PHILADELPHIA – The Association for Public Art (aPA) announces the latest audio in its ever-expanding Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO program (MWW: AUDIO), furthering its mission to interpret and promote public art in Philadelphia. Available in both English and Spanish, the audio for Robert Indiana’s AMOR (1998) is now one of 79 audio programs for outdoor sculptures in Philadelphia, accessible for free by phone, app, or online streaming and video. Watch and listen to both the English and Spanish versions here.
Launched in 2010, MWW:AUDIO is an innovative program that features “authentic voices” – people from all walks of life who have direct connections to the sculptures. Following this model, the AMOR audio presents Fernando Mendez, journalist and founding member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Mexican Cultural Center; Father Dennis Gill, Rector of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul and Director of the Archdiocese; Margot Berg, Public Art Director of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy; and rare archival recordings of artist Robert Indiana, who died in 2018.
The never-before-heard audio clips of Indiana were unearthed from a previous interview with the artist about his LOVE sculpture, conducted when the MWW:AUDIO program first launched. Indiana can be heard on the audio program for LOVE, which is installed within walking distance of AMOR.
On the occasion of the 2015 World Meeting of Families and Pope Francis’ visit to the United States, the Association for Public Art (aPA) in partnership with the Philadelphia Museum of Art installed AMOR atop the Museum’s famous steps. Now permanently installed in Philadelphia’s Sister Cities Park at 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, AMOR was officially donated to the City of Philadelphia and dedicated in December 2016. The permanent installation of AMOR was made possible through the generosity of the City of Philadelphia, the Morgan Art Foundation, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Mrs. Edith R. Dixon, and the Association for Public Art.
In 1998, Indiana created AMOR, the Latin/Spanish version of the LOVE (1976) sculpture, in response to the changing demographics of the U.S. and his desire to speak to his fellow citizens. As a permanent part of the City’s public art collection, AMOR serves as a companion artwork to LOVE. In keeping with Indiana’s intention for the work, the Association for Public Art, through a generous grant from the Connelly Foundation, has been able to make the audio program available in both English and Spanish.
The aPA will continue to grow its multi-platform interpretive program and explore ways to make the program accessible to a wider audience. Other multilingual MWW: AUDIO programs include Rafael Ferrer’s El Gran Teatro de la Luna (available in English and Spanish) and Cai Guo-Qiang: Fireflies (available in English and Chinese).
How to Access Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO
Philadelphia visitors and residents can experience Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO programs for free online and on the street.
- Call 215-399-9000 and enter the stop number located on the permanent sculpture sign at each artwork.
- Download the free app for iPhone or Android (search “MWW AUDIO”)
- Visit associationforpublicart.org/mww to listen online, download audio, or view slideshows.
- A free brochure with stop numbers is available at the Independence Visitor Center, City Hall, local cafes, and nearby cultural institutions.
About the Association for Public Art
The Association for Public Art (aPA, formerly Fairmount Park Art Association) commissions, preserves, interprets, and promotes public art in Philadelphia. The aPA is the nation’s first private nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a “Museum Without Walls” that informs, engages, and inspires diverse audiences. Established in 1872, aPA integrates public art and urban design through exemplary programs and advocacy efforts that connect people with public art. For more information about aPA visit www.associationforpublicart.org
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