The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage

Congratulations to Naomi Beckwith, who has been named artistic director of the 2027 Documenta exhibition in Kassel, Germany. Beckwith served as a past Center panelist for our Pew Fellowships program and is currently deputy director and chief curator of Guggenheim New York.

If you're planning to spend your holiday break doing some quality reading, we have a list of fascinating additions to your library, with publications from the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, BlackStar, The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and more. #PewArtsGrants

The Center is proud to support some of the most exciting performances, exhibitions, public art installations, and community-centered cultural programs happening in Philadelphia. We're shining a light on just some of the events and productions made possible with #PewArtsGrants in 2024—with more to experience in the year ahead. What did you get to see this year? Tell us in the comments, and sign up for our newsletter at the link below so you don't miss a single event! https://lnkd.in/eP73ypjV Photo credits: EgoPo Classic Theater in collaboration with Papermoon Puppet Theatre and Kalinari Theatre by Anna Seigel Barbara Earl Thomas courtesy of Arthur Ross Gallery TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image by Constance Mensh The Wilma Theater by Johanna Austin Painted Bride Art Center, Meg Foley by Meg Foley Thomas Jefferson University by Constance Mensh Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia in partnership with COLLABORATIVE CATALOGING JAPAN by Constance Mensh Legacy Reclaimed: A 7th Ward Tribute by Jahlil “Sharp Shooter” Pleasant Christ Church Neighborhood House by Daniel Madoff Opera Philadelphia by Steven Pisano Mural Arts Philadelphia, Roberto Lugo by Steve Weinik Monument Lab, Sonya Clark by Steve Weinik Vox Populi Gallery, Teaching at the End of Times by Lizania Cruz The Fabric Workshop and Museum, John Jarboe, The Bearded Ladies by Christopher Ash The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art, Enrique Bostelmann by Joseph Hu Journey Arts, Raja Feather Kelly by Mochi Robinson

Still gift shopping? The Philadelphia Citizen has a list of "50+ Gifts to Give Joy and Do Good"—a collection of presents available through nonprofit organizations and indie vendors. Several #PewArtsGrants recipients are on the list, including Mural Arts Philadelphia, Barnes Foundation, William Way Community Center, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Independence Seaport Museum, and Museum of the American Revolution.

Announcing the 2024 Philadelphia’s Cultural Treasures Fellows: artists who make a meaningful difference in Philadelphia’s cultural landscape, from preserving cultural heritage to shining a light on important community stories and supporting other local creatives. The fellowships, totaling $1,185,000, have been awarded to Black, Latino, Asian, and Indigenous Philadelphia artists. Awards range from $75,000 to $120,000 in unrestricted funds, plus retirement savings contributions and professional development opportunities to promote the artists’ well-being and assist with advancing their work. See the full list of fellows at the link. #PHLCulturalTreasures has been administered through a collaboration among The Barra Foundation, NEUBAUER FAMILY FOUNDATION, The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, William Penn Foundation, and WYNCOTE FOUNDATION as part of the national America's Cultural Treasures program initiated by the Ford Foundation.

Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia recently announced that Koyo Kouoh will curate its 61st International Art Exhibition in 2026. We spoke with Kouoh in 2017 when she was in Philadelphia as part of a Center-supported project at the Institute of Contemporary Art at University of Pennsylvania. In this excerpt, the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa executive director and chief curator explains how the artists she works with "create their own universes" to engage with social and political issues in their art. #PewArtsGrants #QuestionsOfPractice

#PewFellow Orrin Evans is up for a Grammy Award for his album with the Captain Black Big Band, "Walk a Mile in My Shoe." The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the album is, "a song cycle about walking through the world with pride, a testimony to Evans’ ecumenical taste and ability to act as connective tissue between the diverse group of musicians he brings together as a collective whole."

“There is a deep, unshakeable culture of care in Philly’s artistic community and that alone sets it apart from many other cities,” artist and gallerist Wit López told us. As we prepare to announce the culminating class of Philadelphia's Cultural Treasures fellows next week, get reacquainted with past fellows who are making an impact on their communities. Earlier this year, we spoke with López, dance artist Sinta Penyami Storms, museum founder and social practice artist Vashti Dubois, and multidisciplinary artist and curator Yolanda Wisher about their work, Philadelphia's arts scene, and receiving #PHLCulturalTreasures fellowships. This funding is a regional component of the national America’s Cultural Treasures program, initiated by the Ford Foundation in 2020. It is administered in Philadelphia through a collaboration among The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, The Barra Foundation, Neubauer Family Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and Wyncote Foundation. Stay tuned for our announcement next week!

Grantee Spotlight: The Philadelphia Museum of Art will present a first-of-its-kind examination of the print works of El Anatsui, the Ghanaian artist best known for creating sculptures from found objects like bottle caps. Curated by contemporary African art scholar Chika Okeke-Agulu, the exhibition will showcase Anatsui's interplay with two- and three-dimensional objects and his engagement with West African design traditions. For more about the future exhibition visit our website. #PewArtsGrants

Congratulations to the artists and organizations who recently received grants from the William Penn Foundation, Forman Arts Initiative (FAI), and Leeway Foundation. Among them are recent Center #PewFellow and #PewArtsGrants grantees, including Barnes Foundation, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Mural Arts Philadelphia, PRISM Quartet, Woodmere, Vox Populi, Denice Frohman, Maia Chao, and Shavon Norris. See more about the Forman grantees in the link below, and check our comments for the William Penn and Leeway announcements.