News

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.

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.

The long-awaited Maja Park on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is officially open to the public. The highlight of the park is the “Maja” (1942) sculpture by German artist Gerhard Marcks, which the Association recently restored and installed on the Parkway after decades in storage.