Over the years, the Association for Public Art (aPA) has commissioned, purchased, and placed an impressive selection of sculpture in various settings throughout Philadelphia. Through this program the aPA engages artists, both local and national, and collaborates and partners with Philadelphia organizations and communities.

Public Art Decoded is a series of four annual walking tours that will take in-depth looks at the sculptures and installations that exist in popular Philadelphia locations. The tours will explore how and why the artworks exist, the artists behind them, the untold stories, and both the historical and contemporary contextualization.

Now in its second year, Art on the Parkway continues as a juried open call organized by the Association for Public Art (aPA) in partnership with the Parkway Council and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR). It invites artists, designers, and other creatives to propose a temporary public art installation in Maja Park on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway that will be commissioned for summer 2025.

Each spring, the Association for Public Art provides annual maintenance for over 30 outdoor sculptures in Philadelphia and takes on special projects as needed.

Museum Without Walls: AUDIO is the Association for Public Art’s award-winning audio program for outdoor sculpture in Philadelphia.

New•Land•Marks was a program of Association for Public Art that brought together artists and community organizations to plan and create new works throughout Philadelphia. Sixteen proposals – five of which were commissioned – incorporated public art into ongoing community development, urban greening, public amenities, and other revitalization initiatives.

To bridge the gap between public art and ordinary life, the Association for Public Art initiated the pioneering program “Form and Function,” which invited artists to propose public art projects for Philadelphia that would be utilitarian, site-specific, and integral to community life—works that would be integrated into the public context through use as well as placement.