Paul’s appointment marks a homecoming, bringing deep familiarity with the Philadelphia Museum of Art collection and institutional history to this role, as she previously served as Assistant and Associate Curator of Indian and Himalayan Art at the PMA from 2002 to 2008. 

“After a thoughtful and extensive search, we are thrilled to have Katherine rejoin the museum’s curatorial team to lead the Indian and Himalayan Art department,” said Daniel Weiss, the George D. Widener Director and CEO. “She brings a breadth of experience, years of scholarly focus on South Asian art, as well as extensive knowledge of the museum’s collection.”

Most recently, Paul served as the Virginia and William M. Spencer III Curator of Asian Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art, a position she has held since 2019. Since 2021, she also served as the museum’s Lead Curator, overseeing the curatorial vision. During her tenure, Paul reinstalled the Asian Art galleries and secured significant acquisitions, including a 200-object gift from the Harish K. Patel collection. Her earlier experience includes roles at the Newark Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and The Textile Museum. Paul holds a PhD in languages and cultures of Asia from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and brings exceptional linguistic expertise, with extensive working knowledge in nearly ten languages and scripts.

Widely respected for her research and public-facing work, Paul has written and contributed to multiple publications and curated notable exhibitions, including Silver & Ceremony from Southern Asia 1830–1930, the Harish K. Patel Collection at the Birmingham Museum of Art (Birmingham Museum of Art, 2025); Ways of Seeing: The Art of Travel, Trade, and Transportation (Birmingham Museum of Art, 2021–22); Expanding Darshan: Manjari Sharma, To See and Be Seen (originated at Birmingham Museum of Art, 2022–23, traveled to Phoenix Art Museum and San Antonio Museum of Art); and Wondrous Worlds: Art & Islam through Time & Place (originated at Newark Museum of Art, 2016, traveled to Asia Society Texas Center, Houston, Middlebury College Museum of Art, Phoenix Art Museum, Philbrook Museum of Art and the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University). Throughout her career, she has emphasized sustained collaboration with Asian and Asian American communities at the local, regional, national, and international levels.

“I am delighted to rejoin the superb institutional team at the PMA,” Paul said. “The spectacular architectural galleries, phenomenal collections, and engaged communities—both in Philadelphia as well as regional, national, and international partners—are all extraordinary. I am eager to contribute, connect, and reconnect with them all.”

Paul joins the museum following a comprehensive international search led by Judith Pineiro Consulting.

Media Contact
Philadelphia Museum of Art | Laura Coogan | pressroom@philamuseum.org | 215-684-7834
 
About the Philadelphia Museum of Art 
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a national and international destination for art, but first, we are Philadelphia’s art museum—for all of the many diverse communities of the city. Through our collections, exhibitions, events, educational activities, celebrations, and more, the museum is a storyteller, and we welcome everyone to be part of the story—our doors are wide open. To learn more, visit www.philamuseum.org

Instagram/Facebook/X/Threads/YouTube: @philamuseum
TikTok: @philaartmuseum

“An essential part of brand stewardship is innovating, and also listening,” said Daniel Weiss, George D. Widener Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “The new logo, with the griffin, is a bold, yet historical approach that we are heartened to see is being embraced by the public. Returning to the name that is beloved by staff, trustees, and members is an important gesture. We now have a system that our entire community can rally around—so we can dedicate ourselves to the important opportunities of our mission.”

The brand updates will be introduced incrementally over the coming weeks. An updated griffin logo will use the “Philadelphia Museum of Art” name, as will an updated wordmark. The museum’s URL, its email addresses, and its social channels will return to “philamuseum.” The PhAM acronym will no longer be used.

Survey findings reflected a strong preference among staff and trustees to return to the prior name, and equally strong views from the public perceiving the griffin logo as a bold symbol that encourages engagement with the museum.

“The board of trustees fully supports these updates and voted unanimously to embrace the task force’s recommendations,” says Ellen Caplan, chair of the museum’s board. “Dan and the entire team have quickly and importantly found a way to embrace the heritage of the museum, and provide a platform to widen our audience.”

Media Contact
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Laura Coogan | laura.coogan@philamuseum.org | 215-684-7364

About the Philadelphia Museum of Art 
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a national and international destination for art, but first, we are Philadelphia’s art museum—for all of the many diverse communities of the city. Through our collections, exhibitions, events, educational activities, celebrations, and more, the museum is a storyteller, and we welcome everyone to be part of the story—our doors are wide open. To learn more, visit www.philamuseum.org

Instagram/Facebook/X/Threads/YouTube: @philamuseum
TikTok: @philaartmuseum

When eligible staff voted to unionize, the museum immediately and unequivocally pledged to negotiate in good faith and has done so. Agreement has been reached on more than 25 substantive issues and negotiations continue.   

The museum remains focused on reaching a fair and appropriate contract in the best interest of the staff, the museum, and all Philadelphians.  

About the Philadelphia Museum of Art

We are Philadelphia’s art museum. A world-renowned collection. A landmark building. A place that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the Museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts.

For additional information, contact Norman Keyes at 215-460-9568 or by email at norman.keyes@philamuseum.org.

###

Social Media
Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Tumblr/YouTube: @philamuseum; TikTok: @philaartmuseum
 

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rhee is a seasoned professional who has worked in both front and back of house positions, including as a line cook, bartender, pastry cook, barista, consultant, and more. Early in his career, Rhee gained valuable experience through an internship at Per Se and later at Narisawa and L’Effervescence in Tokyo. He’s held positions at top restaurants on the East Coast including Daniel, Masa, and The Modern in New York, as well as Lacroix at The Rittenhouse Hotel, Jean Georges at the Four Seasons, and Morimoto in Philadelphia.  

“I am thrilled to join the Constellation Culinary team and take on the responsibility of leading the culinary programming at the Philadelphia Museum of Art,” said Rhee. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to deliver a world-class dining experience, with a menu inspired by the art at the museum itself, my upbringing in Philadelphia, and my culinary experience and travels which have helped to shape my cooking style and approach merging Eurocentric flavors and techniques with East Asian and Nordic influences. “  

The Philadelphia Museum of Art offers visitors rich and varied globally inspired dining experiences, from upscale locally sourced dishes at Stir to family-friendly options at the Café, to great coffee and artisan pastries at the Espresso Bar and beverages and light bites at the Balcony Café. Rhee will also manage the museum’s Chef-in-Residence program, through which local chefs enjoy a weekend residency in the Café and “take over” the Local & Global station. Guest chefs have included Nana Wilmot, Melissa Fernando, Kiki Aranita, and Nok Suntaranon, among others. 

Rhee has already begun to make his mark at Stir, the museum’s premier, full-service restaurant designed by Frank Gehry, where Rhee has refreshed the seasonal locally sourced menu and incorporated ingredients traditionally used in Asian cuisines. New dishes include Sweet Corn Soup (puffed corn and rice, honey brown butter and house Togarashi), Slow Roasted Melon (Sake Crème Fraiche, fig oil, and lemon verbena), Peas (asparagus, haricot verts, strawberries, braised almonds, goat cheese), Peaches (seasonal greens, basil yogurt, roasted celtuce, pickled rhubarb), Zucchini Gnocchi (roasted cherry tomatoes, garlic chives, squash blossom tempura, golden sesame oil), and Roasted Jail Island Salmon (roasted fennel, yuzu date kosho, charred coconut and cauliflower, potato flakes,  Houttunyina).  

 “We’re proud to welcome Chef Hoon Rhee to become an integral part of our team,” noted William B. Petersen, the museum’s Chief Operating Officer. “Visitor experience is a top priority, and we’re confident that Rhee will contribute greatly to a museum visit that includes world class food, art, and architecture all in one.

Rhee holds dual degrees from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and the University of Pennsylvania, holds a Level 1 Sommelier certification, and has working knowledge of Korean and Spanish.  

About the Philadelphia Museum of Art 

We are Philadelphia’s art museum. A world-renowned collection. A landmark building. A place that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts. For additional information, visit press.philamuseum.org or contact the Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art by e-mail at pressroom@philamuseum.org. The museum is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call 215-763-8100 

About Constellation Culinary Group  

Launched in 2008 and reimagined in 2018, Constellation Culinary Group is dedicated to providing best-in-class dining experiences for one-of-a-kind events, cultural centers, professional settings, restaurants, and cafes. With over nineteen locations in eight cities, including internationally renowned cultural institutions Carnegie Hall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the New York Botanical Garden, Clark Art Institute, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami, we bring culinary visions to life. We consistently create unforgettable experiences with the help of our skilled and thoughtful people, who believe in Constellation’s company mission and philosophy that good food connects us.  

Media Contact:  

Liz Mirra  

Cashman & Associates  

elizabeth@cashmanandassociates.com  

732-850-8272 (m)  

Landeshauptstadt Dresden 
Amt für Presse-, Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Protokoll 
Dr.-Külz-Ring 19 
01067 Dresden 
Tel.: (03 51) 4 88 23 90 
Fax: (03 51) 4 88 22 38 
presse@dresden.de 
www.dresden.de

Today, Thursday, June 30, 2022, Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert, together with the Director of the Dresden Museums, Dr. Gisbert Porstmann, the Director of the Dresden City Museum, Dr. Thomas Steller, the retired Director of the Dresden City Museum, Dr. Erika Eschebach, and the museologist Wolfgang Gahn, as well as metal restorer Martin Fiedler, were able to present a part of the Dresden Council Treasure: the Schützenschild.

Mayor Dirk Hilbert is very pleased: "For the third time in my term of office, I can be present when a part of the council treasure returns to our city. A very special privilege. I would like to thank all those involved for their extraordinary commitment and am delighted for the people of Dresden that this treasure will already be on display in the Dresden City Museum from Saturday, July 2." 

Timothy Rub, Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, who stewarded the return of this work to Dresden, said: “It is deeply satisfying to know that our thoughtful scholarship led us to this important moment when this work is returning home. Although it had been purchased in the 1950s in good faith and later donated to the museum, this object rightfully belongs to Dresden, as it has become compellingly clear that it had been part of the city‘s silver treasure and went missing in 1945. Our thanks to our former curator Dirk Breiding, whose close study identified the issue, and to our wonderful colleagues in Dresden with whom it has been a pleasure to collaborate and to bring this to its proper resolution.“

Thanks to the generous support of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Dresden City Museum will once again be able to fill a World War II–related gap in its collections in June 2022. An archer’s trophy donated in 1619—part of the former Dresden City Council silver treasure—will return to Dresden after the successful return of two other wartime losses, in 2017 (Ship’s Cup) and 2019 (Council Cup). Its history documents the tortuous paths of pieces of the City Council silver treasure lost at the end of the war.

The trophy refers to the centuries-old tradition of the Dresden bird-shooting competition. As early as 1440, a shooting match was held in Dresden at Whitsun, from which the folk festival with bird shooting organized by the city council developed in the second half of the 16th century. One year after the crossbow shooting contest of 1618, at which he was the winner, Elector Johann Georg I of Saxony donated the trophy made of engraved and gilded silver that honored his achievement. It bears next to the coat of arms of the Elector the inscription, which reads (in translation):

"For God's honor and Christian hearth I battle as long as my life lasts. By God's grace Johann Georg, Duke of Saxony, Jülich, Cleve, and Berg, Arch Marshall of the Holy Roman Empire, and after the death of Emperor Matthias, in his most laudable memory, Imperial Vicarius for the second time; Landgrave in Thuringia, Markgrave of Meissen, Burggrave of Magdeburg, Count of the Mark and Ravensberg, Lord of Ravenstein, has shot down the Pentecost bird this 27th of May in the 1618th year; yet this shield was made in the 1619th year."

The archer’s trophy (Schützenschild) became part of the City Council’s silver treasure and in 1888 entered the custody of the city's collections along with the Council treasury. The Dresden City Museum, which opened shortly thereafter, presented the Council treasure in its permanent exhibition from then on most recently in the New City Hall - until it had to be stored in the basement of the City Hall during World War II. Since the end of the war in 1945, the Council treasure including the trophy was considered a war loss. But in 1956, the trophy turned up in the Swiss art trade, reached the Lucerne auction house Galerie Fischer via a Basel art dealer, and was auctioned off there. After two decades in private hands, the owner, a resident of New York, bequeathed the trophy to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1977. In the course of collection research in 2016, the museum in Philadelphia became aware of a search notice in an online registry of missing cultural objects, the German Lost Art Database, which the Stadtmuseum Dresden had published four years earlier with the German Center for the Loss of Cultural Property. It contacted the Stadtmuseum Dresden to recognize it as the rightful owner, and published its findings in Arms and Armor: Highlights from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in 2019. In 2020, after the restitution had already been prepared and the transport date agreed upon, the coronavirus pandemic prevented the return of the trophy to Dresden. In the spring of 2022, the Philadelphia Museum of Art came forward again. Thanks to its extraordinary commitment, the trophy was brought to Dresden in early June, where it can once again be presented to the public.

Press Contact

Press contact: Richard Stratenschulte, Head of Public Relations, Museums of the City of Dresden,

phone +49 351-4887360, e-mail: richard.stratenschulte@museen-dresden.de

Social Media @philamuseum

We are Philadelphia’s art museum. A world-renowned collection. A landmark building. A place that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the Museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts.

For additional information, contact the Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art by e-mail at pressroom@philamuseum.org or by phone at 215-684-7860

Barbara Bassett, Interim Head of Education, said: “Our free family day for the Philadelphia School District community is the museum’s holiday gift to our public schools, including our charter schools. We have missed the students being in the building during this challenging time, and although we have continuously offered educational experiences online during the pandemic, there is nothing like having our K-12 students in the museum to engage with the art in person. The art museum is a place for endless discovery and creative inspiration, and we are here to be a resource for our community. We hope the kids will enjoy making art together with their school friends and family.”

The museum is offering a variety of creative art-making experiences, inspired by the critically acclaimed current exhibition Emma Amos: Color Odyssey. In the Artist Connect corner, visitors can meet locally based printmaker Lisa Jungmin Lee, whose innovative printmaking techniques are inspired by Emma Amos. Families can join Lisa in the Williams Forum from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

The Art Kids Studio is where visitors of all ages can try their hands at making a hanging art piece, much like Amos’s beautifully woven textiles. Drop into the studio, in the South Vaulted Walkway, any time between 10:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Families can also embark on the museum’s playful Art Kids Tours, in which visitors are invited to look, discover, and talk about what they see together. Meet in the South Vaulted Walkway at 11 a.m. and at 1:00 p.m. for this experience.

Families will discover more activities on the museum’s third floor. In Art-Making: Circle Space, teaching artist Susan Lideke will lead a collaborative project in the medieval cloister (Knight Foundation Gallery 304) from 10:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. No experience is necessary. And in Arms and Armor (Gallery 347), the Knight-time Sketch program offers metallic drawing materials for kids and adults to draw what they see gleaming in the collections, including armored horses. Visitors can also enjoy the experience of actually handling real pieces of armor with museum educators. It all takes place from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Fusing together multiple musical genres, Jello Vibes—also known as Angelo Outlaw Jr.—will perform on vibraphone from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the Great Stair Hall. Jello Vibes has performed and taught in worldwide championship percussion ensembles such as The Blue Coats and Music City Mystique.

Visitors can also enjoy the four special exhibitions currently on view in the Main Building including: Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror through February 13, 2022; Emma Amos: Color Odyssey through January 17, 2022; Richard Benson: The World is Smarter Than You Are through January 23, 2022; and Circus: Bouroullec Designs through May 30, 2022.

Visiting the Museum

Walk-up registration is available. To register in advance, interested families should check with their school for details.

Health and Safety Guidelines

Help us keep the museum safe and enjoyable for everyone. In accordance with the City of Philadelphia guidelines, every visitor is required to wear a mask while visiting the museum. Before visiting, review our health and safety guidelines: visitor tips and policies.

Special Holiday Hours and Offer

The museum is open to all visitors on December 29. From Sunday, December 26, through Sunday, January 2, the museum is open every day, and visitors from anywhere can enjoy one-of-a-kind art, food, and shopping experiences, with the museum aglow in seasonal décor. Admission is Pay-What-You-Wish on Sunday, January 2, and people ages 18 and under are admitted free at all times. Check our website for more information.

At the museum, visitors can enjoy self-guided gallery tours, shop for gifts in the stores (including distinctive items made by more than 75 local artisans), and also consider making the gift of Membership, which never goes out of style and lasts an entire year. (Gift memberships can be redeemed easily online; just use promo code MGIFTWFB to save 10% through December 31.)

Visitors can also enjoy family friendly fare at the museum, with festive holiday treats provided by Constellation Culinary Group.

Social Media @philamuseum

We are Philadelphia’s art museum. A world-renowned collection. A landmark building. A place that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the Museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts.

For additional information, contact the Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art by phone at 215-684-7860, by fax at 215-235-0050, or by e-mail at pressroom@philamuseum.org. The Museum is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call 215-763-8100.

Fellows participate in The Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship Program during their undergraduate career, with the goal of continuing their education through graduate work. The fellowship provides students with hands-on experience in a museum setting, assisting curators and staff on exhibitions, collections, and programs. Fellows are matched with a curatorial mentor at each museum who works to enrich the academic experience and to increase exposure to the museum context while broadening a fellow’s understanding of art and art history. Fellowships include regular engagement during the academic school year followed by full-time engagement over the summer.

Since the program began in 2014, 54 fellows have completed The Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship program. Eighteen of the alumni attend or have completed a number of graduate programs, including at the American University in Cairo, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Harvard University, The Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, Lindenwood University, the Maryland Institute College of Art, School of the Art Institute Chicago (SAIC), SOAS University of London, Stanford University, Williams College, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Cambridge, University of Chicago, University of Pittsburgh, University of Southern California, and the University of Texas at Austin. Many of the individuals who have completed The Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship program are also working in the arts either in staff positions or in other fellowship opportunities.

Selected fellows for the 2021–22 program are as follows (full bios available further down):

• Art Institute of Chicago: Annika Bohanec, Loyola University Chicago; curatorial mentors: Elizabeth McGoey, Ann S. and Samuel M. Mencoff Associate Curator for Arts of the Americas. Elise Colón, Wheaton College; curatorial mentor: Sarah Kelly Oehler, Field-McCormick Chair and Curator for Arts of the Americas. Denise González, University of Illinois Chicago; curatorial mentor: Erica Warren, Associate Curator of Textiles. Taj Pollard, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design; curatorial mentor: Robyn Farrell, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary art.

• High Museum of Art: Nailah Barnes, Spelman College; curatorial mentor: Katherine Jentleson, Merrie and Dan Boone Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art. Sojourner Hunt, Emory University; curatorial mentor: Stephanie Heydt, Margaret and Terry Stent Curator of American Art. Nyaradzai Mahachi, Auburn University at Montgomery; curatorial mentor: Lauren Tate Baeza, Fred and Rita Richman Curator of African Art.

• Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Marisa Cruz Branco, Pitzer College; curatorial mentor: Bindu Gude, Associate Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art. Lilia Destin, University of Southern California; curatorial mentor: Clarissa Esguerra, Associate Curator of Costume and Textiles. Alexa Ramirez, Pomona College; curatorial mentors: Bobbye Tigerman, Curator; Rosie Mills, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Associate Curator; and Staci Steinberger, Associate Curator, in the Decorative Arts & Design department. Kiko Thomas, University of California San Diego; curatorial mentors: Tim Benson, Curator, and Erin Sullivan Maynes, Assistant Curator, in the Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies.

• The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: Emily Goff, University of Houston; curatorial mentor: Alison de Lima Greene, Isabel Brown Wilson Curator, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art. Mia Guien, Rice University; curatorial mentor: Mari Carmen Ramírez, the Wortham Curator of Latin American Art and Director of the International Center for the Arts of the Americas. Jackie Huang, Rice University; curatorial mentors: Malcolm Daniel, Gus and Lyndall Wortham Curator of Photography, and Lisa Volpe, Associate Curator of Photography. Tatyana Neal, Texas Southern University; curatorial mentor: Cindi Strauss, Sara and Bill Morgan Curator, Department of Decorative Arts.

• The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: Jetzel Chavira, University of Missouri-Kansas City; curatorial mentor: April Watson, Senior Curator, Photography. Logan Crompton, Kansas City Art Institute; curatorial mentor: Stephanie Fox Knappe, Samuel Sosland Senior Curator, American Art. Miriamne Marlowe, Kansas City Art Institute; curatorial mentors: Ling-en Lu, Curator of Chinese Art, and Kimberly Masteller, Jeanne McCray Beals Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art.

• Philadelphia Museum of Art: Morgan Lloyd, Camden County Community College; curatorial mentor: Alexandra Kirtley, The Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American Decorative Arts. Alissa Roach, Temple University; curatorial mentors: Erica Battle, The John Alchin and Hal Marryatt Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, and Alison Tufano, Collections Assistant of Contemporary Art. Zakiyah Stewart, The University of the Arts; curatorial mentor: Jack Hinton, The Henry P. McIlhenny Curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture. Grace Tran, Cornell University; curatorial mentor: Peter Barberie, The Brodsky Curator of Photographs, Alfred Stieglitz Center.

“We are thrilled to welcome Annika, Elise, Denise, and Taj to the Art Institute of Chicago this academic year. Their interests and voices will help advance the study of our renowned collection and we look forward to the reciprocal exchange of knowledge and perspectives that has come to define The Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship program here in Chicago. We remain grateful to the board, leadership, and staff of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for prioritizing the important work of supporting these emerging leaders,” said James Rondeau, President and Eloise W. Martin Director at the Art Institute of Chicago.

“At a time when representation and equity in every profession are imperative, the museum field’s commitment to diversifying itself is vital. If we don’t, our institutions will never fully reflect, nor be essential to, our communities,” said Rand Suffolk, Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr., Director of the High Museum of Art. “We’re therefore thrilled to welcome the next class of Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellows and to support their bright futures as colleagues.”

“We are fortunate to welcome our newest Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellows, who can help us see important areas of our collection in a new light,” said Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director. “This program enables us to continue expanding the voices and narratives we share with the public, which is a cornerstone of our vision for a more beautiful future.”

“Our museum is grateful for The Mellon Foundation’s groundbreaking commitment to diversifying the museum field,” said Gary Tinterow, Director and The Margaret Alkek Williams Chair of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. “For the past seven years, 14 of these talented students have brought their singular perspectives and rigorous commitment to a range of curatorial initiatives here in Houston. We are honored to once again host an incoming class of fellows from this distinguished program.”

“These students represent the wealth of diversity and multiplicity of stories that are embodied in the Nelson-Atkins collection, and we are grateful for The Mellon Foundation’s continued support of this important program,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, Menefee D. and Mary Louise Blackwell CEO & Director of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. “We are delighted to be a part of this educational process and look forward to fostering this next generation of curatorial vision.”

“In building our capacity to advance young talent and diversify the ranks of museum professionals, this wonderful program is making a critically important contribution to the field by giving much-needed opportunities to new voices with fresh perspectives. For this we are deeply grateful to The Mellon Foundation. Furthermore, it offers not only rewarding learning experiences for our fellows, but also mentorship experiences for our staff, providing rich opportunities for them to share and learn together. This year's fellows will gain hands-on experience working with some of our most important collections. We look forward to their contributions and to the adventures that lay ahead for them,” said Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philadelphia Museum of Art.

THE ANDREW W. MELLON UNDERGRADUATE CURATORIAL FELLOWS:

Art Institute of Chicago

Annika Bohanec is a fourth-year student at Loyola University Chicago, where she is double-majoring in art history and psychology with a minor in gender studies. On campus she works in the university library and is vice president of the Art History Club. Prior to joining the museum as an undergraduate curatorial fellow, she participated in the 2020 JAM Event at the Art Institute of Chicago and was an after-school volunteer through Chicago Public Schools. Her research interests focus on feminist theory as it applies to late 19th-century and 20th-century American art. This year she will work on her senior thesis, which examines the life and arc of the “Tiffany Girls.” After graduation, she hopes to travel and continue her study of art history at the graduate level, with a particular interest in researching female and underrepresented artists. Over the course of her fellowship, Annika will work closely with Elizabeth McGoey, Ann S. and Samuel M. Mencoff Associate Curator for Arts of the Americas.

Elise Colón is a third-year student at Wheaton College from Waco, Texas. She is double-majoring in cultural anthropology and Spanish with a minor in studio art. She works as a lead curator for the Museum of Tiny Art (MoTA) and as an assistant in Wheaton College's Walford Galleries. She has also been a teaching and research assistant in art history and currently works as an archival research assistant in anthropology. In addition, Elise serves as the graphic designer for Unidad, the Latinx student union. Her creative and academic projects explore landscape and place, religion, creative practice, and Latinx identity. Her work has been accepted in a campus exhibition and two student-run journals, and she was named the winner of the Anthropology Department's 2021 Fahs Paper Prize. Elise is mentored by Sarah Kelly Oehler, Field-McCormick Chair and Curator for Arts of the Americas.

Denise González is a Chicago native and grew up on the South Side. She is currently attending the University of Illinois at Chicago and is pursuing a bachelor's degree in cultural anthropology with a minor in museum studies. Previously, Denise worked with the Field Museum on the Ancient Americas exhibition. Denise is passionate about learning more about Latin identity in the United States and has assisted in an ethnographic study focused on Cuban American genealogies. She also is interested in Latin American textiles and folklore. Currently, Denise is volunteering at the Field Museum and assisting with the preservation of Indigenous material culture from North America. During her fellowship, Denise will work closely with Erica Warren, Associate Curator of Textiles.

Taj Pollard is a multidisciplinary fine artist, emerging curator, and researcher based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is currently a fourth-year student at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design pursuing a BFA in the New Studio Practice: Fine Arts program. Taj's work portrays themes of dualistic identities and a psychology of his own and surrounding Black bodies. Taj’s passions for community engagement, fine arts, and intersectional Black histories fuel his mission to cultivate spaces that encourage both emotional truth and cultural aesthetics. Taj's favorite artists include William Pope.L, Kara Walker, and Glenn Ligon. Taj’s fellowship places him in the department of Modern and Contemporary art where he will be mentored by associate curator Robyn Farrell.

High Museum of Art

Nailah Barnes is a fourth-year student at Spelman College, where she double-majors in international studies and French with concentrations in cultural and curatorial studies. Before her Mellon Curatorial Undergraduate Fellowship, Nailah worked in St. Croix, USVI, recovering cultural materials of enslaved Africans on the former sugar plantation Estate Little Princess, where she shadowed a curator from the National Museum of African American History and Culture, conceptualizing an exhibition on the history of Afro-Crucian people. She is currently working with the architecture firm Cooper Carry and the National Trust for Historic Preservation on a cultural heritage project that will tell the history and significance of the Rockefeller Fine Arts Building at Spelman College. Additionally, she leads the non-profit organization The Brains with Beauty Project, a literacy program that works to inspire academic excellence and holistic wellness in Black girls and young women. Nailah’s curatorial mentor is Katherine Jentleson, Merrie and Dan Boone Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art.

Sojourner Hunt is a fourth-year student at Emory University from Chicago, Illinois. She is majoring in Middle Eastern and South Asian studies and minoring in art history. Sojourner has worked at the Michael C. Carlos Museum in the department of education and is currently conducting provenance research on the Carlos’s Asian art collection for her undergraduate thesis. She is interested in object-based research, histories of collecting, and provenance research. After attending graduate school, she hopes to work as an object historian in a museum. Sojourner is mentored by Stephanie Heydt, Margaret and Terry Stent Curator of American Art.

Nyaradzai Mahachi is a fourth-year student pursuing a BA in art history, a certificate in museum studies, and a minor in anthropology at Auburn University at Montgomery. She is originally from Harare, Zimbabwe, and has broad research interests in the history of African art and the visual culture of the African diaspora. Beyond her coursework, Nyaradzai has held internships at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and Philadelphia Museum of Art. Presently, she serves as an art history tutor at Auburn University at Montgomery’s Learning Center and is a peer-mentor for the art history survey courses. A painter, she also maintains an active studio practice, and her work has been exhibited in the 43rd and 44th Montgomery Art Guild Museum exhibitions and the 21 Dream Arts and Culture exhibitions in Montgomery, Alabama.​ Nyaradzai is mentored by Lauren Tate Baeza, Fred and Rita Richman Curator of African Art.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Marisa Cruz Branco is a fourth-year student at Pitzer College pursuing a BA in art history. At the Claremont Colleges, she is learning not only from her peers and professors, but also the Tongva community, which hosts the residents of Los Angeles. She hopes to focus her art historical study on Indigenous art as well as representations of divinity and what they can tell us about ancient and modern perceptions of non-human animals, gender, and race. In her conversations and work with other artists and people interested in the art world, she hopes to center decolonial and zoocentric narratives. Bindu Gude, Associate Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, is Marisa’s curatorial mentor.

Lilia Destin is a third-year student at the University of Southern California (USC) working toward her BA in art history. During her time at USC, Lilia has been working in the USC Libraries Digital Imaging Lab, handling archival materials and digitizing documents, images, film reels, and other items for increased access. Previously, she interned at Mixografía, a gallery and print shop in South Los Angeles. Lilia is currently a co-lead of the design team for a student-run arts magazine, RoskiMag, which features USC creatives. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she has a special connection to the city, and strives to transform museums into community centers, providing opportunities for education and programming while showcasing art that reflects the communities they serve. Lilia’s curatorial mentor is Clarissa Esguerra, Associate Curator of Costume and Textiles.

Alexa Ramirez is a first-generation student and Posse scholarship recipient at Pomona College. She is a third-year student majoring in media studies and double-minoring in studio art and Chicanx/Latinx studies, attempting to analyze the dynamics between representation, oppression, and liberation through her academic and artistic studies. Her life objective is to create beautiful things that make people feel and believe in beautiful things, whether it takes the shape of a written story, a painting, or a curated show. Regardless of the medium, she strives to center decolonization, queerness, and anti-power. As a curator, she hopes to be able to bend the boundaries and hierarchies between spectator and spectacle. Bobbye Tigerman, Curator; Rosie Mills, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Associate Curator; and Staci Steinberger, Associate Curator, in the Decorative Arts & Design department are Alexa’s curatorial mentors.

Kiko Thomas is an artist from Houston, Texas. He has lived in Los Angeles for over 13 years and is currently a fourth-year student at the University of California San Diego, majoring in studio art. He is an interdisciplinary artist interested in the history of the disappearance of civilizations through colonization, and the present-day challenges they have caused. Growing up in Houston, Kiko was first inspired by the Houston-based artist John Biggers and he graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Houston. Kiko is interested in continuing his art education to receive a master’s degree in studio art. With a background in curatorial work, having managed Mestizo Gallery in Houston and COMA Alternative Space in Los Angeles, he remains interested in curating in a gallery, museum, or alternative space. Kiko’s curatorial mentors are Tim Benson, Curator, and Erin Sullivan Maynes, Assistant Curator, in the Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Emily Goff is a recent graduate of Lone Star College and a current undergraduate student at the University of Houston. A lifelong attendee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Emily has long been interested in the inner workings of the museum industry and the curatorial field. Academically, they are interested in history, philosophy, political science, anthropology, art history, and the intersections thereof. As a fellow, Emily seeks to pursue an interdisciplinary approach to understanding and contextualizing art, particularly modern and contemporary art that is political in nature. Their curatorial mentor is Alison de Lima Greene, Isabel Brown Wilson Curator, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Mia Guien is a fourth-year student completing an art history and English double major along with a minor in museums and cultural heritage at Rice University. As a Mexican-American woman, Mia has been interested in seeing greater representation of Latino/a voices in both literary and visual cultures for the majority of her college career. She is currently completing her senior thesis on colorism within Latin American cultures. Miapreviously worked with the Rice Humanities Research Center to compile and transcribe Hispanic newspapers concerning the 1918 Influenza in hopes of providing resources to understand the spread of information within Spanish-speaking communities across the U.S. Mia also worked in Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts, engaging with visitors and learning more about exhibition planning. As a fellow, Mia seeks to gain insight on curating and looks to broaden her understanding of Latin American Art and the Latino experience as presented through art. Her curatorial mentor is Mari Carmen Ramírez, the Wortham Curator of Latin American Art and Director of the International Center for the Arts of the Americas.

Jackie Huang is a second-year student at Rice University majoring in art history and neuroscience. Her interdisciplinary studies have led her to discover a passion for curatorial work. In her time at Rice, she has served on the executive cabinet of her residential college. Jackie hopes to use her time as a fellow to further her goals of highlighting diverse perspectives in the museum world. She strives to develop a curatorial practice that spotlights art that dismantles preconceived notions of gender, race, and sexuality, with an emphasis on Asian American voices. Her curatorial mentors are Malcolm Daniel, Gus and Lyndall Wortham Curator of Photography, and Lisa Volpe, Associate Curator of Photography.

Tatyana Neal is a third-year student studying art history and art education at Texas Southern University. Born in Houston and raised in Chicago, Tatyana was given opportunities to be involved in various programs such as the Interlochen Film Academy and the Roosevelt University Entrepreneurship Academy. Attending Texas Southern University has provided her the opportunity to shadow and be mentored by museum director and curator Dr. Alvia Wardlaw. Tatyana is interested in bringing her perspective to the curatorial field while pursuing her passion for modern and contemporary art and art history. This year, she was an intern for Project Row Houses (PRH), shadowing curator Danielle Burns Wilson. Neal’s curatorial mentor is Cindi Strauss, Sara and Bill Morgan Curator, Department of Decorative Arts.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Jetzel Chavira is a second-year student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City majoring in art history and minoring in Latinx & Latino studies. As a daughter of Mexican immigrants, Jetzel’s interest in Latino/Chicano photography developed during her childhood. Growing up, however, she never really saw herself or her culture represented in art museums. Jetzel first discovered the power of curating in 2019 when she was selected to participate in the Photography Scholars program at The Nelson-Atkins. Besides learning about the history of photography, she had the opportunity to evaluate and curate her own photographic work. Jetzel wants to curate collections and relatable exhibitions that elevate underrepresented artists and their communities. She also volunteers with KC Tenants, an organization that fights for tenant rights. Jetzel’s curatorial mentor is April Watson, Senior Curator, Photography.

Logan Crompton is a third-year student at the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI). They are a Kansas City native who has spent their life exploring and experiencing art through their community. Their practice explores and constructs narratives through painting, printmaking, and collage. Aspects of pop culture and symbols are sprinkled throughout their work as a way to explore the effect one’s environment or community has on oneself. Logan’s interest in media and identity lends to their art history and painting double major at KCAI, allowing them to explore the effects of art historically important images and works on identity through the representation of people of color and of varying gender identities and sexualities. Dissection of images and what they mean are at the heart of Logan’s artistic practice and their career goals. As a black member of the LGBT community, Logan realizes the importance of representation, especially within museums. Their practice is to not only provide an accurate representation of themselves but also to provide that outlet and opportunity for other young Black artists. Logan’s curatorial mentor is Stephanie Fox Knappe, Samuel Sosland Senior Curator, American Art.

Miriamne Marlowe is a second-year student at the Kansas City Art Institute and is majoring in painting and art history and minoring in social practice. In high school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Miriamne was an avid member of the art community and became the head editor for the Washington Literary Press, an art and poetry magazine at the school. The process of selecting poetry and art for the magazine first sparked Marlowe’s interest in curatorial work. At KCAI, she participated on a curatorial jury for the class of 2024’s end-of-year exhibition. Miriamne currently works as a gallery assistant at the H&R Block Artspace and collaborates with Sapien, an artist-run gallery and studio space. As both an artist and student, she attempts to find connection through empathetic means, using her artwork as an abstract catharsis for self-reflection and kindred contemplation. With an interest in curation and museology, Miriamne strives to find further opportunities for collaboration and connection through the storied narratives of both historical and contemporary artworks. Miriamne’s curatorial mentors are Ling-en Lu, Curator of Chinese Art, and Kimberly Masteller, Jeanne McCray Beals Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art.

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Morgan Lloyd is a second-year student at Camden County Community College in Blackwood, New Jersey, studying film and liberal arts. Upon her transfer to Rutgers University, she plans to study art history and African studies. An untraditional student, she is a professional writer, activist, and educator in Philadelphia. Her work advocates for expanding BIPOC narratives within the contemporary museum space, questioning how institutions can better serve marginalized communities, locally and beyond. Morgan has spoken at several institutions and clubs, such as Michener Art Museum and The National Association of Colored Women’s Club, supporting Latine, Afro-diasporic, and American-Indigenous causes. She is a ghost/content writer for prominent local artists, with written works featured in Lens Magazine. Presently, she works at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, providing tours and professional training on the distinct histories of Afro-descended peoples from Philadelphia. Morgan has previously been an intern at the PMA, and she is excited to rejoin the institution as a Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellow. Her curatorial mentor is Alexandra Kirtley, The Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American Decorative Arts. 

Alissa Roach is a fourth-year student at Temple University majoring in sculpture. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and migrated to the United States in 2010 when she was 8 years old. Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, she developed a love for art making and art history, which led her to pursue an arts education in the city. This past summer, Alissa worked as an intern for Mural Arts Philadelphia, painting alongside artists at various sites all over the city. As the president of the Artists of Color Collective at Temple University, she also organized and participated in a collaborative exhibition, Digital Entanglements, at the Tiger Strikes Asteroid gallery in Philadelphia. Alissa’s goal as a Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellow is to not only bridge the gap between curator and maker in her own practice, but also to amplify the voices of marginalized artists within the institution. Alissa’s curatorial mentors are Erica Battle, The John Alchin and Hal Marryatt Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, and Alison Tufano, Collections Assistant in the Contemporary Art Department.

Zakiyah Stewart is originally from Bronx, New York, and now lives in Philadelphia. She is currently attending The University of the Arts, majoring in painting and minoring in art history. Growing up in New York allowed Zakiyah to experience the richness of diverse cultures. Zakiyah has a tremendous interest in contemporary art and POC contemporary artists, and is fascinated by artists Takashi Murakami, Aya Takano, and Yoshitomo Nara. She takes her inspiration from these artists in her own artistic endeavors. Zakiyah plans to continue her art history and museum studies in graduate school while engaging with Philadelphia’s POC art collectives and artists. Zakiyah’s curatorial mentor is Jack Hinton, The Henry P. McIlhenny Curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture.

Grace Tran is a third-year student at Cornell University double majoring in art history and the College Scholar Program, the latter of which entails an interdisciplinary, independent project. Her project is centered around the fields of public history, museum anthropology, cultural heritage, and ethics, and seeks to answer the questions of what role museums play in society and how museums can better serve and represent the communities around them. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Grace is interested in contemporary art of the Asian and Middle Eastern diasporas. She is currently the Asian Art curatorial intern at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art and hopes to pursue a curatorial career in the future. Grace’s curatorial mentor is Peter Barberie, The Brodsky Curator of Photographs, Alfred Stieglitz Center.
 

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Art Institute of Chicago
Kati Murphy | Executive Director of Public Affairs | 312 443-3758 | kmurphy5@aic.edu

High Museum of Art
Marci Davis | Manager of Public Relations | 404 733-4585 | marci.davis@high.org

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Erin Yokomizo | Senior Communications Associate | 323 932-5825 | eyokomizo@lacma.org

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH)
Mary Haus | Marketing and Communications Director | 713 639-7712 | mhaus@mfah.org
Kathryn Jernigan | Publicist | 713 639-7516 | kjernigan@mfah.org

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Kathleen Leighton | Manager, Media Relations and Video Production | 816 751-1321 | kleighton@nelson-atkins.org

Philadelphia Museum of Art
Norman Keyes | Director of Communications | 215-684-7862 | nkeyes@philamuseum.org

About the Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago is a world-renowned art museum housing one of the largest permanent collections in the United States. An encyclopedic museum, the Art Institute collects, preserves, and displays works in every medium from all cultures and historical periods as well as hosts special exhibitions. With a collection of approximately 300,000 works of art, the museum has particularly strong holdings in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting, early 20th century European painting and sculpture, contemporary art, Japanese prints, and photography. The museum’s 2009 addition, the Modern Wing, features the latest in green museum technology and 264,000 square feet dedicated to modern and contemporary art, photography, architecture and design, and new learning and public engagement facilities. In addition to displaying its permanent collection, the Art Institute mounts approximately 35 special exhibitions per year and features lectures, gallery tours, and special performances on a daily basis.

Location and Contact: 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603 | 312 443-3600 | www.artic.edu

About the High Museum of Art

Located in the heart of Atlanta, the High Museum of Art connects with audiences from across the Southeast and around the world through its distinguished collection, dynamic schedule of special exhibitions and engaging community-focused programs. Housed within facilities designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, the High features a collection of more than 18,000 works of art, including an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American fine and decorative arts; major holdings of photography and folk and self-taught work, especially that of artists from the American South; burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculpture, new media and design; a growing collection of African art, with work dating from prehistory through the present; and significant holdings of European paintings and works on paper. The High is dedicated to reflecting the diversity of its communities and offering a variety of exhibitions and educational programs that engage visitors with the world of art, the lives of artists and the creative process.

Location and Contact: 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309 | 404 733-4400 | www.high.org

About the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

Located on the Pacific Rim, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of nearly 147,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. Committed to showcasing a multitude of art histories, LACMA exhibits and interprets works of art from new and unexpected points of view that are informed by the region’s rich cultural heritage and diverse population. LACMA’s spirit of experimentation is reflected in its work with artists, technologists, and thought leaders as well as in its regional, national, and global partnerships to share collections and programs, create pioneering initiatives, and engage new audiences.

Location and Contact: 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036 | 323 857-6000 | www.lacma.org

About The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH)

Founded in 1900, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is among the 10 largest art museums in the United States. Located in the heart of Houston’s Museum District, the MFAH comprises two gallery buildings, a sculpture garden, theater, two art schools and two libraries, with two house museums, for American and European decorative arts, nearby. The encyclopedic collection of the MFAH numbers some 65,000 works and spans the art of antiquity to the present.

Location and Contact: 1001 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005 | 713 639-7300 | www.mfah.org

About The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

The Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City is recognized nationally and internationally as one of America’s finest art museums. The Nelson-Atkins serves the community by providing access and insight into its renowned collection of more than 33,500 art objects and is best known for its Asian art, European and American paintings, photography, modern sculpture, and new American Indian and Egyptian galleries. Housing a major art research library and the Ford Learning Center, the Museum is a key educational resource for the region. The institution-wide transformation of the Nelson-Atkins has included the 165,000-square-foot Bloch Building expansion and renovation of the original 1933 Nelson-Atkins Building. The Nelson-Atkins is committed to connecting people of all ages with meaningful art experiences. Through its partnerships with Kansas City community, civic, and cultural organizations and the national and international arts community, The Nelson-Atkins welcomes and engages the diverse population of Kansas City and the surrounding region with enriching exhibitions, cultural programs, and educational activities.

Location and Contact: 4525 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO 64111 | 816 751-1278 | www.nelson-atkins.org

About the Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is Philadelphia’s art museum. A place that welcomes everyone. A world-renowned collection. A landmark building. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts.

Location and Contact: Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130 | 215 763-8100 | www.philamuseum.org

Social Media @philamuseum

For additional information, contact the Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art  by e-mail at pressroom@philamuseum.org. The Museum is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call 215-763-8100.

The shield was formerly in the collection of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, whose assassination in 1914 touched off World War I. The Archduke owned one of Europe’s preeminent collections of arms and armor, which was displayed at his country residence, Konopiště Castle, near Prague. When the former Habsburg imperial properties were redistributed after the war, the castle and its collections became the property of the government of the newly formed Czechoslovakia in 1919. In 1939 the Nazi government annexed the part of Czechoslovakia where Konopiště was located, and in 1943 the German army (Wehrmacht) confiscated the Konopiště Castle armor collection, including the shield, and took it to Prague to be housed in a new military museum. However, Adolf Hitler’s arms and armor curator, Leopold Ruprecht, soon skimmed off the cream of the collection, inventoried it, and dispatched it to Vienna, intending the best for Hitler’s planned mega-museum in Linz, Austria. At the end of the war, large groups of Konopiště objects were recovered by the Allies and returned to Czech authorities in 1946, but among 15 objects that remained missing was a shield whose description was similar to the pageant shield. Based on previously available documentation, the museum had been unable conclusively to identify the shield in its collection as one of the unrecovered objects from the Konopiště Castle armor collection.

Since 2016, the museum has been collaborating with historians in the Czech Republic to evaluate the history and provenance of the Italian pageant shield. Recent research identified pre-WWII inventories which, in tandem with a photograph, dated to around 1913, showing the museum’s shield as displayed at Konopiště Castle provided by the museum, persuasively identify the shield as the one illegally taken from Konopiště Castle by the Nazis and never restituted. Based on these revelations, the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Museum of Art unanimously concluded that rightful title in the work belonged to the Czech Republic and approved the return of the armor at its meeting of June 17, 2021.

“Together with our friends from the National Heritage Institute, the Ministry of Culture and the Foreign Ministry of the Czech Republic, we are pleased to announce the resolution of this investigation. A work that had been lost during the turmoil of World War II is being happily restituted, and out of this has come an exceptional scholarly partnership,” said Timothy Rub, the George D. Widener Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

“The Philadelphia Museum of Art deserves enormous credit for being so forthcoming in returning this immensely valuable piece of art to the Czech Republic. This case is a prime example of best practices in restitution. Our fruitful collaboration can serve as a model of international partnership in restoring looted art,” stated Hynek Kmoníček, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States.

“After many decades, a remarkable piece of Italian Renaissance art, historically belonging to the d´Este Collection of the Konopiste Castle, returns to the Czech Republic. We are delighted that after important negotiations we will soon be able to reinstate it as part of the collections of the National Heritage Institute and make it available once again to the public in Europe.

“The Renaissance shield, in its misfortune of being removed from its historic collection, also experienced great fortune. It has in recent years been protected, curated and preserved by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, an institution with an exceptional team of art connoisseurs, specialists, restorers, and conservators. These professionals have made exemplary efforts to care for, restore, and preserve this outstanding object, and as a result of their excellent work we will soon be able to present it to the public.

“We sincerely hope that the return of the Renaissance shield to the Czech Republic will mark the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the National Heritage Institute in the field of restoration, conservation, and presentation of artworks,” said Naděžda Goryczková, the General Director of the National Heritage Institute.

“After eight decades the shield will finally return home, to the place where it has been decorating the Konopiště Castle for many years. Justice prevailed over the despotism of the Nazi regime, which illegally alienated this precious artefact that dates back to the beginning of the 16th century. My special thanks go to Mr. Timothy Rub and the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and to Czech institutions: the National Heritage Institute, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, D. C. for their extraordinary work and their great engagement,“ said Lubomír Zaorálek, Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic. 

As part of the agreement, the Czech Republic has graciously agreed to consider any future loan request for the shield from the museum.

About the Pageant Shield

The elaborate painted decoration of the shield is attributed to Girolamo di Tommaso da Treviso (c. 1497-1544), based on a design by the painter Giulio Romano (Italian, 1492/99-1546). The shield was made about 1535 of wood, linen, gesso, gold, and pigment and is 24 inches in diameter. The scene depicted on its exterior shows the storming of New Carthage (209 BCE) in present-day Spain—an important episode of the Second Punic War (218 to 201 BCE) and a great victory of the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio (237–183 BCE). Originally intended purely for ceremonial purposes, the decoration suggests a historical parallel between Scipio’s military achievements, many of which occurred in Africa, and the victories of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (ruled 1519 to 1556), who was returning in 1535 from a successful military campaign against Muslim pirates in northern Africa. The shield was probably commissioned for one of the ceremonies that were being held throughout Italy to welcome Emperor Charles V in triumph.

Social Media @philamuseum

We are Philadelphia’s art museum. A world-renowned collection. A landmark building. A place that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the Museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts.

For additional information, contact the Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art by phone at 215-684-7860, by fax at 215-235-0050, or by e-mail at pressroom@philamuseum.org. The Museum is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call 215-763-8100.

In October, the Philadelphia Museum of Art will present an exhibition dedicated to the late Richard Benson, who is most often celebrated as a virtuoso printer and gifted teacher and is perhaps best known for helping produce some of the most significant photography books of the past fifty years. The World Is Smarter Than You Are is the first in-depth survey of Benson’s own photography. This exhibition includes around 100 works that convey his pathfinding exploration of photographic processes, his embrace of technologies old and new, and his deep empathy for his human subjects and the objects and environments they have built. It celebrates an important promised gift of Benson’s art, assembled by the artist and offered to the museum by his close friends, collectors William H. and Elizabeth Ann Kahane. It is accompanied by a major publication of the same title.

Including prints from the late 1960s until shortly before Benson’s death in 2017, the exhibition traces his quest for the perfect print. This reflects both his abiding interest in improving traditional photo-making methods as well as his gradual embrace of digital photography and experiments in printing that yielded new directions for his artistic craft. It also explores his philosophical musings and writings, teaching materials and work as a printer, underscoring the deep connections between his intellectual, technical, and creative pursuits.

Benson’s interest in photography began with utilizing this medium to document examples of fine craftsmanship and technological innovation, ranging from stone carving and antique buildings to machines such as steam engines or contemporary feats of engineering in steel and other modern materials. This breadth of interests can be seen in work from visits he made to France in the 1970s, when he recorded such sites as the Château de Maintenon and the recently completed Centre Pompidou. In another project of the 1970s, Benson photographed grave markers in the Common Burying Ground in his hometown of Newport, Rhode Island. He was the son and brother of celebrated stone carvers, and these pictures reflect his desire to document not only this antique art form, but also his developing ideas about the continual evolution of human technology which, in his thinking, comprised everything from language to microchips.

During this same decade Benson also made sensitive portraits of friends and family members—most notably his wife, Barbara Benson—and views of interiors and townscapes that often stand as indirect portraits of anonymous subjects. Numerous family portraits are presented throughout the exhibition and a concentrated grouping appears in the first galleries.

In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Benson made several trips to Puerto Rico. Included in the exhibition are his records of an antique steam engine he discovered on an old sugar plantation, Scottish Engine, Puerto Rico, c. 1980, and a variety of portraits and landscapes that represent the unique characteristics of the island. Luquillo Woman, Puerto Rico (c. 1980), is representative of the candid pictures he captured during these visits.

Benson embarked on his most ambitious book project in 1981, dedicated to the Gilman Paper Company Collection. It was considered to be one of the most important private photography collections ever assembled and included rare nineteenth-century prints in diverse processes as well as works by noted twentieth-century photographers such as Diane Arbus, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Alfred Stieglitz, among others. Benson’s efforts to make the reproductions in this book by using offset lithography, printing each sheet up to six times in order to achieve specific print tonalities, remain unmatched. Spreads from the book, Photographs from the Collection of the Gilman Paper Company, will be on view in the exhibition. Displayed in cases are other notable books on which he worked including Lay This Laurel (Benson and Lincoln Kirstein); The American Monument (Lee Friedlander); The Face of Lincoln (James Mellon); O, Write My Name (a portfolio of Benson photogravures from Carl Van Vechten photographs); Paul Strand prints of Wall Street and Wild Iris, Maine; and three later Benson books, A Maritime Album, The Printed Picture, and North South East West.

As his reputation as an innovator in printing processes grew, so too did his influence. In 1986, following the success of the Gilman Paper Company Collection project, Benson was awarded both his second Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship. Seven years earlier, in 1979, Benson had begun teaching at Yale University, where he would become a professor and later Dean of the Art School. His idiosyncratic teaching style is described by the noted artist An-My Lê, who reflects in her essay: “His lectures were dazzling with information, but we were chided for taking notes. This was in line with this wanting us to think for ourselves and not passively absorb information that was thrown at us. As I have progressed in my work over the years, I have come to realize that one of Richard’s most important lessons was about humility.”

Another section of the exhibition will be devoted to his work in color photography. Benson had avoided color photography through much of his career, in part because of the unreliability of color processes. But with the emergence of digital photography in the 1990s, he embraced working in color, leading to the creation of an extraordinary body of pictures. Three works known as “photographs in paint” will be shown with two chromogenic prints from the 1990s to demonstrate his shift from offset lithography to inkjet printing. Moving into the early 2000s, Benson would fully deploy color into his photographic practice. This shift can be seen in the examples of his pictures taken on the road in Georgia (2007), Texas (2008), Ohio (2009), and even Apples for John (2007).

The exhibition is organized by Peter Barberie, the Brodsky Curator of Photographs, Alfred Stieglitz Center, Philadelphia Museum of Art, who also edited the book that accompanies the exhibition. Barberie said: “In the photography world, Benson is highly regarded as a printer and teacher, but never before has there been an in-depth survey to explore his own photographs, which are challenging, difficult, and beautiful representations of everyday life. His free-thinking blend of traditional craftsmanship, cutting-edge technology, and human empathy resulted in a unique and powerful body of work, and I am gratified to bring his important contributions to photography to audiences in Philadelphia and beyond.”

Location: Field Galleries and Honickman Galleries 154–157

Related Public Programs

In Conversation: Richard Benson’s Work and Influence

Friday, October 1, 3:30–5:00 p.m.
In this virtual talk, hear from artists who studied with Richard Benson, an extraordinary photographer, master printer, and mentor who helped shape many of the greatest photography books of the past fifty years. They’ll explore the impact of Benson on their practices in a conversation moderated by curator Peter Barberie and Sarah Stolfa of the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center (PPAC).

This program was organized in collaboration with PPAC and celebrates the opening of its exhibition Object Lesson and Richard Benson: The World Is Smarter Than You Are at the museum.

Speakers:

Peter Barberie is Brodsky Curator of Photographs, Alfred Stieglitz Center, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Sarah Stolfa is president, chief executive officer, and artistic director of the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center.

Introducing Richard Benson

Wednesday November 3, 2021, 12:00–1:00 p.m.

Curator Peter Barberie and Sarah Meister, Executive Director of Aperture Foundation, discuss the life and work of photographer Richard Benson. This virtual conversation will be streamed via Zoom Webinar.

Further programming will be confirmed at a later date.

Related Publication

The first major survey of Benson’s photography, this volume features works from the gift complemented by important prints from other collections and comparative illustrations from several of the photography books Benson helped produce in his career. It includes a critical and historical essay about Benson’s photography by Peter Barberie. Artist An-My Lê has written an essay about her memories of her teacher and friend. Publication date: September 2021 (160 pages; $45.00).

About Richard Benson (1943–20127)

Richard Benson spent much of his life in Newport, Rhode Island, where he grew up. His father, John Howard Benson (1901–1956), was a noted stone carver and calligrapher who in 1927 acquired the John Stevens Shop, which had been in operation since 1705. It became under the elder Benson’s direction a nationally celebrated firm for monumental lettering. Known by his nickname “Chip,” Richard occupied a workshop at the back of their house, where he pursued his craft and tinkered with a variety of creative pursuits including antique vehicles.

In 1961 he enrolled at Brown University but left after one semester before serving for three years in the Navy, studying at its Optical Repair School. He also took courses at the Art Students League in New York City. In 1966, after marrying Barbara Murray, he obtained a job at Meriden Gravure, a printing company in Connecticut that would expose him to the highest levels of craft in printing and set the course for his career in books and photography.

During his years teaching at Yale University School of Art, where he served as dean from 1996 to 2006, he mentored both younger colleagues and a generation of art students—many of whom recall his teaching as a formative experience.

Among the exceptional books he contributed to produce are Lee Friedlander’s American Monument (1976); The Work of Atget (4 vols., 1981–85); Photographs from the Gilman Paper Company Collection (1981–1986). His own books include The Printed Picture (2008), a history of photographic printing, and North, South, East, West (2011), a collection of his photographs.

Benson’s work is represented in the collections of the Eakins Press Foundation, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Yale University Art Gallery.

About the Promised Gift

In 2015, William H. and Elizabeth Ann Kahane, collectors and close friends of Richard Benson, pledged a promised gift of 180 of Benson’s works to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which fulfilled a commitment they had made to the artist to keep a significant body of his work intact as a single collection. The exhibition and the publication have been six years in the making.

Curator

Peter Barberie, Brodsky Curator of Photographs, Alfred Stieglitz Center

Support

Richard Benson: The World Is Smarter Than You Are has been made possible thanks to the promised gift from William M. and Elizabeth Kahane of a collection of 180 works by Richard Benson. The exhibition was supported by the Lois G. and Julian A. Brodsky Installation and Exhibition Fund, Mr. and Mrs. S. Matthews V. Hamilton, Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. Daniel M. Benson, Robert and Julie Jensen Bryan, Lois G. and Julian A. Brodsky, Marsha W. Rothman, and other generous donors. Support for the accompanying publication was provided by Lynne and Harold Honickman, Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, Barbara M. Benson, Randi and Bob Fisher, Furthermore: a program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund, William M. and Elizabeth Kahane, and an anonymous donor.

Credits as of November 17, 2021.

Social Media @philamuseum

We are Philadelphia’s art museum. A world-renowned collection. A landmark building. A place that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the Museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts.

For additional information, contact the Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art by phone at 215-684-7860, by fax at 215-235-0050, or by e-mail at pressroom@philamuseum.org. The Museum is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call 215-763-8100.

View Exhibition Press Release 

Futures Therapy Lab

Thinking about possible futures is both exhilarating and anxiety-making. The Futures Therapy Lab is a space for conversation, critique, and creativity for those considering the ideas set forth in Designs for Different Futures. Work it out in the Lab through reading reflection, and art making. Part of the exhibition experience, the lab is open to visitors of all ages and is free with museum admission. Drop-in daily during museum hours. Open late Wednesdays and Fridays, until 8:45 p.m.

In addition to daily drop-in activities, the Lab will host a series of weekly happenings:

Artists in the Lab
Artists and designers share their work through talks, demonstrations, and workshops. Wednesday Nights, 5:00–8:45 p.m.

The Designer is In
Talk it out. One-on-one sessions with local designers offer new perspectives on your everyday life. Thursdays & Saturdays, 2:00–4:00 p.m.

Sci-Fi Sundays
Drop-in readings that explore narratives of the future. Select Sundays, 2:00–3:00pm

Artists in the Lab

Artist in the Lab: Grace Duong and Wesley Flash on Tarot and Prophecy

October 23, 2019 | 6:00–8:00 p.m. | Futures Therapy Lab and Great Stair Hall

Get present, create, and dive deeper. Work with designer and illustrator Grace Duong to create your own tarot card, then learn more about the art of tarot with Wesley Flash. Tarot tells a story; it isn’t always about the future itself. Find out your own story and share stories with others. Drop-ins welcome.

Artist in the Lab: Simon Kim and Mark Yim on Quori

October 30, 2019 | 6:30 p.m. | Dorrance Galleries

Meet Simon Kim and Mark Yim, the creators of Quori, one of the robots on view in the exhibition, and hear about the design and engineering that informed this research robot. Drop-ins welcome.

Simon Kim, AIA, OAA, is Principal of Ibañez Kim Architects and an Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Mark Yim is the Asa Whitney Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the GRASP lab. Mark and Simon work together as directors of Immersive Kinematics Lab , along with associate Mariana Ibañez.

Perspectives Gallery Talks: Gavin Kenneally on Ghost Minitaur

November 6 | 6:30 p.m. | Dorrance Galleries

Gavin Kenneally shares the process of designing Ghost Minitaur, a four-legged robot capable of exploring dangerous territory. His fifteen-minute talk is followed by a conversation in the gallery. ​Drop-ins welcome.

Kenneally is the chief product officer and mechatronics lead for Ghost Robotics, where he works to make legged robots a commercial reality. Perspectives Gallery Talks are conversations about art and design through a contemporary lens.

Artist in the Lab: The Tempestry Project on Climate Change and Fiber Art

November 13, 2019 | 6:00–8:00 p.m. | Futures Therapy Lab

Join The Tempestry Project as they weave together knitting and fiber arts with the study of climate, to visualize climate change data in a way that’s accurate, tangible, and beautiful. By building a bridge between hard data and our own softer experiences to take comfort in tackling this heated topic, through the act of making. Drop-ins welcome.

Artist in the Lab: Ane Crabtree on Costuming Dystopia

November 20, 2019 | 6:30 p.m. | The Eli Kirk Price Room

Ane Crabtree designed the iconic handmaid costume seen in the Emmy Award winning Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale and on view in the exhibition Design for Different Futures. Hear about the role costume design can play in creating alternate worlds in series such as The Handmaid’s Tale and Westworld as well as upcoming projects. Free ticket required.

Crabtree is a costume designer for film and television. Born to a white father and a mother of Okinawan descent, Crabtree grew up in Kentucky before studying fine arts and Shakespeare at Harlaxton College in Lincolnshire, England and fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She designed the costumes for Seasons One and Two for The Handmaid’s Tale starring Elizabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Samira Wiley, Max Minghella, Yvonne Strahovski, O-T Fagbenle, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, and Amanda Brugel. Her recent work includes the Dee Rees and Cassian Elwes follow up film to Mudbound, The Last Thing He Wanted, and the Scottfree/FOX pilot for The Passage. Crabtree has been nominated for a Costume Design Guild Award for PanAm (2012), Masters of Sex (2015), and Westworld (2016), and won for The Handmaid’s Tale (2018). She also received two Emmy nominations for The Handmaid’s Tale (2017 & 2018). She is currently working on the creative presentation of The Kyd’s Exquisite Follies, a futuristic afro-punk, steam funk musical with Dee Rees and Cassian Elwes.

Artist in the Lab: Lucy Jones on Seated Design

January 8, 2020 | 6:30 p.m. | Futures Therapy Lab

Believing that designers should share, design, develop and listen to the needs of all individuals, Lucy Jones created “Seated Design,” fashion built specifically for the seated, instead of the standing, body. She is joined in conversation with Katie Samson, arts educator and disability rights advocate. Drop-ins welcome.

Artist in the Lab: Terraform ONE on Cricket Shelter, Adam Chad Brody and Jude Tallichet, Cricket Concert

Jan 15, 2020 | 6:30 p.m. | Futures Therapy Lab

Vivian Kuan and Nicolas Gervasi from Terreform ONE, an architecture and urban-design research group, discuss how their Cricket Shelter and other projects work to design against extinction.

Join farmer-artist-musicians Adam Chad Brody and Jude Tallichet as they perform alongside live crickets to explore how insects can become kin, housemates, collaborators and entertainers—in addition to being a source of nourishment. Drop-ins welcome.

Artist in the Lab: Ryan Strand Greenberg on The History of Now

Jan 22, 2020 | 6:00–8:00 p.m. | Futures Therapy Lab

Join photographer and curator of public art Ryan Strand Greenberg for an evening of investigation, creation, and reflection as we ask ourselves as individuals and as a community, “What about now should define the history we pass on to the future?” Drop-ins welcome.

Artist in the Lab: Mary Maggic on Housewives Making Drugs

Jan 29, 2020 | 6:30 p.m. | The Eli Kirk Price Room

Artist Mary Maggic explores body and gender politics and environmental toxicity through their artistic research in DIY hormone hacking, expanding on issues raised by their speculative video Housewives Making Drugs on view in the exhibition Designs for Different Futures. The event will include a urine-hormone micro-performance (Molecular Queering Agency). Free ticket required.

Artist in the Lab: Lin Yee Yuan on Mold Magazine

February 12, 2020 | 6:30 p.m. | Futures Therapy Lab

How will our relationship to food change in the future? LinYee Yuan, founder and editor of MOLD magazine, is joined in conversation with local food activists to consider how designers can address the coming international food crisis. Drop-ins welcome.

Artist in the Lab: Orkan Telhan on Breakfast Before Extinction

February 19, 2020 | 6:30 p.m. | The Eli Kirk Price Room

What possibilities do microorganisms offer in a time of climate crisis, food scarcity, and biodiversity loss? Artist and biological designer Orkan Telhan explores the different roles microorganisms can play for shaping the future of the human diet. Free ticket required.

Artist in the Lab: Adrienne / Swim Pony on The End

February 26, 2020 | 6:30 p.m. | Futures Therapy Lab

Swim Pony's Adrienne Mackey shares insights and hands-on experience gathered from creating THE END – a month-long immersive theatrical that helped audiences confront fears around life’s end, through daily, darkly playful interactions. Drop-ins welcome.

Artist in the Lab: Kate Cuffari on Experimental Materials in the Museum

March 4, 2020 | 6:30 p.m. | Dorrance Galleries

Perspectives Gallery Talk with Kate Cuffari on the challenges that materials such as sweat and seaweed in Designs for Different Futures offer in terms of museum presentation and conversation. Drop-ins welcome.

Kate Cuffari is the Associate Conservator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Perspectives Gallery Talks are conversations about art and design through a contemporary lens.

The Designer Is In

Thursdays & Saturdays | 2:00–4:00 p.m. | Futures Therapy Lab
Talk it out. One-on-one sessions with local designers offer new perspectives on your everyday life.

October 24 & 26, 2019
Maia Chao, Look at Art, Get Paid

November 7 & 9, 2019
Paul Farber, Monument Lab

November 14 & 16, 2019
Stephanie Carlisle, KieranTimberlake and Uncertain Terrain

November 21 & 23, 2019
Andrew Wit, WITO

December 5, 7, 12 & 14, 2019
Yadan Luo, OLIN

December 19 & 21, 2019
Paul Farber, Monument Lab

January 9, 11, 16, & 18, 2020
Michelle Johnson, University of Pennsylvania

January 23 & 25, 2020
Andrew Wit, WITO

January 30, February 1, 6, & 8, 2020
Scott Page, Interface Studios

February 13, 15, 20, & 22, 2020
Raja Schaar, Drexel University

February 27 & 29, March 5 & 7, 2020
Tiny WPA

Sci-Fi Sundays

Sundays | 2:00–3:00 p.m. | Meet in the Dorrance Galleries

Drop-in readings that explore narratives of the future. Artists and authors read their favorite passages from science fiction novels, comic books and literary magazines. Program free after museum admission.

October 27, 2019: Ariell Johnson, Amalgam Comics

November 10, 2019: Shivon Love

November 17, 2019: Blue Stoop

November 24, 2019: Wooden Shoe

December 8, 2019: Dr. Walter Greason

December 15, 2019: Li Sumpter, MythMedia Studios

December 22, 2019: Galactic Philadelphia

January 12, 2020: Free Library of Philadelphia

January 19, 2020: Liz Barr

January 26, 2020: Ulises

February 9, 2020: Chef Omar Tate

February 16, 2020: Jasmine Smith, Library Co. of Philadelphia

February 23, 2020: Little Berlin Zine Library

March 8, 2020: Maori Holmes, BlackStar Film Festival

Drink & Draw

Select Wednesdays | 6:00–8:00 p.m. | Great Stair Hall

Sip and sketch with local artists on the first Wednesday of each month. Drawing materials provided; bar drinks available for purchase. Included with Pay What You Wish admission.

Drink & Draw with Mary Kate McDevitt
November 6, 2019 | 6:00–8:00 p.m. | Great Stair Hall

Drink & Draw with Ladies Wine and Design
February 5, 2020 | 6:00–8:00 p.m. | Great Stair Hall

Drink & Draw with Jordan Sondler
March 4, 2020 | 6:00–8:00 p.m. | Great Stair Hall

Family Festival: Family Futures

November 3, 2019 | 10:00 a.m. | Main Building

How does design shape modern—and future—families? Visitors of all ages envision their future, from products and policies to art and activism with designer Alexis Hope. Included with Pay What You Wish admission.

Balcony Studio (All Ages)
10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Create and design for your future self.

Mini Tours (Best for Kids ages 3-10)
11:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.
Time travel through the galleries as a family.

Story Shares (Grown-up Conversations; Kids Welcome)
11:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.
Talk family leave and more with Alexis Hope, whose advocacy is featured in the exhibition.

Stroller Tour (Grown-ups with Babies)
10:30 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.
Tours for those with the newest generation of artists in tow.

BAE Café: Breastfeeding Awareness & Empowerment (Grown-ups with Babies)
12:00 p.m.
Bring your breast, chest, or bottle to BAE Café and chat with other caregivers and feeding advocates.

Talk

The Irma and Herbert Barness Endowed Lecture

Why is Artificial Intelligence a Woman?

November 16, 2019 | 2:00 p.m. | Perelman Auditorium

Even as gender is increasingly debated as fluid rather than binary, designers of future-oriented technologies often represent artificial intelligence through feminine stereotypes. This panel examines the gendered ways that AI and robotics are designed and the impacts that has on our futures. Research scientist Julie Carpenter will discuss her work on Q, a gender-neutral voice for use in voice assistive technologies that offers an alternative to the familiar voices of Siri and Alexa. Bruce Duncan of the Terasem Movement Foundation will present the android BINA48, which is included in a work in Designs for Different Futures and whose form is unusually modelled on a real person. Art historian Jennifer Robertson will share her research on Japan’s advanced robotics industry and the design of human-robot interfaces. Moderated by Michelle Millar Fisher, co-curator of Designs for Different Futures.

Ticket required. $10 (members $8); does not include museum admission.

Part of Untold Stories, a lecture series that asks questions about works of art we think we know.

Friday Remix

January 31, 2020 | 6:00–10:00 p.m. | Main Building

A unique late-night experience designed in collaboration with local creatives. Get ready for music, dancing, Detours, gallery interventions, art-making, performances, and more. Collaborators include The Sun Ra Arkestra, Mary Maggic, Annie Wilson, and Zornitsa Stoyanova.

Ticket required. $28 (members $22; Young Friends and Student members $14).

MLK Day: Dreams of Different Futures

January 20, 2020 | 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. | Main Building

How do we engage community in the design of our city now and for the future? Inspired by the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., spend the day of service imagining possibilities for a future Philadelphia through community conversations, a teach-in, and an all-ages activity with Tiny WPA. Drop-ins welcome.

Teach-in: A Case for Action

How can we create change? Learn from community organizers, activists and designers what steps they take to positively impact the future.

Community Conversation: Return and Go Get It

How does the past shape our future? Employing the West African concept of Sankofa, where one looks to the past for guidance for the future, participants will discuss how Dr. King’s legacy continues to inspire dreams for the future.

Design Competition for Schools

On display March 8, 2020 | Futures Therapy Lab

Stop by and see student posters that answer the question, “What would you design that supports and empowers people to bridge a divide?”

Public Exhibition Tours

Tuesdays & Thursdays |1:00 p.m. | Dorrance Galleries
Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays | 11:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. | Dorrance Galleries

The future is wild! Don’t go it alone. Drop in for a tour of Designs for Different Futures and cap off your visit in the Futures Therapy Lab.

Support

Designs for Different Futures is organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Walker Art Center, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

In Philadelphia, this exhibition is generously supported by the Annenberg Foundation Fund for Major Exhibitions, the Robert Montgomery Scott Endowment for Exhibitions, the Kathleen C. and John J.F. Sherrerd Fund for Exhibitions, Lisa Roberts and David Seltzer in Honor of Collab's 50th Anniversary, the Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Laura and William C. Buck Endowment for Exhibitions, the Harriet and Ronald Lassin Fund for Special Exhibitions, the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Exhibition Fund, and an anonymous donor.

Credits as of August 29, 2019

Note: Images illustrate programs affiliated with the exhibition, though not all of them reflect works represented in the exhibition. Please contact the Press Office to verify.

Social Media @philamuseum

We are Philadelphia’s art museum. A world-renowned collection. A landmark building. A place that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the Museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts.

For additional information, contact the Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art by phone at 215-684-7860, by fax at 215-235-0050, or by e-mail at pressroom@philamuseum.org. The Museum is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call 215-763-8100.