History
Established in 1872 by two civic-minded young men, Henry K. Fox and Charles Howell, the Association for Public Art (aPA, formerly the Fairmount Park Art Association) initially focused on enhancing Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park with sculpture. The organization’s concerns soon expanded beyond the park to the city as a whole.
The aPA has supported planning projects such as the design of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a grand boulevard punctuated by outdoor sculpture; the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial along Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill River; and the International Sculpture Garden at Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River.
The aPA also advocated the establishment of the city’s Art Jury (the forerunner of the current Art Commission) and the adoption of the country’s first “percent for art” ordinance under which a percentage of construction costs for city projects must be set aside for fine arts.
Today, through its diverse programs, aPA continues to promote the important role that public art plays in the creation and enhancement of civic spaces. We serve thousands of people directly through our commissioning and educational programs, and even more indirectly, as they benefit from the accessibility of public art that is one of Philadelphia’s hallmarks and a key contributor to its quality of life.
Check out our online archive for a deeper dive into the history of Association for Public Art. Explore digitized versions of annual reports and minute books starting from 1872.
Name Change
In May 2012, the Board and membership of the Fairmount Park Art Association voted to change the name of the organization to the Association for Public Art. The name Association for Public Art (aPA) more clearly communicates our long-established mission to commission, preserve, interpret, and promote public art in Philadelphia. When it was founded in 1872 by a group of civic-minded individuals as the first private nonprofit organization in the United States dedicated to placing art in public spaces, the Association’s initial purpose was to enhance Fairmount Park with sculpture. Its concerns grew beyond the park to the city as a whole, and the Charter was amended in 1906 to express an expanded purview; but the name of our organization was not changed to reflect this wider mission. The organization has continually evolved throughout its 150-year history, proactively responding to developments in civic life, urban planning, and artistic expression. Our new name was chosen to best reflect our work and to distinguish our organization from other local and national public art agencies
Timeline (1871 – 2025)
1871
Henry K. Fox and Charles Howell establish the Fairmount Park Art Association (FPAA), renamed the Association for Public Art (aPA) in 2012
1872
Philadelphia becomes first American city to establish a private non-profit organization dedicated to art in public spaces when the Fairmount Park Art Association is created. The organization installs its first two sculptures in Fairmount Park: Night (1872) by artist Edward Stauch and Hudson Bay Wolves (1872) by artist Edward Kemey.
1876
1877
1884
1885
1886
1887
Installs Major General George Gordon Meade (1887) by Alexander Milne Calder and Florentine Lions (1849) by unknown artist
1888
1890
1892
1893
1895
1898
1899
1901
1905
1906
Amends its charter to extend the work of the Association beyond the City of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park
1907
1908
1911
The Association urges the creation of a Municipal Art Jury (forerunner of the City’s Art Commission)
1912
1913
Ellen Phillips Samuel dies and her residuary estate is pledged to the Association upon the death of her husband J. Bunford Samuel (d. 1929)
1916
1919
1920
Installs Seaweed Girl Fountain (1920) by artist Beatrice Fenton and Thorfinn Karlsefni (1918) by artist Einar Jonsson
1926
Installs Robert Morris (1926) by artist Paul Wayland Bartlett
1928
1929
Installs The Mounted Amazon Attacked by a Panther (1839, cast 1929) by artist August Kiss and relocates The Lion Fighter (1858, cast 1892) by artist Albert Wolff to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum
1932
Acquires Diana (1892) by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, installed in the Great Stair Hall of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
1933
1935
Installs Ericsson Memorial Fountain (1934)
1937
1938
1939
1940
1942
1943
1944
Plans for the preservation and improvement of Independence Hall area
1949
Installs Lambs (1948) by artist Sylvia Shaw Judson and holds the third and final Sculpture International Exhibition for the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial
1950
1955
1957
1958
1959
Installs Walt Whitman (1939, cast 1957) by artist Jo Davidson, installs The Poet (1954) by José de Creeft, installs Titles Unknown: Eye and Hand (1959) by artist J. Wallace Kelly and supports the City’s “percent for art” ordinance, the first municipal mandate in the nation
1960
Installs Giraffes (1960) by artist Henry Mitchell and The Spirit of Enterprise (1958) by artist Jacques Lipchitz
1961
1962
1963
1964
Installs Impala Fountain (Herbert C. Morris Memorial Fountain) (1963) by artist Henry Mitchell
1966
1967
Installs Eagles (1904) by artist Adolph Alexander and Three Way Piece Number 1: Points (1964) by artist Henry Moore
1969
Installs Eli Kirke Price Fountain (1968) and Ellen Phillips Samuel Fountain (1967) by architect Vincent Kling
1971
Installs Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Memorial (1971) by artists Paul Keene and Neil LiebermanInstalls and Awakening (1971) by artist Ron T. Pierce
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
Establishes the International Sculpture Garden at Penn’s Landing for the country’s Bicentennial celebration. Installs Nandi (1500, Spheres (300–1525), Mangbusucks (1695) and Government of the People (1965) by artist Jacques Lipchitz
1979
1980
1982
Installs Louis Kahn Lecture Room (1982) by artist Siah Armajani, El Gran Teatro de La Luna (1982, reinstalled 2012) by artist Rafael Ferrer and Initiates its Annual Outdoor Conservation Program. Assists efforts to acquire and install Cornucopia (1982) by artist Red Grooms
1984
1985
Installs Stone Basin (1500–1600), The Wedges (1970) by artist Robert Morris and Initiates Light Up Philadelphia
1987
1989
1991
1992
1993
1995
Installs Chinese Water Stone (title unknown)
1997
1998
1999
Receives first place Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) Achievement Award and hosts New•Land•Marks Symposium at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
2003
Illuminates thirteen sculptures along Kelly Drive in collaboration with Philadelphia Streets Department and Fairmount Park Commission, installs Embodying Thoreau: dwelling, sitting, watching (2003) by artist Ed Levine and I have a story to tell you… (2003) by artist Pepón Osorio
2006
2007
2009
2010
2012
Presents Site Seeing: Rediscover Public Art This Spring!, Lines in Four Directions in Flowers (2012) by artist Sol Lewitt realized, Fairmount Park Art Association (FPAA) renamed Association for Public Art (aPA), Premieres OPEN AIR (2012) by artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, and Installs Rock Form (Porthcurno) (1964) by artist Barbara Hepworth
2014
2015
2016
2017
Premieres Jennifer Steinkamp’s Winter Fountains (2017), presented by the Parkway Council for Parkway 100, Premieres Cai Guo-Qiang: Fireflies (2017) by artist Cai Guo-Qiang, with guest curator Fung Collaboratives, and Installs Martin Puryear’s Big Bling (2016) temporary installation through collaboration with Madison Square Park Conservancy
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Presents Public Art in Philadelphia: A Legacy Shaped by Women exhibit in partnership with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Installs The Radical Black Elite (2024) banners by Xenobia Bailey, Installs The Weight of Our Living (2024) installation by Rachel Hsu, Launches Open Call for Art on the Parkway, co-organized with the Parkway Council, Launches Bloomberg Connects digital guide