aPA Now Type: News

Commissioned 40 years ago by the Association for Public Art for Fleisher Art Memorial in South Philadelphia, the “Louis Kahn Lecture Room” by Siah Armajani is on its way to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Oldenburg became well known locally when his iconic Clothespin was installed across from Philadelphia’s City Hall in 1976, becoming the talk of the town.

Now in its 40th year, our conservation program is one of the longest continuously operating programs of its kind in the country. Here’s a look at some of the work we did this season, including the deinstallation of Mark di Suvero’s iconic red-orange “Iroquois” sculpture for major restoration.

In May, the Association for Public Art is temporarily removing Mark di Suvero’s massive Iroquois from its home on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for conservation restoration. Disassembling the sculpture will take a full day of work from a team of professionals, including conservators, welders, and riggers.

Commissioned through the U.S. General Services Administration’s Art in Architecture Program, Moe Brooker’s The Fruit of the Spirit – a 30-foot painting full of life and color – is “an invitation that celebrates the architectural space and adds warmth to it,” described the artist.

Fireflies was applauded for its egalitarian, equitable and democratic values that are the heart of artist Cai Guo-Qiang’s work. The role of the artist and art in society is an important one, and suppressing artistic expression is not an acceptable position.

The internationally renowned Puerto Rican artist is one of 184 artists, writers, scholars, and scientists who received a 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship. The Association for Public Art commissioned Pepón Osorio’s first permanent public art installation.

The Association for Public Art’s Penny Balkin Bach was invited to speak on the topic of monuments as part of Penn Museum’s Great Lectures: Great Monuments year-long online series.

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

With the recent installation of Leigh’s Brick House on Penn’s campus, and Puryear’s Pavilion in the Trees (1993) in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia is home to permanent public works by both of these acclaimed artists.