The Association for Public Art (aPA) is the nation’s first private nonprofit organization dedicated to commissioning, preserving, interpreting, and promoting public art in the city of Philadelphia. See our timeline highlights below to learn more! Or explore our full timeline.

Established in 1872

in Philadelphia

Henry K. Fox and Charles Howell establish the Fairmount Park Art Association (FPAA), renamed the Association for Public Art (aPA) in 2012

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1872

The first acquisition: Night by artist Edward Stauch

1887

The first major commission of the Association: Major General George Gordon Meade by artist Alexander Milne Calder

1906

The charter is amended to extend the work of the Association beyond Fairmount Park to the City of Philadelphia as a whole.

1913

Ellen Phillips Samuel dies and her residuary estate is received by the Association upon the death of her husband J. Bunford Samuel (d. 1929).

1919

Albert Laeslle's Billy is installed in Rittenhouse Square, given through the Association by Eli Kirk Price II to the City of Philadelphia.

1929

The Benjamin Franklin Parkway is substantially completed. The Association plays a significant role in the development of the Parkway.

1933, 1940, 1949

In 1933, the first of three sculpture international exhibitions is held to identify and commission artists for the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial.
In 1940, the second sculpture international exhibition is held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
In 1949, the third and final sculpture exhibition contributes to the awareness of contemporary sculpture in Philadelphia and beyond. Photo by Herbert Gehr/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

1967

Henry Moore’s Three Way Piece Number 1: Points is purchased and installed by the Association.

1980

The Association initiates Form and Function, inviting artists to propose public artworks that would be utilitarian, site-specific, and integral to community life.

1992

The Association publishes Public Art in Philadelphia by Executive Director Penny Balkin Bach.

1997

The Association initiates New•Land•Marks: public art, community, and the meaning of place – a program that brings artists and community organizations together to plan and create new artworks for Philadelphia neighborhoods.

2007

The Association installs Iroquois (1983 – 1999) by artist Mark di Suvero

2010

The Association launches Museum Without Walls: AUDIO, an award-winning outdoor sculpture interpretive program for Philadelphia’s public art.

2012

The Association premieres OPEN AIR (2012) by artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.

2014

The Association installs Magic Carpet (2014) by artist Candy Coated.

2015

The Association for Public Art receives the national 2015 Public Art Network Award, which honors innovative contributions, exemplary commitment, and leadership in public art.

2017

The Association installs Martin Puryear’s Big Bling (2016) temporary installation through a collaboration with Madison Square Park Conservancy; Premieres Cai Guo-Qiang: Fireflies (2017) by artist Cai Guo-Qiang, with guest curator Fung Collaboratives; Premieres Jennifer Steinkamp’s Winter Fountains (2017), presented by the Parkway Council for Parkway 100.

2021

The Association restores and reinstalls Maja (1942) by artist Gerhard Marcks.

2022

The Association for Public Art celebrates 150th Anniversary.

An Association of Firsts

Established in 1872, the Association for Public Art is the nation’s first private nonprofit organization to integrate public art and urban design. Founded by people from all walks of life who believe that art can play a role in a growing city, the aPA commissions, preserves, interprets, and promotes public art in Philadelphia.
In 1911, the Association advocates for the establishment of the city’s Art Jury (the forerunner of the current Art Commission), and in 1959, supports the City of Philadelphia’s “percent for art” ordinance, the first municipal mandate in the nation.
In 1974, the Association publishes Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia’s Treasures in Bronze and Stone, the first publication to explore a city’s collection of outdoor sculpture that is accessible to a wide audience.
In 1982, the Association initiates its Annual Outdoor Sculpture Conservation Program, the longest ongoing conservation program in the nation.
In 1987, the Association organizes the conference Public Art in America ’87. It is the first national conference to examine public art in its broadest context.

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