aPA Digital Archive

The aPA Digital Archive is a collection of historical materials related to the Association for Public Art in Philadelphia (aPA, formerly the Fairmount Park Art Association) since its establishment in 1872 as the first public art organization in the United States. The Digital Archive consists of Annual Reports, including speaker transcripts, Board Meeting minutes, and related photographs. Content includes first-hand accounts of the earliest public art commissions; decisions, discussions and negotiations with artists; and relationships with museums, cultural organizations, community groups, and city agencies. The physical records were digitized with state-of-the art conversion equipment in 2022 and are now located at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.