La Guagua 47 Community Arts Project

La Guagua 47 Community Arts Project celebrates Philadelphia's Latinidad. finding community, and belonging. The piece redefines the American landscape through the story of a young migrant who recently arrived in the booming metropolis and feels very alone. One day she discovers a vehicle that takes her on a life-changing journey. La Guagua 47 tells a universal story about the importance of belonging and finding home in one another. The story comes to life in a music, dance, and arts-filled short film that introduces the significance of the iconic SEPTA 47 bus to the thriving and inspiring culture of Philadelphia’s Latino community.  La Guagua 47 reimagines the bus as a central character in helping people and communities find joy. It projects the bus in a fun and positive light and illustrates public transportation’s impact on community, economy, and multiculturalism.

Philadelphians are excited and passionate about this project. Over one hundred are engaged as artists and volunteers, and hundreds more are engaged as community event attendees and through social media. La Guagua 47 enables all people to connect with Philly’s Latinidad, to one another, and to community-building opportunities that strengthen families and neighborhoods. 

We have completed filming and are raising financial resources for production, editing, promotion, and community outreach events and activities. The attached photo narrative of the filming days captures the magic of the project. At this point, with our feet firmly planted and the wind at our back, we are seeking community support that will ensure the film’s success and allow us to implement La Guagua 47's full vision. With a little help from our friends, this project will be a centerpiece of an innovative multidisciplinary community arts project with the power to ignite joy, unity, and inclusion. We also aim to increase the visibility and participation of Latino Philadelphians in the city's cultural fabric and creative economy. By promoting diversity, community, and belonging, this project fosters an inclusive understanding of our city as we build a socially and financially healthy, vibrant, and resilient Philadelphia for all.