Established in 1872 in
Philadelphia, the Association for Public Art (aPA), formerly Fairmount Park Art Association, is the first private, nonprofit public art organization dedicated to integrating
public art and
urban planning in the United States.[2] The association commissions, preserves, promotes, and interprets public art in Philadelphia,[3] and it has contributed to Philadelphia being maintaining of the nation's largest public art collections.[4]
The aPA has acquired and commissioned works by many notable sculptors, including
Augustus Saint-Gaudens,
Alexander Stirling Calder,
Daniel Chester French,
Frederic Remington,
Paul Manship, and
Albert Laessle,[5] supported city planning projects, established an outdoor sculpture conservation program, and sponsored numerous publications, exhibitions, and educational programs.[6] The aPA interprets and preserves more than 200 works of art throughout Philadelphia,[7] working with the city's Public Art Office,
Fairmount Park, and other organizations and agencies responsible for placing and caring for outdoor sculpture in Philadelphia,[8] and maintains an inventory of all of the city's public art.[9]
History
Chartered by the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1872, the Fairmount Park Art Association (now the Association for Public Art) was founded by a group of concerned citizens in the late nineteenth century who wanted to beautify Philadelphia's urban landscape with public art to counter the city's encroaching industrialism. The Association initially focused on enhancing Fairmount Park with outdoor sculpture, but the organization's mission expanded in 1906 to include the rest of the city as a whole: to "promote and foster the beautiful in Philadelphia, in its architecture, improvements, and the city plan."[10] Friends Charles H. Howell and Henry K. Fox conceived of the Fairmount Park Art Association, and the organization's first president was
Anthony J. Drexel, founder of
Drexel University.[5]
The association's first official venture was purchasing Hudson Bay Wolves Quarreling Over the Carcass of a Deer (1872) by
Edward Kemeys,[11] and its first major undertaking was commissioning
Alexander Milne Calder for an equestrian statue of Major General George Meade in 1873.[12]
Name change
In May 2012, the Fairmount Park Art Association changed its name to the Association for Public Art (aPA). The change was made to more clearly communicate the nature and scope of the organization's work, and to distinguish itself from other local and national public art agencies.[13] The organization's first major project under its new name was Open Air (2012), a world-premiere interactive light installation for the Benjamin Franklin Parkway by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.[14]
Public art
Steel Bodies (2022),
Maren Hassinger - originally commissioned and presented by Socrates Sculpture Park in New York and coming to Philadelphia June 12 - November 12, 2023.
Maja (1942, reinstalled 2021),
Gerhard Marcks, purchased by the Association for Public Art [15]
Winter Fountains (2017),
Jennifer Steinkamp, presented by the Parkway Council and commissioned by the Association for Public Art [16]
Cai Guo-Qiang: Fireflies (2017),
Cai Guo-Qiang, commissioned by the Association for Public Art with Fung Collaboratives [17]
Big Bling (2016; installed 2017),
Martin Puryear, presented by the Association for Public Art, commissioned by Madison Square Park Conservancy [18]
AMOR (1998; installed 2015),
Robert Indiana, presented by the Association for Public Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art [19]
Magic Carpet (2014), Candy Coated (formerly Candy Depew), commissioned by the Association for Public Art [20]
Symbiosis (2011; installed 2014),
Roxy Paine, acquired through a grant from the Daniel W. Dietrich II Trust, Inc.[21]
Rock Form (Porthcurno) (1964; installed 2012),
Barbara Hepworth, gift of David N. Pincus to the Association for Public Art, commissioned by the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority [22]
The Labor Monument: Philadelphia's Tribute to the American Worker (2010),
John Kindness, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [23]
Common Ground (2009), John Stone and
Lonnie Graham in collaboration with Lorene Caryfor
Project HOME, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [24]
Iroquois (1983–1999; installed 2007),
Mark di Suvero, acquired by the Association for Public Art, gift of David N. Pincus [25]
Manayunk Stoops: Heart and Home (2006), Diane Pieri, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [26]
Embodying Thoreau: Dwelling, Sitting, Watching (2003), Ed Levine, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [27]
I have a story to tell you…(2003),
Pepón Osorio, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [28]
Pavilion in the Trees (1993),
Martin Puryear, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [29]
Sleeping Woman (1991),
Tom Chimes and Stephen Berg, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [30]
Fingerspan (1987), Jody Pinto, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [31]
Louis Kahn Lecture Room (1982),
Siah Armajani, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [32]
El Gran Teatro de la Luna (1982),
Rafael Ferrer, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [33]
Atmosphere and Environment XII (1970),
Louise Nevelson, purchased by the Association for Public Art [34]
The Wedges (1970),
Robert Morris, acquired by the Association for Public Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. Gates Lloyd [35]
Tiger at Bay (1965), Albino Manca, purchased by the Association for Public Art [36]
Three Way Piece Number 1: Points (1964),
Henry Moore, purchased by the Association for Public Art [37]
Cow Elephant and Calf (1962),
Heinz Warneke, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [38]
Bear and Cub (1957), Joseph J. Greenberg Jr., commissioned by the Association for Public Art [39]
The Spirit of Enterprise (1950–1960),
Jacques Lipchitz, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [40]
Aero Memorial (1948),
Paul Manship, commissioned by the Association for Public Art and Aero Club of Pennsylvania [41]
The Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial (1933-1961), various artists, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [42]
The Mounted Amazon Attacked by a Panther (1839, cast 1929),
August Kiss, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [43]
Shakespeare Memorial (1926),
Alexander Stirling Calder, commissioned by the Association for Public Art, City of Philadelphia, and the Shakespeare Memorial Committee [44]
PNC Arts Alive Award for Arts Innovation in Honor of Peggy Amsterdam, Arts and Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, 2011[66]
Named one of "10 great sculpture gardens across the USA,"
USA Today, 2011 [4]
aPA public art projects I have a story to tell you... and Embodying Thoreau: dwelling, sitting, watching named among "the country's best," Year in Review,
Americans for the Arts, 2004[67]
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from
the original(PDF) on September 11, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2014.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^Bach, Penny (1992). Public Art in Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. p. 223.
ISBN0-87722-822-1.
^Bach, Penny (1992). Public Art in Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. p. 229.
ISBN0-87722-822-1.
^George and Penn, Alice L. and Elan (2006). Philadelphia: A Pictorial Celebration. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 116.
ISBN978-1-4027-2384-1.
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from
the original(PDF) on September 18, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2013.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^
ab"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from
the original(PDF) on September 14, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2013.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from
the original(PDF) on September 18, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2013.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from
the original(PDF) on September 14, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2013.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
Established in 1872 in
Philadelphia, the Association for Public Art (aPA), formerly Fairmount Park Art Association, is the first private, nonprofit public art organization dedicated to integrating
public art and
urban planning in the United States.[2] The association commissions, preserves, promotes, and interprets public art in Philadelphia,[3] and it has contributed to Philadelphia being maintaining of the nation's largest public art collections.[4]
The aPA has acquired and commissioned works by many notable sculptors, including
Augustus Saint-Gaudens,
Alexander Stirling Calder,
Daniel Chester French,
Frederic Remington,
Paul Manship, and
Albert Laessle,[5] supported city planning projects, established an outdoor sculpture conservation program, and sponsored numerous publications, exhibitions, and educational programs.[6] The aPA interprets and preserves more than 200 works of art throughout Philadelphia,[7] working with the city's Public Art Office,
Fairmount Park, and other organizations and agencies responsible for placing and caring for outdoor sculpture in Philadelphia,[8] and maintains an inventory of all of the city's public art.[9]
History
Chartered by the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1872, the Fairmount Park Art Association (now the Association for Public Art) was founded by a group of concerned citizens in the late nineteenth century who wanted to beautify Philadelphia's urban landscape with public art to counter the city's encroaching industrialism. The Association initially focused on enhancing Fairmount Park with outdoor sculpture, but the organization's mission expanded in 1906 to include the rest of the city as a whole: to "promote and foster the beautiful in Philadelphia, in its architecture, improvements, and the city plan."[10] Friends Charles H. Howell and Henry K. Fox conceived of the Fairmount Park Art Association, and the organization's first president was
Anthony J. Drexel, founder of
Drexel University.[5]
The association's first official venture was purchasing Hudson Bay Wolves Quarreling Over the Carcass of a Deer (1872) by
Edward Kemeys,[11] and its first major undertaking was commissioning
Alexander Milne Calder for an equestrian statue of Major General George Meade in 1873.[12]
Name change
In May 2012, the Fairmount Park Art Association changed its name to the Association for Public Art (aPA). The change was made to more clearly communicate the nature and scope of the organization's work, and to distinguish itself from other local and national public art agencies.[13] The organization's first major project under its new name was Open Air (2012), a world-premiere interactive light installation for the Benjamin Franklin Parkway by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.[14]
Public art
Steel Bodies (2022),
Maren Hassinger - originally commissioned and presented by Socrates Sculpture Park in New York and coming to Philadelphia June 12 - November 12, 2023.
Maja (1942, reinstalled 2021),
Gerhard Marcks, purchased by the Association for Public Art [15]
Winter Fountains (2017),
Jennifer Steinkamp, presented by the Parkway Council and commissioned by the Association for Public Art [16]
Cai Guo-Qiang: Fireflies (2017),
Cai Guo-Qiang, commissioned by the Association for Public Art with Fung Collaboratives [17]
Big Bling (2016; installed 2017),
Martin Puryear, presented by the Association for Public Art, commissioned by Madison Square Park Conservancy [18]
AMOR (1998; installed 2015),
Robert Indiana, presented by the Association for Public Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art [19]
Magic Carpet (2014), Candy Coated (formerly Candy Depew), commissioned by the Association for Public Art [20]
Symbiosis (2011; installed 2014),
Roxy Paine, acquired through a grant from the Daniel W. Dietrich II Trust, Inc.[21]
Rock Form (Porthcurno) (1964; installed 2012),
Barbara Hepworth, gift of David N. Pincus to the Association for Public Art, commissioned by the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority [22]
The Labor Monument: Philadelphia's Tribute to the American Worker (2010),
John Kindness, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [23]
Common Ground (2009), John Stone and
Lonnie Graham in collaboration with Lorene Caryfor
Project HOME, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [24]
Iroquois (1983–1999; installed 2007),
Mark di Suvero, acquired by the Association for Public Art, gift of David N. Pincus [25]
Manayunk Stoops: Heart and Home (2006), Diane Pieri, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [26]
Embodying Thoreau: Dwelling, Sitting, Watching (2003), Ed Levine, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [27]
I have a story to tell you…(2003),
Pepón Osorio, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [28]
Pavilion in the Trees (1993),
Martin Puryear, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [29]
Sleeping Woman (1991),
Tom Chimes and Stephen Berg, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [30]
Fingerspan (1987), Jody Pinto, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [31]
Louis Kahn Lecture Room (1982),
Siah Armajani, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [32]
El Gran Teatro de la Luna (1982),
Rafael Ferrer, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [33]
Atmosphere and Environment XII (1970),
Louise Nevelson, purchased by the Association for Public Art [34]
The Wedges (1970),
Robert Morris, acquired by the Association for Public Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. Gates Lloyd [35]
Tiger at Bay (1965), Albino Manca, purchased by the Association for Public Art [36]
Three Way Piece Number 1: Points (1964),
Henry Moore, purchased by the Association for Public Art [37]
Cow Elephant and Calf (1962),
Heinz Warneke, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [38]
Bear and Cub (1957), Joseph J. Greenberg Jr., commissioned by the Association for Public Art [39]
The Spirit of Enterprise (1950–1960),
Jacques Lipchitz, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [40]
Aero Memorial (1948),
Paul Manship, commissioned by the Association for Public Art and Aero Club of Pennsylvania [41]
The Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial (1933-1961), various artists, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [42]
The Mounted Amazon Attacked by a Panther (1839, cast 1929),
August Kiss, commissioned by the Association for Public Art [43]
Shakespeare Memorial (1926),
Alexander Stirling Calder, commissioned by the Association for Public Art, City of Philadelphia, and the Shakespeare Memorial Committee [44]
PNC Arts Alive Award for Arts Innovation in Honor of Peggy Amsterdam, Arts and Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, 2011[66]
Named one of "10 great sculpture gardens across the USA,"
USA Today, 2011 [4]
aPA public art projects I have a story to tell you... and Embodying Thoreau: dwelling, sitting, watching named among "the country's best," Year in Review,
Americans for the Arts, 2004[67]
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from
the original(PDF) on September 11, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2014.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^Bach, Penny (1992). Public Art in Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. p. 223.
ISBN0-87722-822-1.
^Bach, Penny (1992). Public Art in Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. p. 229.
ISBN0-87722-822-1.
^George and Penn, Alice L. and Elan (2006). Philadelphia: A Pictorial Celebration. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 116.
ISBN978-1-4027-2384-1.
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from
the original(PDF) on September 18, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2013.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^
ab"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from
the original(PDF) on September 14, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2013.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from
the original(PDF) on September 18, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2013.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from
the original(PDF) on September 14, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2013.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)