Join us at the Free Library to hear Philadelphia-based artist Nicolo Gentile discuss his first large-scale public artwork, Bar None, now on view as part of the Association for Public Art’s Art on the Parkway program. The talk will explore the archival research that informed the artwork, including materials from the Free Library’s collections, and will feature a brief screening of historic Parkway footage from Temple University Library’s Special Collections.

WORKSHOP: Make your own collage protest poster inspired by Nicolo Gentile’s Bar None installation at this Collage Philadelphia-facilitated workshop at the Parkway Central Free Library!

Free and open to the public with registration! Join us for the the opening of Nicolo Gentile’s Bar None on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Thursday, August 14th at the Oar Pub at Park Towne Place. Enjoy refreshments, hear from the artist, and experience the new installation.

The Association for Public Art (aPA) and the Parkway Council are thrilled to announce that a new temporary public artwork by Philadelphia-based artist Nicolo Gentile, titled Bar None, will be installed in Maja Park at 22nd Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The installation will be on view from July 17 to October 26, 2025 as a signature highlight of The 2025 Oval and Parkway to Park Festival, initiatives of the Parkway Council and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation.

The Association for Public Art and the Parkway Council are thrilled to unveil the finalists for our 2025 Art on the Parkway program. Proposals from Viola Bordon, Emilio Maldonado, Nicolo Gentile, and Julia Wilson have been selected as the leading contenders for a temporary public art installation in Philadelphia’s Maja Park as part of the annual summer Oval.

Register today! For 2025, the Association for Public Art is leading a series of public art walking tours at the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center, at the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial, in Rittenhouse Square, and in Old City. Each tour will feature a partner, a guest speaker, a presentation of archival visuals, or a fun activity.

In light of recent federal job cuts and the ongoing sale of federal buildings, thousands of artworks in the General Services Administration (GSA) Fine Arts Collection—including a number of works in Philadelphia—are now at risk of separation, sale, or neglect without a dedicated staff to manage and advocate for the collection.

Now in its second year, Art on the Parkway is a juried open call that invites artists, designers, and creatives to propose a temporary public art installation for Maja Park on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The selected proposal will be commissioned for summer 2025 as part of The Oval festivities. Apply by April 4, 2025.