Art, culture, and history are essential components of the human narrative. Exhibits take those components and propel them to forefront for visitors to soak in. From art exhibits, to social ones, and even a Disney exhibit, there are many interestingly amazing and provoking exhibits you should check out right now in Philly before it’s too late!
1. Wondrous Spaces, The Franklin Institute
Wondrous Spaces is The Franklin Institute’s newest exhibit that will take you on a journey through the cosmos! This two-story multi sensory exhibit will transport you to what lies beyond earth. Learn about things space and celestial. Also, see, feel, and touch a real meteorite that fell to Earth over 50,000 year ago.
Where: 222 N. 20th Street
2. Sue Williamson & Lebohang Kganye: Tell Me What You Remember
The work of Sue Williamson and Lebohang Kganye, two contemporary South-African artists, take visitors down a cross-generational experience. Open now until May 21, 2023 at The Barnes Foundation, Sue Williamson & Lebohang Kganye: Tell Me What You Remember exhibition features pieces from both artists. However, they are shown side-by-side allowing for the dialogue of generational differences, similarities, and interpretations.
With social injustice and racial violence as the thematic base, the exhibit incorporates oral histories into films, photographs, installations, and textiles to consider how the stories our elders tell us shape family narratives and personal identities. The museum is open Monday-Thursday and you can learn more about tickets pricing by visiting their website.
Where: 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
3. The Future Will Follow the Past: An Exhibition by Jonathan Horowitz
Open now at the Weitzman National Museum of Jewish History until July 4, 2023, a thought-provoking exhibit by artist Jonathan Horowitz. The installations are inspired by recent occurrences surrounding antisemitism, racial violence, immigration, women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ rights. The museum is open Friday through Sunday. This powerful exhibition is one you don’t what to miss!
Where: 101 South Independence Mall East
4. The Mashrabiya Project
Formerly The Center for Art In Wood, the newly renamed the Museum for Art in Wood is hosting a new, aesthetically-pleasing art exhibition. The Mashrabiya Project focuses on the traditional Islamic architectural design, Mashrabiya. The exhibit is the first of its kind in the USA to examine this specific aesthetic style. According to the museum website, “The Mashrabiya Project is a community-focused, shared experience that links the heritage of the mashrabiya, a screening element with ancient origins, to responses in art and design that reflect considerations of space and seeing in contemporary life.” For design and architect lovers, this is a sensory-pleasing exhibit!
Where: 141 N 3rd Street
5. Judith Joy Ross: The Exhibit
Now until August 6, 2023, The Philadelphia Museum of Art will will host a stunning exhibit by portrait artist Judi5Joy Ross. Including never-before-seen images, this exhibit will chronicle Ross’ career and memorable highlights beginning in the 1980s. The intricate photographs are printed in black and white and tell the stories of everyday Americans.
Where: 2600 Ben Franklin Parkway
6. Spit Spreads Death
Now until November 2024, The Mütter Museuem’s Spit Spreads Death is a moving exhibit about the 1918 Bird Flu that swept through the country. The exhibit chronicles the spread of the influenza virus throughout the Philadelphia neighborhoods a century ago. It futher explores how the pandemic impacted the city with artifacts like newspaper clipping, photos and more.
Indeed, it is a provocative exhibit that explores the tragic historic event of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918. Moreover, it makes connections to contemporary health issues that could affect future civilizations. The Mütter Museum is open Wednesdays through Mondays. You can learn about how to get tickets to this exhibit by visiting their website.
Where: 19 S. 22nd Street
7. Rising Sun: Artists in an Uncertain America
A collaboration between the African American Museum in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Academy of The Fine Arts, Rising Sun showcases new work from 20 artists. The art work seeks to answer the central question: is the sun rising or setting on the experiment of American democracy? The exhibit is open now until October 8, 2023 with works being shown at both museums. As mentioned on the museum website, “visitors will see how each artist engaged with the theme of the rising sun in a time when perspectives about human rights, equality, free speech, and other democratic principles are radically disparate.” You can find out more about the exhibit and how to get tickets by visiting risingsunphilly.org .
Where: 701 Arch Street & 1118-128 N. Broad Street
8. The 19th Amendment: How Women Won The Vote
Open now at the National Constitution Center, this semi-permanent exhibit explores the woman’s suffrage movement in the United States and ultimately the ratification of the 19th amendment. With over 100 artifacts including a rare printing of the Declaration of Sentiments from the first women’s convention at Seneca Falls, this is indeed a must see exhibit! Visitors can further take a trip back in time by viewing a ballot box used to collect women’s votes in the late 1800s, Pennsylvania’s ratification copy of the 19th Amendment, and various “Votes for Women” ephemera. You can learn more about how to visit the exhibit by visiting their website.
Where: 525 Arch Street