleanliness with:
- Professional cleaning crew doing daily deep cleans
- Sanitation stations in every hallway of the facility
- Mid-day Studio Cleanings from REC Staff
“With the city’s recent proposal to eliminate funding for the Arts + Culture sector, we are reminded of the importance of the work we do. It is now more important than ever for us to continue upholding our mission to empower creatives in our community by providing access to the high quality resources, strategies and opportunities necessary for success. Both our team and the community we serve are resilient; and we know that we will get through this pandemic the same way we have overcome other challenges– together.” – William Toms, Co-Founder of REC
For Creatives who are new to REC and are considering a membership, we are offering a special that provides the first month of membership for free if you sign up now for our August 1 reopening. All of that information can be found at recphilly.com/join.
