Visual art

123 results
Page 1
Portrait of 19th-century enslaved man Squire intricately wrought in tiny beads, with broken chains, a spear, and a ship.

The African American Museum in Philadelphia presents Demond Melancon: As Any Means Are Necessary

Preserving culture, one bead at a time

New Orleans glass bead artist Demond Melancon, a modern icon of the Mardi Gras tradition of Black Masking, a confluence of West African, Afro Caribbean, and Indigenous cultures, gets his first solo museum exhibition. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
Show logo: title in blue & green at top left, over a single large eye with curly eyebrow & striped green & yellow pyramid.

Drexel University’s Paul Peck Alumni Center Gallery presents Kurt Vonnegut Jr. as a Visual Artist

When words fail, draw

A timely new exhibition of drawings by Kurt Vonnegut, many of which have never been displayed publicly, offers a new perspective on the iconic author that resonates in our own time. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 4 minute read
On a torso mannequin, a two-piece halter-and-shorts swimsuit made from a vintage WWII pilot’s map.

The PMA’s Boom sparks a closer look at women in the art and design of the 1940s

What did the transformative decade of WWII mean for women artists?

Boom, a new exhibition at the PMA surveying American art and design in the global tumult of the 1940s, also offers a chance to reflect on evolving roles for women in American art history. Wendy Univer considers.
Wendy Univer

Wendy Univer

Essays 7 minute read
Bright-colored painting of two slim men with light brown skin in preppy clothes, arms around each other casually.

Woodmere Art Museum presents Eye of the Beholder: Two Philadelphia Collectors’ Visions of Beauty in Art

The collectors’ art of resistance

Eye of the Beholder, now on view at Woodmere Art Museum, curates picks from the collections of two luminaries of the local art scene with an eye for goodness and beauty. K.A. McFadden reviews.
K.A. McFadden

K.A. McFadden

Reviews 4 minute read
A delicate bureau-like wooden structure on long legs attaches to a complicated pulley and display system on the wall above.

The Museum for Art in Wood presents The Longest Distance Between Two Points

If wood could watch us

A new exhibition at the Museum for Art in Wood brings Wisconsin illustrator and woodworker Katie Hudnall to Philly for a delightful, mind-bending show. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Reviews 5 minute read
Orange, blue & yellow collage of a Black woman with long, fine locs wrapped in an elegant twist along the top of her head.

The TILT Institute presents Of Black Wombhood

An antidote to the erasure of Black bodies

A two-part exhibition, now getting its first installment at TILT, “explores the interiority of Black womb-bearing people” with a brilliant mix of photos and collage that are part of a larger oral history project. An Nichols reviews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Reviews 5 minute read
Colorful mixed media image of a Black boy in a Phillies cap. He has a calm, determined expression, looking straight ahead.

Philadelphia Magic Gardens presents Eustace Mamba’s Stone Soup

A medley of art for the culture

Philadelphia Magic Gardens opens its new exhibit Stone Soup, an exhibition of Eustace Mamba’s work that portrays the diaspora through mixed media art with a Philly-inspired lens. An Nichols previews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Previews 2 minute read

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Four people with their backs to the camera look intently at Brown’s large, colorful abstract triptych painting at the Barnes.

The Barnes Foundation presents Cecily Brown: Themes and Variations

Expressions of resilience

Cecily Brown: Themes and Variations, now on view at the Barnes, offers a vibrant and satisfying consideration of art history that demands a long look while fighting renewed attempts to systematically erase women from the world. K.A. McFadden reviews.
K.A. McFadden

K.A. McFadden

Reviews 3 minute read
Large square artwork of a colorful collage of letters cut from campaign signs spelling out the First Amendment.

The National Liberty Museum presents Word Powered

Using their words

The National Liberty Museum presents the second of three exhibitions in its aspirationally titled “Year of Free Speech.” Word Powered examines this human right through a juried selection of multidisciplinary visual art. Wendy Rosenfield reviews.
Wendy Rosenfield

Wendy Rosenfield

Reviews 4 minute read
A Black man stands confidently in a garage with his custom motorcycle, against a backdrop of an 1800s Hudson Valley painting

The Print Center presents its 99th ANNUAL Solo Exhibitions

Artists head for the borders

The Print Center’s ANNUAL International Competition draws hundreds of applications. Solo shows from this year’s three winners enlighten us on people who are dismissed, denigrated, and demonized. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read