Last night the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (you know, the one that sponsors, like, everything on WHYY?) announced its 63 finalists in the Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia, which gives a total of $9 million over three years to those with progressive ideas in the Philly arts world. Oh, and 1,752 folks applied, so this is a pretty prestigious step. (Winners of the year-one grants will be announced this spring.) The list is pretty overwhelming (check it out in full, courtesy the foundation’s press release, after the jump), but here are a few of our artsy friends we’re particularly proud of:

BalletX: The modern ballet stalwarts of this town, who’ve always fought to make a traditionally classical (read: boring) genre more accessible to more people, are thinking outside the box: They propose to include mini-shows during BalletX intermissions to get audiences more involved. Darla Jackson: This anthropomorphic darling of the sculpture world wants to create a “sculpture gym,” a shared space for artists to use heavy machinery and workshop their ideas — it’d also likely double as a gallery space. Hidden City Philadelphia: This 2009 festival’s proposal is essentially to keep itself going — it “commissions temporary, site-specific art projects at historic landmarks” that are often forgotten or ignored even by those who walk past them every day. Indy Hall: This creative community space wants to expand to a city block of co-workers who can’t afford traditional office spaces or would rather work in a more collaborative setting. Lantern Theater Company: The company that brought us Uncle Vanya this fall wants to produce a new work by a local artist and then take it on tour. theartblog.org: The ladies of theartblog.org want to take their already-extensive coverage of Philly visual arts a step further, generating a smart-phone app of the gallery scene. Check out the full list, with summaries of the entities’ grant proposals, after the jump, and let us know in the comments who you think should win! African American Museum in Philadelphia: to share the unifying power of the arts by showcasing commissioned dance and gospel performances through free weekly concerts at the museum’s Seventh Street Plaza. Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture: to highlight Arab classical music by creating a unique Arab music concert series with a resident ensemble. American Urban Collective: to engage talented, at-risk youth in the musical arts by establishing a self-sustaining recording studio and selecting 30 young people to write, record and promote original music under expert guidance. Art-Reach: to engage underserved audiences in the arts by celebrating Art-Reach’s 25th anniversary with 25 free community concerts in different neighborhoods to reach nursing homes, after-school programs and disabled adults. Art Sanctuary: to attract youth to opera by developing a program where students collaborate with professionals to write culturally relevant storylines for a unique hip hop opera. Arts in Schools Collaborative: to help instill confidence and grace in Philadelphia’s children by offering a chance for fifth graders to take low-cost ballroom dancing lessons and then perform for the public. Asian Arts Initiative: to encourage artistic development in Philadelphia’s Chinatown by creating a multidisciplinary office, performance and gallery space for a diverse group of arts organizations. Astral Artists: to spotlight distinctive voices in classical music and engage new audiences by celebrating composers who are exploring their African, Asian and Latin-American cultures through their music. The Barnes Foundation: to expand the reach of the foundation’s art collection by creating an app for download and a printed guide that highlight and contextualize works. BalletX: to expand the cultural experience of ballet audiences by adding mini-performances of dance, comedy, music and the spoken word during the intermission of BalletX’s 18 seasonal performances. Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra: to promote classical music by creating a free summer series where participants take part in fun, mini conducting lessons in front of professional musicians and a live audience. City of Philadelphia, Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy: to strengthen City Hall’s role as a cultural center by bringing free music, dance and spoken word performances to the building. Community Education Center: to celebrate the African arts by bringing the renowned festival Dance Africa to Philadelphia. Crane Old School: to strengthen the city’s art scene by completing the renovation of a historic school designed as a center for cultivating the visual and performing arts. Create In Situ: to increase interaction with the riverfront neighborhood near I-95 by creating a solar-powered, sensor-driven lighted gateway along an underpass. Dance/USA Philadelphia: to bring live dance performances to public places and broader audiences by making available a portable sprung dance floor that can be used by dance companies throughout the region at festivals and other events. Darla Jackson: to facilitate the safe creation and public exhibition of the artwork of Philadelphia’s sculptors by starting a “sculpture gym,” where artists can access heavy-duty tools and storage space and get one-on-one help with projects. Delaware River Waterfront Corporation: to help transform the Delaware Waterfront by presenting music, theater and dance performances in the area’s new parks and trails. Fairmount Park Art Association: to bring together a diverse, on-the-street audience by creating a public art event of roving searchlights that will transform the night sky in wintertime. The Franklin Institute: to engage children and families in the celebration of science through art by providing interactive, theatrical performances with scientific themes at the two-week-long Philadelphia Science Festival. Fresh Artists: to engage inner city youth in nurturing artistic talent and marketable job skills by creating a print shop with teen apprentices printing their own art and presenting it in an annual exhibition. Gershman Y: to broaden Philadelphia’s music scene and expand cultural audiences by producing the first Jewish Music Festival, sharing the rich heritage of Jewish music in venues around the city. Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance: to inspire a life-long engagement with the arts by presenting Philadelphia 10th graders with free admission to participating cultural institutions for one year. Hidden City Philadelphia: to reconnect residents and visitors to Philadelphia’s urban landscape with an interactive festival that commissions temporary, site-specific art projects at historic landmarks. Indy Hall: to strengthen the city’s creative community by turning an entire city block into a creative co-working community center. Intercultural Journeys: to encourage interaction and dialogue among Philadelphia’s African American, Arab and Jewish communities by producing workshops and public multimedia events hosted by the different communities and featuring their local artists. Isaiah Zagar: to generate interest in art education and mosaic design by completing a project to turn a 10,000-square-foot South Philadelphia warehouse into a Mosaic Museum and teaching center. Jason LaMonaca: to inspire the athletic art form of skateboarding and draw the community to an outdoor conversation piece by creating a series of skateable art pieces. Kathleen Bonanno: to promote the creation and appreciation of poetry, plays and performance works by opening Musehouse: A Center for the Literary Arts in Philadelphia’s Mount Airy neighborhood. Kimmel Center: to use the arts to revitalize neighborhoods by transforming a vacant lot into a community center for performance art. Lantern Theater Company: to promote Philadelphia as a cultural center by producing a new performance piece by a celebrated local artist and taking it on tour following its local debut. Library Company of Philadelphia/History Making Productions: to create a greater civic awareness of and appreciation for the city by producing a multiformat series of documentaries that tell the story of Philadelphia. LiveConnections.org: to show an expanded and diverse audience how music connects cultures by commissioning innovative concerts for Philadelphia’s World Café Live that will be simulcast to new audiences. Mann Center for the Performing Arts: to attract new audiences to classical music by bridging genres and generations with a Cross-Over Classical summer series in a relaxed outdoor setting. Mighty Writers: to inspire community pride by creating Sound and Fury, an audio documentary, interactive website and public panel discussions about the role of black Philadelphia radio from the 1950-80s. Nato Thompson: To inspire dialogue between local and international artists by creating a foreign artist residency program. New Kensington Community Development Corporation: to strengthen the cultural and economic fabric of the Kensington community by celebrating the talents of local artists at the annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby. Nichole Canuso Dance Company: to broaden people’s understanding and experience of art and dance by turning the audience into a participant in an aural and visual performance journey called The Garden. Opera Company of Philadelphia: to unite Philadelphia in a celebration of arts and culture by displaying â on a giant video screen at Independence Mall â the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s opening night performance of Bizet’s Carmen. Pennsylvania Ballet: to bring world-class ballet to Philadelphia residents young and old through a series of family-friendly, outdoor summer performances. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: to remind residents of the power of the arts by creating “Take Your Chamber Musician to Work!” days where performers play unannounced at offices, schools and hospitals. Philadelphia Cinema Alliance: to spotlight African-American filmmakers by creating what will be the city’s only African-American film festival. The Philadelphia Education Fund: to engage youth in the arts by creating Myartsrising.org, a comprehensive, interactive online platform for arts education. Philadelphia Film Society: to promote the growth of Philadelphia’s film industry by organizing a contest where filmmakers incorporate one of 20 iconic local symbols in a short film. Philadelphia Folksong Society: to bring more cultural opportunities to underserved communities by expanding the seminal Philadelphia Folk Festival into the city’s urban core. Philadelphia History Museum: to celebrate and give cultural context to Philadelphia’s craft tradition through weekly live demonstrations by contemporary craft artists. Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe: to nurture emerging artists by creating a salon night in the festival’s new headquarters where artists will present short excerpts of their work. Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates: to help transform the urban landscape by hiring a world-renowned street artist team to develop a major project in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Museum of Art: to engage young writers by allowing public high school students to take guided tours of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and have their reactions published. The Philadelphia Orchestra: to expand concert content and accessibility by creating smart phone apps that supply real-time history and context about live performances. Philadelphia Theatre Company: to enhance Philadelphia’s reputation as a leading home for new play development by producing an annual festival of new works. Philadelphia Youth Orchestra: to make orchestral music more available and to offer high-quality teaching programs by expanding Tune Up Philly, an intensive after-school music program for elementary school students in Southwest Philadelphia. Philly Youth Poetry Movement: to influence and nurture young residents through poetry by establishing a gathering space offering cultural workshops, as well as homework tutoring and life-skills mentoring. Pig Iron Theatre Company: to strengthen the contemporary performing arts scene by launching a two-year training program for actors and directors. Please Touch Museum: to strengthen Philadelphia’s reputation as an arts destination by producing a weeklong multicultural, multidisciplinary arts festival featuring family-friendly, live entertainment and interactive experiences. Taller Puertorriqueno: to create personal cultural experiences that connect audiences across cultures and disciplines by producing a series of monthly outdoor performances in the heart of Latino Philadelphia with live feeds to YouTube and Facebook. Temple Performing Arts Center: to involve and educate public school children in the arts by exposing them to performances and establishing an after-school program where they interact with artists. theartblog.org: to broaden participation and excitement in the visual-art scene by creating a smart phone app that gives a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of Philadelphia art galleries. Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia: to expand participation in Philly’s theatrical arts by launching a new audience engagement initiative that includes helping actors interact with residents in their everyday lives. Tiny Dynamite Productions: to broaden theater audiences by producing A Play, A Pie and A Pint, a U.K. performance phenomenon where residents can stop by after work to enjoy a one-act play, a pie and a beverage for $15. University of the Arts: to transform Philadelphia’s underutilized South Concourse and inspire citizens to get involved in its redevelopment by sponsoring an international design competition for the walkable area beneath South Broad Street. Vox Populi: to inspire the community by offering an innovative arts series, Spectrum, that crosses the traditional boundaries of visual art, performance, music, film, video, dance and theater. WXPN Radio, University of Pennsylvania: to build audiences and appreciation for Philadelphia’s vibrant music scene by creating a permanent virtual space for the local music community and producing a concert series and a collection of Web-based musical recordings and videos.