Taking flight: Spotlight on 3 Dots Downtown

Join PA Humanities for a video series featuring community programs manager Nina Riley as she talks with Wingspan grantees about their work, impact, and experiences

Throughout its six-year history, 3 Dots Downtown in State College has hosted major music and arts festivals, held dance parties and open mic nights, showcased local artists in their gallery space, and much more in their role as a creative community hub. 

Now, they’re refining their mission as an arts and humanities organization serving rural central Pennsylvania, and recently announced an exciting new shift toward becoming a residency program. Nico Gargiulo, director of community arts programming, said that the support and opportunities for reflection that have come with being a part of PA Humanities’ Wingspan grant program has been crucial in helping them plan this new direction.

“What we have percolating is so juicy, so exciting, and is unlike anything that our town has ever seen,” Gargiulo said during an interview with PA Humanities director of community programming Nina Riley. “The ship is starting to steer toward this more solid residency model where people are able to do humanities and arts work.”

Wingspan is a grant initiative launched as part of PA Humanities’ 50th anniversary to support BIPOC-led and serving or rural organizations doing community-based humanities work. Its mission is to help them soar and expand their possibilities by providing new resources, amplifying their voices, and cultivating additional space for creativity and connection. 

3 Dots Downtown falls into the rural category, and as part of the grant program Gargiulo has been part of a learning cohort with other rural grantees. She said the camaraderie with people doing similar but different work has helped broaden her perspective, and the learning prompts and work with facilitators has further enriched her experience. 

“I’m going to speak for the organization when I say that the Wingspan grant is the best thing that’s happened to us, hands down,” she said. “It’s helped in ways that I don’t even think we’ll be able to articulate for years to come.”

Learn more about what inspires Gargiulo to do the work that she does, how emergent strategy has impacted 3 Dots Downtown, where their name comes from and more about their exciting plans for the future in the full video. 

Funding for Wingspan has been provided by PA Humanities and Spring Point Partners, with additional support from private donors.