Grantee Spotlight: What does “freedom” mean today as we approach America’s 250th birthday? For the Association for Public Art's 2026 installation of Paul Ramírez Jonas’ “Let Freedom Ring” at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, visitors are invited to ring a 600-pound bell and declare their own visions for freedom. APA executive director Charlotte Cohen previews the project and explains how it serves as a model for “how we can work as a society together to fulfill the promise of freedom for everyone.” #PewArtsGrants

Philadelphia's Ben Franklin Parkway will have a new cultural destination this September. Read about plans for the opening and leadership of Calder Gardens in this report from The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Center awarded a 2024 Evolving Futures grant to the Barnes Foundation for its administrative, operational, and educational programming support of this new institution that celebrates the work of sculptor Alexander Calder.

The Philadelphia Inquirer talks with #PewFellow Jesse Krimes about the artwork he began creating while incarcerated, which was then "smuggled out of prison piece by piece," and new work he's created for a solo show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Today, Krimes has a flourishing artistic career and is an advocate for supporting formerly incarcerated artists.

What's on your 2025 arts calendar? We have your planning covered with this preview of the year's cultural events, including a new hip-hop dance performance, a musical inspired by real-life stories of illness and caregiving, a composition for four pianos, exhibitions on climate change, Black culture, and the Declaration of Independence, and more—all supported by #PewArtsGrants. See what organizations like Ars Nova Workshop, BalletX, Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, The Clay Studio, Journey Arts, Penn Live Arts, and Philadelphia Theatre Company have in store for Philadelphia this year.

Grantee Spotlight: With support from an Evolving Futures grant from the Center, Asian Arts Initiative is advancing a business plan to expand and diversify use of its multidisciplinary arts center in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. AAI’s former director of development, Joey Wong, tells us how the organization is thinking about longevity and service to its communities. The Center’s support “challenges us to dig deeper and...really work intentionally to protect creative pathways for Philadelphia artists,” Wong says. #PewArtsGrants

Last month, we gathered with our newest grantees and Philadelphia's cultural leaders at the Science History Institute to celebrate and look ahead to the imaginative, transformational work this community has in store. As our executive director Paula Marincola said in her remarks, "The arts are substance and sustenance. They enable us to forge connections, to foster a sense of belonging, to empathize with difference, to find common ground, to grapple with difficult and urgent topics, to make sense of our shared past, and to imagine a more perfect collective future." See photos from the event (captured by Constance Mensh Photography) and an extended video of our grantees on our website. #PewArtsGrants

Grantee Spotlight: Composer, percussionist, and 2024 #PewFellow Tyshawn Sorey describes his style as a “world aesthetic,” bridging a multitude of cultural and musical traditions found in contemporary classical music, Black American music, and African and European forms of improvised music. He has performed with a wide range of musicians and his compositions have been performed at venues across the US. Sorey teaches music and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania. His latest album, "The Susceptible Now," is available from Pi Recordings.

Get to know the 2024 Philadelphia’s Cultural Treasures fellows. In traditional forms and boundary-breaking practices, these artists have made a material difference in their communities through visual art, craft, music, performance, and community-based work. Ten artists and a collaborative trio have received fellowships ranging from $75,000 to $120,000 in unrestricted funds. Learn more about these exemplary Philadelphia artists.

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