In May, the Association for Public Art is temporarily removing Mark di Suvero’s massive Iroquois from its home on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for conservation restoration. Disassembling the sculpture will take a full day of work from a team of professionals, including conservators, welders, and riggers.

Artists are invited to submit their qualifications by May 1, 2022 for an opportunity to create a proposal. The goals of the commission are to display a strong likeness of Marian Anderson, capture the powerful and gifted spirit of the contralto as well as her energy as a civil rights trailblazer and her dignity in the face of injustice.

Commissioned through the U.S. General Services Administration’s Art in Architecture Program, Moe Brooker’s The Fruit of the Spirit – a 30-foot painting full of life and color – is “an invitation that celebrates the architectural space and adds warmth to it,” described the artist.

As 2021 comes to a close and we gear up for a big year ahead, aPA remains committed to offering meaningful opportunities for outdoor enjoyment and exploration through our public art partnerships, programs, and commissions.

Monumental Tour is a touring group exhibition of sculptures by artists Arthur Jafa, Hank Willis Thomas, Christopher Myers, and Coby Kennedy that honor and examine aspects of the African American experience. The Association for Public Art highlights nearby sculptures in Philadelphia that relate to these nationally-touring works.

Fireflies was applauded for its egalitarian, equitable and democratic values that are the heart of artist Cai Guo-Qiang’s work. The role of the artist and art in society is an important one, and suppressing artistic expression is not an acceptable position.

The internationally renowned Puerto Rican artist is one of 184 artists, writers, scholars, and scientists who received a 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship. The Association for Public Art commissioned Pepón Osorio’s first permanent public art installation.

The Association for Public Art’s Penny Balkin Bach was invited to speak on the topic of monuments as part of Penn Museum’s Great Lectures: Great Monuments year-long online series.

Plans will proceed for the creation of a statue in Philadelphia of the famous singer and civil rights figure, Marian Anderson. Art leaders, including the Association for Public Art, will guide the curatorial process and public engagement efforts.

Three renowned design teams were invited by the City of Philadelphia to develop conceptual plans for a major redesign of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Association for Public Art recently met with the teams to offer insights and discuss the Parkway’s future.