aPA Now Type: News

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 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.

It is with great sorrow that the Association for Public Art recognizes the passing of Charles E. Mather III, trustee, advocate, and supporter of our organization for decades.

Presented simultaneously in 6 U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, Liberty Bell is an augmented reality drawing in 360 degrees that offers viewers the opportunity to consider their own experiences of liberty, freedom, and injustice and inequality. The artwork relies on geolocation and requires downloading a free app.

In collaboration with Vision 2020’s Women 100: A National Celebration of American Women, the Association for Public Art (aPA) is highlighting a number of important public artworks in Philadelphia created by women artists.