Art on the Parkway

Art on the Parkway is an annual juried open call organized by the Association for Public Art (aPA) in partnership with the Parkway Council and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. The program invites artists, designers, and other creatives to propose a temporary public art installation for Maja Park on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Selected projects are on view for approximately four months and commissioned as part of the The Oval summer festivities.

The program is open to individuals or collaborative teams who live or work in the Greater Philadelphia area. Students are not eligible. More information on eligibility and durability standards can be found in the Art on the Parkway FAQs.

Franklin Thread by Jeff Richards

“At present, we are like the separate filaments of flax before thread is formed, without strength because without connection” -Benjamin Franklin, 1747

Franklin Thread is a living, actively growing installation that explores and envisions how organic materials and industrial byproducts might be used to build a mores sustainable future. The project involves the act of growing, harvesting, and retting flax, accompanied by a sculptural wall made out of a flax-based biogenic building material called “flaxcrete.” Jeff Richards recently developed flaxcrete with his students through his work as a professor at Temple University, where he teaches courses in architectural design, environmental systems, and ecological design.

The installation is a journey through three distinct sections of a massive “thread” representing the different phases of flaxcrete production. A Benjamin Franklin quotation from 1747, “at present, we are like the separate filaments of flax before thread is formed, without strength because without connection,” which inspired Richards’ work, is painted on the retted flax bound together.

Flax was an essential part of the agricultural-based economy of Benjamin Franklin’s Philadelphia, but its use in North America has since largely disappeared. The growth of flax can be understood as a catalyst: it offers a new way of thinking about building in this masonry-centric city; its fibers can be used to manufacture textiles and paper, as they were in Philadelphia pre-World War II; its seeds are food, offering many health benefits; it has the potential to remediate brownfield sites; and it supports pollinators during its growth.

Read more about Franklin Thread

Juana Berrío is a Colombian, New York-based curator, educator, and arts programmer who serves as the Marsha Perelman Senior Director of Programs at Calder Gardens. Previously, she was Associate Director of Residencies and Curator of Public Programs at Amant and held positions at the Walker Art Center, Joan Mitchell Foundation, SFMOMA, and the New Museum. As an independent curator and writer, she has organized exhibitions and programs in the United States and Colombia and contributed to national and international publications.

Hallie Boyce, FASLA, is a Partner at OLIN, a landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm based in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Her work focuses on civic landscapes for cultural institutions, university campuses, and underserved communities, with an emphasis on resilience, social health, and stewardship. Her award-winning projects include the Folger Shakespeare Library, National Geographic Headquarters, 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington, DC, and the Brandywine Museum of Art Courtyard.

Nicolo Gentile is a Philadelphia-based artist and educator who holds an MFA in Sculpture from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and he is a recipient of the Association for Public Art’s 2025 Art on the Parkway commission and the Velocity Fund, supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. He teaches at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture and is currently an Artist in Residence at the Fitler Club in Philadelphia.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to develop proposals in response to the project location and take into consideration the site’s urban outdoor environment. Maja Park includes an existing sculpture (Maja by Gerhard Marcks) as well as a pergola and seating structure.

Pre-application visits to the Parkway and Maja Park are recommended to learn more about its spaces, public art, and future plans. Please be aware that the selected proposal and placement on the site are subject to final approval by aPA, Parkway Council, and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and must meet all safety and technical requirements for withstanding the effects of weather and public use.

Learn more about the sculpture Maja.

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability, and the Parkway Council are working to create a multi-phase plan to transform the Parkway into Philadelphia’s greatest public space. A planning team led by Design Workshop was selected in 2021, through a public request for proposal (RFP) to generate ideas from designers and planners from around the world.

This project seeks to unlock the Parkway’s potential as a great urban park in the center of one of America’s greatest cities.

To learn more about this Parkway Council project visit phlparkway.com.

Click here to learn more about the Benjamin Franklin Parkway’s history.