Violet Oakley (1874 – 1961), Made by Enfield Pottery & Tile Works (1906 – c. 1936), The St. George and The Gertrude Mosaic, c. 1911-13, Glazed and earthenware, 20 1/2 x 30 3/4 x 3 1/4 in, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Purchased with the American Art Revolving Fund, 2025, 2025-7-1.

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March

2026

12:02 PM

America/New_York

Workshop of the World: Arts and Crafts in Philadelphia

July 12 – October 11, 2026

Morgan, Korman, and Field Galleries (150–155)

Violet Oakley, The Weavers of New Hope, 1920, (Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science & Art, Scranton, Pennsylvania: Gift of Northeastern Bank of Pennsylvania, 84.2)

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Enfield Pottery & Tile Works (Enfield, Springfield Township, PA, 1906–c. 1936), Peacock and Grapevine Mosaic, 1916, Glazed earthenware and concrete,151 5⁄16 in, Collection of Vance A. Koehler, Doylestown, PA.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Frank Jeck (1884–1965), Crib, 1922, Cherry, 64 1/2 x 44 1/4 x 24 1/4 in., Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA: Gift of Lachlan Pitcairn.

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Designed by Henry Chapman Mercer (1856–1930), Made by Moravian Pottery & Tile Works (Doylestown, PA, 1898–present), The Elk Mosaic, 1903, Glazed earthenware, 23 5/8 x 24 7/16 x 1 in., Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Henry C. Mercer, 1904-158.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
L. & G. Cramer (dates unknown), Centennial Exhibition Handkerchief, 1876, Printed cotton plain weave, 24 7/8 x 24 1/4 in., Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. William D. Frishmuth, 1913-223.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Judith Schaechter (born 1961), Over Our Dead Bodies, 2020, Stained glass panel; flash glass, sandblasted, engraved, hand filed, and vitreous paint; assembled with copper foil 60 x 42 x 5 in., Philadelphia Museum of Art, Purchased with the Leonard and Norma Klorfine Foundation Endowed Fund for Modern and Contemporary Craft, 2021-110-1.

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Maker unknown, Covered Cup, 1872, Porcelain with incised design and overglaze enamel with gilt decoration, Cup: 2 7/16 in. x 4 1/16 in.; cover: 1 in. x 3 3/4 in., Philadelphia Museum of Art, Purchased with Museum funds, 1876-1441a,b.

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Sung Sing Kung (Sun Xingeng) (1836–1879), Screen, 19th century, Wood, 6 ft. 3 3/4 in. x 24 5/16 in., Philadelphia Museum of Art, Purchased with Museum funds, 1876-1451.

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Wharton Esherick (1887 – 1970), Sconce for the Curtis and Nellie Lee Bok House, Gulph Mills (now Radnor), PA c. 1936-37, Wood, asbestos, electrical elements, and steel, 37 x 13 1/2 x 9 3/4 in, Philadelphia Museum of Art: Acquired through the generosity of W.B Dixon Stroud, with additional funds for preservation and installation provided by Dr. and Mrs. Allen Goldman, Marion Boulton Stroud, and The Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1989-1-1f20.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Designed by Paul McCobb (1917–1969), Made by Winchendon Furniture Company (Winchendon, MA, 1939–2023), Chest of Drawers and Bench from the Planner Group, designed 1949, made 1949–52, Maple, Chest: 24 x 24 x 18 1/4 in.; Bench: 15 x 48 x 18 1/4 in., Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Collab: The Group for Modern and Contemporary Design at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1983-5-2,3.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Roberto Lugo (b. 1981), All about the Benjamins Century Vase, 2016, Porcelain, china paint, gold luster, 14 1/2 x 12 x 15 1/2 in, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Purchased with funds contributed by The Women's Committee and The Craft Show Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2016. © Roberto Lugo, courtesy of Wexler Gallery.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
William L. Price (1861 – 1916), Chair, 1902, Oak, 36 5/8 x 14 3/16 x 22 1/16 in., Collection of E. Morris Potter, Media, PA.

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Samuel Yellin (1885-1940), Lock, Key, and Handle, 1911 Lock: 16 1/2 x 19 3/4 x 3 1/4 in, Key: 2 1/4 x 3/4 x 3/8 in, Wrought iron, mica (originally, now missing) Philadelphia Museum of Art, Purchased with the Joseph E. Temple Fund, 1911-237a—e.

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Designed and decorated by Thomas John Bott Jr. (1854–1932), Made by Worcester Royal Porcelain Co. (Worcester, England,1751–present) Ewer with a Scene from the Triumph of Scipio, and Stand, 1875, Porcelain with enamel and gilt decoration, 11 1/4 x 5 5/16 in, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Purchased with Museum funds, 1876-1623,1624.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Wharton Esherick (1887 – 1970), Radio and Phonograph Cabinet, 1936–37 Cherry, 27 1/2 x 23 x 29 1/2 in., Philadelphia Museum of Art, 125th Anniversary Acquisition. Gift of Enid Curtis Bok Okun, daughter of Curtis and Nellie Lee Bok, 2001-2013.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Designed by Edwin Atlee Barber (1851–1916), Philadelphia, Made by Rookwood Pottery (Cincinnati, 1880–1967), Tankard, 1896 Semi-porcelain with “Iris” glaze, pewter cover, 9 1/2 x 7 3/16 x 5 3/8 in., Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Jay and Emma Lewis, 2009-27-1.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.

Philadelphia, March 17 - The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is pleased to announce Workshop of the World: Arts and Crafts in Philadelphia, a landmark exhibition exploring the region’s distinctive contributions to the Arts and Crafts movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as its enduring influence upon contemporary makers. A highlight of PMA’s 150th anniversary year, the exhibition will reveal how industrial Philadelphia shaped the achievements of artists, designers, and manufacturers following the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, through more than 250 objects, including ceramics, furniture, metalwork, textiles, and stained glass as well as paintings, drawings, and printed works.

Workshop of the World will reveal how American handcraftsmanship and industry—typically seen as opposing methods of production—were in fact closely intertwined. It will also address how local makers responded to the Arts and Crafts movement’s idealistic drive to improve the quality of manufactured goods and the possibilities of artistic living. The Centennial Exhibition galvanized local support for design reform and education, resulting in the foundation of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art in 1876 (now PMA and the former University of the Arts). Workshop of the World will spotlight the school as an incubator for Arts and Crafts principles, presenting the work of artists who studied and taught at the school, including Samuel Yellin, best known for his intricate ironwork. Yellin’s wrought iron will be shown alongside objects whose makers followed the same ideals of handcraftsmanship and the honest treatment of materials, including earthenware tiles by Henry Chapman Mercer’s Moravian Pottery & Tile Works, oak furniture by Edward Maene, and stained-glass designs by Violet Oakley.

“For generations, makers in the Philadelphia region have sought to mobilize the decorative arts in the service of recovering values of craftsmanship, artistic harmony, and cultural cohesion,” said Daniel Weiss, the George D. Widener Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “Workshop of the World will demonstrate the unique role that this city played – and continues to play – as a center of innovation and global capital of craft.”

While many Arts and Crafts practitioners worked in large workshops and contributed to architectural commissions across the city, others found refuge in utopian rural communities outside Philadelphia. These communities included Bryn Athyn, where specialized workshops for medieval-inspired stained glass, woodwork, and forged metalwork were organized, and Rose Valley, a community founded on British artist William Morris’s belief that urban environments were antithetical to art making. Works produced in these small-scale artisan workshops will offer insight into how these communities fostered creativity as an essential part of daily life, from Donald Stephens’s oak and wrought iron sideboard (c. 1915) to Frank Jeck’s cherry wood crib (1922) and Bible cabinet (c. 1926).

As the city dealt with the impacts of World War I, craft ideals evolved in the face of rapid modernization. Highlights from this period will include documents of America’s Sesquicentennial Exposition of 1926—an event that underscored national tensions between industry and tradition—and Wharton Esherick’s geometric Radio and Phonograph Cabinet (1936–37), a forward-looking design made by hand yet intended to house technologies that were potent symbols of modernity.

The exhibition’s final section will explore the work of contemporary artists, demonstrating how Philadelphia continues to be an international craft capital. Ceramics by Syd Carpenter and Roberto Lugo, fiber art by Ted Hallman, and a stained-glass work by Judith Schaechter, among others, will show how modern sensibilities and personal convictions are applied to traditional methods, and how contemporary makers have expanded and mined the core principles of Arts and Crafts’ revival, survival, and reformation.

“We are excited to present the first museum exhibition to feature Philadelphia’s creative contributions to the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States,” said David Barquist, the H. Richard Dietrich, Jr., Curator of American Decorative Arts. “A special aspect of Arts and Crafts in this region was the number of communities established outside the city with handcraft production as a primary goal.”

Media Contact
Laura Coogan, Philadelphia Museum of Art | pressroom@philamuseum.org | 215-684-7864

Curators
David Barquist, the H. Richard Dietrich, Jr. Curator of American Decorative Arts
Colin Fanning, the Louis C. Madeira IV Assistant Curator of European Decorative Arts;
Elisabeth Agro, the Nancy M. McNeil Curator of Modern and Contemporary Craft and Decorative Arts
With: Humberto Morales-Cruz, Andrew W. Mellon Post- doctoral Fellow
Additional support provided by James Miller, Mellon Graduate Fellow, Haley Kane, Center for American Art Summer Fellow, and Erin Dowding, Center for American Art Summer Fellow

Exhibition Support
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Center for American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Katie Adams and Tony Schaeffer, Art and Debra Castelbaum, and Martha Hamilton and I. Wistar Morris III.

Funding for the catalog is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Fund for Scholarly Publications at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Decorative Arts Trust, and Furthermore: a program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund.

All exhibitions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art are underwritten by the Annual Exhibition Fund. Generous support is provided by Andrea Baldeck, M.D.; Julia and David Fleischner; Robert Hayes; and Mark W. Strong and Dana Strong.

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