University of the Arts shuttered — suddenly, in shocking fashion — more than four months ago. Although its campus is locked up and operations ended, the nearly 150-year-old institution’s story isn’t fully resolved. 

Questions remain over UArts’ closure. Staff and faculty are still fighting to get answers about the financial circumstances surrounding the university’s closure. They’re fighting for pay as well. At the same time, lenders and other creditors are seeking repayment through the bankruptcy process after UArts filed for Chapter 7 in September. 

More existential questions hanging over the institution, and the city of Philadelphia where it resides, center on what will become of its legacy. UArts played a key role in the artistic life of a whole city. What happens to the region and future generations of arts students now that the university is no more? 

To explore these questions, we went to Philadelphia in August to talk with stakeholders. Take a look at the two-part feature that emerged from those conversations.