Exhibitions

169 results
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Black & white art gallery view photo with Olshan smiling in the foreground while two other people embrace.

This Is (Not) a Celebration: Philly’s queer counternarrative to America 250

A rebellious local antidote to triumphant narratives of our nation's big birthday

The LGBTQ community faces many of the same injustices today as their peers did in 1976. With a series of exhibitions and events, queer folks in Philly continue to stand for liberty during America 250. Josh Herren explains.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Features 7 minute read
A soft-focus painting looks like a rounded four-tier layer cake of golden sparks, with orange wheels spinning at front

The Science History Institute presents Flash! Bang! Boom! A History of Fireworks

Sparking independence

Celebrate the summer of the Semiquincentennial as John Adams intended, with Flash! Bang! Boom!, a new exhibition all about the history, science, and art of fireworks. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 6 minute read
Bright, impressionistic cityscape with a lofty view of a crowded 1917 street hung with giant US, French, and British flags.

PAFA and the PMA present A Nation of Artists

Creativity and the American dream

A Nation of Artists, a major new dual exhibition celebrating the Semiquincentennial, is on view at the PMA and PAFA through next summer. It asks whether creativity is inextricably tied to our freedom. K.A. McFadden reviews.
K.A. McFadden

K.A. McFadden

Reviews 6 minute read
Abstract lithograph layers blue, purple & yellow with shapes like plains, plants, wind & wolves, and the word "un-erasing"

The Print Center presents America Today: Voices in Contemporary Print

Press on

Artist from across the country representing six historic print shops converge at The Print Center, exploring America’s past, present, and future in a reflection of where our nation stands after 250 years. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
Large gallery with gray cement floor features many distinctive, colorful WPA-era posters on a dark blue wall at left.

Delaware Art Museum presents Citizen Artist

Exploring the US government’s historic 20th-century arts investments

A notable new exhibition at Delaware Art Museum explores two eras of major government investment in the arts: the New Deal and the lesser-known Nixon-era Comprehensive Employment and Training Act. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 5 minute read
Projected image of a historic Black baseball player projected in a dynamic way on hanging screens & the gallery corner

The Barnes Foundation presents Freedom Dreams

“What kind of world do we want to struggle for?”

In honor of the 250th, the Barnes presents Freedom Dreams, showcasing intriguing and often-hopeful video installations that examine and celebrate Black American culture. An Nichols reviews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Reviews 5 minute read
Quilt with dark, flower-patterned bathtub, a barn owl perched on the rim, next to a tree w/ red leaves on a green background

Fabric Workshop and Museum presents Jesse Krimes: Elegy Quilts

Creativity breaks out

A new installation of Jesse Krimes quilts at Fabric Workshop and Museum explores the humanity of incarcerated people and questions the American justice system. One of the quilts is now a new Philly mural. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
Black & white photo of the head of a protest march in the pouring rain, a young Asian man holding the titular sign, yelling

TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image presents How We Stay Free

This is what democracy looks like

A new exhibition at TILT honors 60 years of Philly protests thanks to the photographers who were there, from ADA rallies to campus activists, labor movements, No Arena, No Kings, and more. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 6 minute read
Seen from behind, two women, one of them pointing to the document, look closely at a poster-size 1819 printing.

APS Museum presents These Truths: The Declarations of Independence

The Declaration may not be the document you think it is.

The American Philosophical Society celebrates America’s 250th with the largest display of early copies of the Declarations ever assembled, but some of the show’s lesser-known artifacts are just as exciting. Alaina Johns visits.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 7 minute read
Sunny white gallery with wooden floors & large windows has eclectic furniture, Lugo lamps, and fern growing in stacked tires

The Clay Studio presents American Crib: What’s Happening

Roberto Lugo kicks off a citywide Radical Americana celebration

Philly artist, ceramicist, activist, poet, and educator Roberto Lugo joins our 250th celebrations with American Crib: What’s Happening, an exhibition of brilliantly imaginative work at the Clay Studio. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 5 minute read