Public Art COMMISSIONING, CURATION & PRESENTATION
Over the years, the Association for Public Art (aPA) has commissioned, purchased, and placed an impressive selection of sculpture in various settings throughout Philadelphia.
These artworks parallel the history of American sculpture, ideals, and patronage and include historic masterworks by Alexander Milne Calder, Alexander Stirling Calder, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Frederic Remington, and Daniel Chester French; modern sculptures by renowned artists Paul Manship, Jacques Lipchitz, Isamu Noguchi, and Henry Moore; and contemporary works by Martin Puryear, Siah Armajani, Mark di Suvero, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Candy Coated, and Roxy Paine. Thanks to the efforts of the Association and other public art agencies, Philadelphia boasts one of the largest collections of public art of any American city.
Our work in public spaces has continuously evolved over time in response to current art making practice, and we often develop projects around specific themes or goals that advance community needs or civic issues that otherwise would not be addressed. The aPA explores new directions in public art to give broader perspectives to the public environment and greater opportunities for artists.
Many of the public art works you see in Philadelphia were commissioned or acquired by aPA and later donated to the City of Philadelphia. In addition to stewarding its current outdoor collection, aPA still maintains an active role in these historic works through preservation and interpretation.