A Nation Of Artists-Philadelphia Museum of Art: April 12, 2026–July 5, 2027 Pennsylvania Academy Of The Fine Arts: April 12, 2026–September 5, 2027

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) present A Nation of Artists, a landmark exhibition and collaboration with the private Middleton Family Collection, on view from April 2026 to September 2027.

Organized in conjunction with America’s 250th anniversary, A Nation of Artists examines how artistic production in the United States has been shaped by creativity, exchange, expansion, conflict, and innovation. At PAFA, works made from the late 18th century to today will be arranged thematically to explore scenes of westward expansion, the rise of industry, and international exchange. At PMA, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2026, visitors will encounter a chronological display of American art from 1700 to 1960, revealing the global connections that spurred artistic and technological innovation, as well as makers inspired by the natural world, western expansion, and dramatic shifts in economic abundance and disparity.

Installed throughout PAFA’s recently restored Historic Landmark Building and PMA’s newly renovated American art galleries, the exhibition will chart America’s history from 1700 to the present day through more than 1,000 paintings, photographs, sculptures, decorative arts, and more. Across both museums, more than 120 rarely seen works from the Middleton Family Collection—one of the nation’s most significant private holdings of American art—will be on public view for the first time.

Collective highlights from A Nation of Artists will include:

Large-scale portraiture and figurative paintings, from Charles Willson Peale’s self-portrait and portrait of George Washington to Thomas Eakins’s famous Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic).

Lush landscapes and scenes of the natural world by Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Edwin Church, Winslow Homer, Rookwood Pottery, and Georgia O’Keeffe.

Explorations of the Civil War period, including a monumental jar made and inscribed by the enslaved potter Dave, who later took the name David Drake.

Textiles, ceramics, and sculpture by Native American artists from Haida, Hodínöhšö:ni:h (Iroquois Confederacy), Diné, Hopi, and Pueblo nations and contemporary Lenape artist Laura Watters Maynor (Delaware Tribe of Indians, Wolf Clan).

Impressionist paintings by Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, Daniel Garber, and John Singer Sargent, as well as work by modern masters such as Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol.

Contemporary artists such as Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Rina Banerjee, María Berrío, Willie Cole, Clarity Haynes, Gisela McDaniel, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Catherine Opie, Stephanie Syjuco, Mickalene Thomas, and Kara Walker, and many more.

“Our aspiration is that this exhibition is for everyone—no prior knowledge of art or history required,” noted John S. Middleton. “We believe in the power of storytelling to connect people and are thrilled to partner with these two storied institutions to share the works that have brought our family so much joy and inspiration. Like baseball, art has the power to bring people together and surprise us when we least expect it. With every viewing, there’s something new to discover. It’s an honor to help bring American art to life in a new way during this very special 250th commemoration of our country’s founding.”

“This is a transformative moment for PAFA and for Philadelphia,” said Kristen Shepherd, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. “As PAFA celebrates its 220th anniversary as America’s first art museum and school and the reopening of the Historic Landmark Building, we invite audiences into a renewed experience—one that reflects our storied legacy as the nation’s first art school and museum, while offering a powerful setting for a reimagined installation of our collection, enriched by works from the Middleton Family Collection. In collaboration with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we are proud to present A Nation of Artists in a way that is deeply rooted in PAFA’s history, yet forward-looking in its exploration of what defines American art today.”

“Commemorating the country’s semiquincentennial and PMA’s 150th anniversary, we are honored to collaborate with the esteemed Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the rarely seen Middleton Family Collection,” said Daniel Weiss, George D. Widener Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “A Nation of Artists will span three centuries of art to trace the ever-evolving story of American creativity. This exhibition, a cultural milestone, will bring together voices from around the country through innovative programs, partnerships, and scholarship.”

To learn more about A Nation of Artists, including exhibition details, programming, and visiting information, visit ANationofArtists.org

Philadelphia Welcomes The Democratic National Convention With Special Exhibits, Events & Even A Burger #DNCdeals

The DNC Host City Casts A Vote For Fun With Political-Themed Activities & Exhibitions

The National Constitution Center’s (above) timely Headed to the White House exhibit gives people the scoop on the electoral process, from the moment a candidate announces his/her campaign to the presidential swearing-in ceremony. 

Credit: Photo by G. Widman for VISIT PHILADELPHIA^®

 Philadelphia, the country’s first World Heritage City, is all in for the Democratic National Convention. Museums and attractions around the city are getting in the red, white and blue spirit with political-themed events, exhibitions and specials. As convention delegates head to the Wells Fargo Center to cast their votes for a nominee, here are nine ways locals and visitors can cast their votes for fun:

Exciting Exhibitions:

1.  The National Constitution Center’s timely Headed to the White House gives people the scoop on the electoral process, from the moment a candidate announces his/her campaign to the presidential swearing-in ceremony. Throughout the interactive exhibition, “candidates” discover how elections have evolved over time, create and star in their own ad campaigns, work with an interactive speech coach and take a seat behind the Oval Office desk. Through November 13. 525 Arch Street, (215) 409-6700, constitutioncenter.org

2.  Sweep the Country: Political Conventions in Philadelphia, presented at The Heritage Center of The Union League of Philadelphia in partnership with the Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent, covers the 11 political conventions held in Philadelphia between 1848 and 2000. After this year’s DNC, items and stories from Philadelphia’s 12^th political convention will be added to the display. Videos featuring historians and historic objects, including badges, ribbons and pins, transport visitors to past conventions, complete with celebrations and strife. Open to the public on Tuesdays, Thursdays and second Saturdays. Through early 2017. 140 S. Broad Street, (215) 587-6455,ulheritagecenter.org

3.  As the nation faces hot-button issues related to incarceration, historic Eastern State Penitentiary unveils a daring new exhibition, Prisons Today: Questions in the Age of Mass Incarceration. Focusing on changes in laws, policing and sentencing, the three-year interactive exhibition challenges people to explore ways to shape the future of the American criminal justice system. Opens May 6. 2027 Fairmount Avenue, (215) 236-3300, easternstate.org

4.  A special exhibition drawn from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts’ (PAFA) permanent collection explores themes of humor, protest and portraiture in the cross-section of American art and politics. Called Happiness, Liberty, Life? American Art and Politics, the show addresses American artists’ often-explosive engagement with the political process. Part of the exhibit, The Wall of Washington presents more than 20 representations of George and Martha Washington, and pop artist Red Grooms’ circa 1982 Philadelphia Cornucopia, a“sculpto-pictorama” of Washington, Jefferson and Franklin, last exhibited in 1987. A companion installation in PAFA’s next-door Historic Landmark Building traces the history of presidential portraiture from the 19^th century to the present. June 29-September 18. 118-128 N. Broad Street, (215) 972-7600, pafa.org

5.  Just before the Fourth of July, 57 decorated Donkeys Around Town will pop up in interesting spots throughout and just beyond Center City. Each fiberglass animal, fabricated in nearby Chester, Pennsylvania and decorated by Philadelphia artists affiliated with the Mural Arts Program and artjawn.com, will represent one of 50 U.S. states, one of five territories, Washington, D.C. and Democrats abroad. The donkeys furnish great opportunities for home-state selfies. July 1-September 5.phldnc.com

6.  The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University dug deep into its 200-plus-year-old collection to create a mini-exhibition for the DNC.Presidential Archives: Letters, Hair, and Fossilsshowcases the museum’s connections to presidents of all political parties—including fossils that belonged to Jefferson (mammoth, mastodon, sloth); hair samples from Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson; and Ulysses S. Grant’s and Thomas Jefferson’s membership cards to The Academy of Natural Sciences. July 1-29. 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 299-1000, ansp.org

7. PoliticalFest brings political entertainment to the people, via family-friendly exhibits on politics, government and history at seven city attractions over six days. One ticket gives participants access to all seven locations ($15 adult, $5 ages 17 and under, students and seniors).July 22-27. phldnc.com/politicalfest

• At the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Politics and You! invites guests to climb aboard the fuselage of Air Force One, have a seat behind the desk at a replica of the Oval Office and explore the Future Leaders Zone, filled with political fun and games for kids. 1101 Arch Street, Hall F, (215) 418-4700, paconvention.com
• The National Constitution Center presents Headed to the White House (see above),along with interactive Political Theater, featuring trivia, interviews and panel discussions. Parked outside, C-SPAN’s “Campaign 2016” bus offers a climb-aboard view of the TV journalist life. 525 Arch Street, (215) 409-6600, constitutioncenter.org
• First Families at the National Liberty Museum displays sets of White House china dating back to George Washington’s tenure, First Ladies’ fashions and First Family portraits, and offers special programs provided by the Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement. 321 Chestnut Street, (215) 925-2800, libertymuseum.org
• The Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent traces the major role the city has played in making of commanders-in-chief through Philadelphia & the Presidency,starring a must-do “whistle-stop” photo op. 15 S. 7^th Street, (215) 685-4830,philadelphiahistory.org
• Founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the country’s oldest lending library, will showcase a life mask of George Washington, death mask of Abraham Lincoln, various presidential locks of hair and rare books, graphics and manuscripts about women in American politics and 19^th-century African-American political conventions. 1314 Locust Street, (215) 546-3181, librarycompany.org
• Historical Society of Pennsylvania exhibit Founding Documents includes the earliest surviving version of the U.S. Constitution, aDeclaration of Independence with a misprint and John Dickinson’s draft of the Articles of Confederation. 1300 Locust Street, (215) 732-6200, hsp.org
• Last but not least, the Heritage Center at the Union League’s Sweep the Country: Political Conventions in Philadelphia (see above) rounds out the PoliticalFest ticket. 140 S. Broad Street, (215) 587-6455, ulheritagecenter.org
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Festivals & Tours:

8.   Pre-empting convention excitement, Political Moviefest shows free alfresco films in Dilworth Park. Philadelphia’s Center City District had movie buffs vote on which political flicks would be shown on City Hall’s west side. Voters selected classics Selma, The Manchurian Candidate, The American President and All the President’s Men—screening in that order. Before and during the four-night festival, audience members can avail themselves of refreshments from Brûlée Catering’s Dilworth Park Café and Air Grille, along with treats from Capogiro and Philly Pop Kettle Corn. July 20-23. 15^th & Market Streets, (215) 440-5500, ccdparks.org/dilworth-park

9.  Philadelphia’s popular Night Market moves to the daytime—and into Historic Philadelphia—just for the DNC. Philly Feast, United We Eatbrings a diverse lineup of food trucks, live music, local vendors and American history for a foodie block party. July 25. 3^rd & Arch Streets,phldnc.com

10.  For the DNC, Christ Church, where many Founding Fathers worshipped, displays a segment of a coat of arms belonging to King George III, a recreated U.N. Chapel and two presidential letters: one from George Washington to Reverend William White in 1799 to thank him for sending a copy of his sermon and one from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Reverend Felix Kloman to thank him for the creation of a U.N. Chapel in the church. Grave markers at Christ Church Burial Ground identify the burial sites of Benjamin Franklin, Dr. Benjamin Rush and three other signers of the Declaration of Independence. For the convention, historians offer hourly 20-minute tours that highlight the revolutionary contributions of the country’s Founding Mothers, including Deborah Franklin, Julia Rush, Abigail Adams and Martha Washington. July 25-28.Church, 2^nd Street between Market & Arch Streets; Burial Ground, Arch Street between 4^th & 5^th Streets, (215) 922-1695,christchurchphila.org

11.  South Philly’s vibrant East Passyunk Avenue expands its weekly summer-evening stroll into a DNC Passyunk Passeggiata Street Festival, closing down the byway to cars so pedestrians can roam amid alfresco dining, live music, five DJs, a farmers’ market from early evening until post-convention time. July 27.  E. Passyunk Avenue from Tasker Street to Broad Street, visiteastpassyunk.com

Food & Drinks Specials:

12.  Looking to break a record during the DNC, Philly’s hit Center City Sips happy hour starts in Comcast Plaza, Centre Square and Dilworth Park and then continues in dozens of restaurants and bars in a valiant attempt to become the biggest such event. July 27. Centre Square & Dilworth Park, 15^th & Market Streets, Comcast Plaza, 1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, centercityphila.org/sips

13.  Political affiliations don’t mean much at McGillin’s Olde Ale House. Established in 1860, the city’s oldest continuously operating pub welcomes everyone to enjoy a Red, White & Bleu Burger, a char-grilled burger topped with roasted red peppers, caramelized onions and crumbled bleu cheese, and wash it down with a patriotic drink—the Dublin Donkey, a concoction of ginger beer and a shot of Jameson, or the Red, White & Blue cocktail, a mix of strawberry daiquiri, piña colada, Blue Curacao and rum. 1310 Drury Lane, (215) 735-5562, mcgillins.com

14.  Citywide, restaurants, bars, merchants and more hashtag convention-centric specials in order to announce them in real time on Twitter and Instagram by using #DNCdeals.

The Barnes Foundation Announces The Extension Of It's William Glackens Exhibition Through February 16th

Now on view through February 16, 2015, due to popular demand

Due to popular demand, The Barnes Foundation will extend the highly acclaimed exhibition, William Glackens, through February 16, 2015. The exhibition was originally scheduled to close on February 2, 2015. 

“We have been so pleased by the overwhelming response we have received from our visitors to this historic exhibition, the first comprehensive survey of Glackens’ work since 1966,” said Margaret (Peg) Zminda, acting director of the Barnes Foundation. “William Glackens is among the most popular exhibitions at the Barnes to date, and celebrates a gifted artist who was a friend and an inspiration to our founder, Albert C. Barnes. Extending this exhibition will give even more people a chance to enjoy William Glackenshere in Philadelphia.”

Curated by writer and art historian Avis Berman and co-organized by the Barnes Foundation, the Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, NY, and the Nova Southeastern University Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, FL, William Glackens spans the artist’s career and focuses on his most distinctive and adventurous works in all genres, while exploring his wide range of motifs. The exhibition features more than 80 major paintings and works on paper from some of America's finest private and public collections. Long-overdue, this survey introduces Glackens to a new generation of viewers and invites further scholarship on a pivotal figure in the history of American art. The exhibition includes 7 additional paintings not included in the previous showings, and is complimented by 48 works by Glackens in the Collection Gallery of the Barnes, including a renowned painting from the original show of The Eight in 1908.

Highlights of William Glackens at the Barnes Foundation include: 

• Vaudeville Team (c. 1908–1909), London Family Collection, which has not been publicly exhibited before and several others which have rarely, if ever, been shown;
• Touchstones of American art such as Girl with Apple (1909–1910), Family Group(1910–1911), and The Green Car (1910); and
• Key pieces from each decade of the artist’s career, such as La Villette (c.1895),Cape Cod Pier (1908), Artist’s Daughter in Chinese Costume (1918), Still-Life with Three Glasses (mid-1920s), and The Soda Fountain (1935).

Glackens was a boyhood friend of Albert C. Barnes (1872–1951), the Philadelphia-born pharmaceutical entrepreneur, self-made millionaire, art collector, and creator of the Barnes Foundation. They knew each other from Philadelphia’s prestigious Central High School, and when they renewed their friendship in 1911, Glackens guided Barnes toward an appreciation of modern French painting. In early 1912, Barnes wrote to Glackens: “Dear Butts, I want to buy some good modern paintings. Can I see you on Tuesday next in New York to talk about it?” The following month, with $20,000 from Barnes in his pocket (the equivalent of $500,000 today), the artist traveled to Paris on a buying trip and returned with works by Pierre Bonnard, Paul Cézanne, Maurice Denis, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. These purchases became the cornerstone of Barnes’s fabled collection. The two men remained close, and Barnes became his loyal and most important patron. Barnes found Glackens indispensable, stating in 1915, “The most valuable single educational factor to me has been my frequent association with a life-long friend who combines greatness as an artist with a big man’s mind.”

A Philadelphia native, Glackens (1870–1938) studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. There, and as an artist for the Philadelphia Press, he became friends with Robert Henri, George Luks, Everett Shinn, and John Sloan, the core of the group that later formed “The Eight” in reaction to the National Academy of Design’s hidebound exhibition policies. The group exhibited together only once, in 1908, creating the opening wedge in the struggle to democratize the process by which artists could show and sell their work.

At the Barnes Foundation, the exhibition was coordinated by Judith F. Dolkart, the Mary Stripp & R. Crosby Kemper Director of the Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., and former deputy director of art and archival collections and Gund Family Chief Curator at the Barnes.

Letters and Photographs from the Archives

William James Glackens: An Artist and Friend is a small archival exhibition showcasing the strong friendship between Dr. Albert C. Barnes and William Glackens running in conjunction with the Williams Glackens exhibition. The archival exhibition highlights eight key letters pulled from the Albert C. Barnes Correspondence, which holds communication between the two men from 1913 to 1935. It also includes three photographs donated to the Barnes Foundation from the Glackens family, including a charming image of Glackens with his daughter Lenna.

The letters in this show discuss modern art and the business of art purchases, but they also show the close friendship between the two men. This can be seen in a note from January 7, 1921 regarding the shipment of art work as well as mentioning, more informally, “hootch” that was made on a day Glackens was visiting. Barnes affectionately addressed his letters with his nickname for Glackens, “Butts,” a name which originated at Central High School after Glackens bragged about the brass buttons on his new coat. On December 15, 1915, he wrote to “Butts” asking to discuss in person Stein’s thoughts on a flower piece done by the artist. Glackens wife, Edith Dimock, had her own nickname for Barnes, “Albertus,” which is how she addressed him in a letter in 1938 requesting paintings for a memorial show of Glackens at the Whitney Museum of Art. Barnes loaned The Race Track (BF138), The Raft (BF701), and Armenian Girl. The letters and photographs in the archival exhibition can be seen in display cases on the lower level of the Parkway building.

Exhibition CatalogueA fully illustrated exhibition catalogue, published by Skira Rizzoli in association with the Barnes Foundation, was edited by Ms. Berman, who contributed several essays to the publication. The other essays are by Elizabeth Thompson Colleary, Heather Campbell Coyle, Judith F. Dolkart, Alicia G. Longwell, Martha Lucy, Patricia Mears, Carol Troyen, and Emily C. Wood. Issues previously unexamined in the literature about Glackens and The Eight are considered throughout the text, including: the artist’s sophisticated absorption of contemporaneous French painting, his sense of social observation, his depiction of women, his interest in costume and fashion, his portrayals of women and urban life, and his role as a tastemaker. The publication includes the first complete exhibition history for the artist, a critical contribution to Glackens scholarship.

  

ABOUT THE BARNES FOUNDATION
The Barnes Foundation (barnesfoundation.org) was established by Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to “promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture.” The Barnes holds one of the finest collections of post-impressionist and early modern paintings, with extensive works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Henri Rousseau, Amedeo Modigliani, Chaim Soutine, and Giorgio de Chirico; American masters Charles Demuth, William Glackens, Horace Pippin and Maurice Prendergast; old master paintings; important examples of African sculpture; Native American ceramics, jewelry and textiles; American paintings and decorative arts; and antiquities from the Mediterranean region and Asia. The Barnes Foundation’s Art and Aesthetics programs engage diverse audiences. These programs, held at the Philadelphia campus, online, and in Philadelphia communities, advance the mission through progressive, experimental, and interdisciplinary teaching and learning.

The Barnes Arboretum, at the Merion campus, contains more than 2,000 varieties of trees and woody plants, many of them rare. Founded in the 1880s by Joseph Lapsley Wilson and expanded under the direction of Mrs. Laura L. Barnes, the collection includes a fern-leaf beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Laciniata’), a dove tree (Davidia involucrata), a monkey-puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana), and a redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). Other important plant collections include lilacs, peonies, Stewartias and magnolias. The Horticulture school at the Barnes Foundation in Merion has offered a comprehensive three-year certificate course in the botanical sciences, horticulture, garden aesthetics, and design since its establishment in 1940 by Mrs. Barnes.

Philadelphia Is Emerging As One Of America's Most Creative Cities

The city's history now has a big chapter on the creative arts, as its growing renaissance finds ever-inventive ways of expressing itself 

Although Philadelphia once had a reputation for insularity, unhealthy food (hello, cheesesteak) and badly behaved sports fans, the city is busy reinventing itself. The restaurant scene is becoming one of the nation's best, and once-derelict neighbourhoods are rapidly gentrifying. But it's the evolving arts scene that is playing the biggest part in transforming Philadelphia into a serious destination, no longer bypassed in favour of New York just two hours' drive away. 

The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation are world-class museums, hosting bigger and better exhibitions every year. And in recent times the northern neighbourhoods, home to vast, unused industrial spaces, have attracted artists from all over the USA, enticed by the low rents. Warehouses and abandoned factories in Fishtown and Kensington contain scores of studios and workshops; cooperative spaces for artists working in clay, wood or 3D printing now have waiting lists. On the first Friday of every month, galleries host events that combine visual arts, live music and cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. It's an enticing combination of upstarts and established institutions that's fuelling the most exciting arts scene in the USA.

Philadelphia Museum of Art 

Referred to colloquially simply as 'the art museum', the PMA sits at the top of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, lording it over the city. It's one of the country's largest art repositories and the permanent collection (arms and armour, costumes and textiles, Old Masters, seminal works of modern art) attracts visitors from around the world. Architect Frank Gehry has just unveiled plans to extend the museum with new, underground galleries. On Friday evenings, it stays open until 8.45pm for Art After 5, with live music, food, drinks and guided gallery tours. 

WHAT'S ON

An exhibition of works on paper by Richard Pousette-Dart opens 13 September; a major retrospective of American photographer Paul Strand opens 21 October. 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway (+1 215 763 8100; www.philamuseum.org). Closed Monday. Entrance about £12

The Barnes Foundation

The Barnes Foundation opened on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in 2012, after a long and passionately fought legal battle over its move from the Philadelphia suburbs. Once a private collection, the stunning array of works by Cézanne, Picasso and Renoir (more than 160 by the latter alone) makes this a must-visit for devotees of Impressionist and early modernist art - though the gallery has also shown works by major contemporary artists such as Ellsworth Kelly. 

WHAT'S ON

A comprehensive exhibition of the paintings of William Glackens, American realist painter, opens 8 November. Glackens was highly influential in creating the Barns Collection, making this a 'must-see' exhibit for art lovers.  2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway (+1 215 278 7000; www.barnesfoundation.org). Closed Monday. Entrance about £13

Artwork by Claire Ashley; Photo by Luca Trovato

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

PAFA is one of the oldest museums and art schools in the USA, and its collection of American art is unparalleled. A clear lineage runs from 19th-century pieces by Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer to more recent work by Nancy Graves and Frank Stella. Smaller and quieter than both the PMA and the Barnes, this Frank Furness-designed museum is restful yet stimulating.  

WHAT'S ON

Opening 13 September is a show of visual art by director David Lynch (once a PAFA student), followed on 3 October by an exhibition of post-Fukushima-disaster photography by Eiko Otake and William Johnston. 118 North Broad Street (+1 215 972 7600; www.pafa.org). Closed Monday. Entrance about £9

Crane Arts

A large-scale renovation in 2005 turned this former plumbing warehouse and seafood processing plant in South Kensington into a home for a number of arts-related businesses. Many original fixtures, such as the working elevators, are still there. The Icebox (once used to store frozen fish) hosts site-specific installations that are always worth seeing: one artist created a series of colourful inflatables (left) that made the enormous space seem crowded. 1400 North American Street (+1 215 232 3203;www.cranearts.com). Open Wednesday-Saturday, noon-6pm. Free

Rebekah Templeton Contemporary Art

When founders Sarah Eberle and Ben Will opened this spot in 2007 it was one of the first galleries in the rough and ready Kensington neighbourhood, and it's still one of the best. It usually hosts solo shows and has a history of supporting contemporary artists working in new media and installation. Bold or subtle, the work here is never boring. 173 West Girard Ave (+1 267 519 3884; www.rebekahtempleton.com). Open weekends, noon-6pm, or by appointment. Free

Vox Populi

An artist-run space, Vox Populi promotes under-represented Philly-based artists, which, for the visitor, means getting an early look at the kind of work not found in mainstream shows. The film screenings, solo/group shows and exchange programmes with other galleries offer a fresh perspective and a sense of humour.

WHAT'S ON

Go for one of the First Friday openings (5 September, 3 October) when the space is open until 10pm. 319 North 11th Street (+1 215 238 1236;www.voxpopuligallery.org). Open Wednesday-Sunday, noon-6pm. Free 

Artwork by Claire Ashley; Photo by Luca Trovato

Performance Garage

Dance fans have plenty to choose from in Philadelphia, but this is a reliable venue for dynamic shows from an international line-up of companies. The studio was formerly a stable, then an automobile garage - a heritage referenced in a recent performance when dancers drove a car into the space. Expect to see anything from ball gowns to hula-hoops on stage. 

WHAT'S ON

In September the Garage is hosting a number of acts during the city's Fringe Festival. 1515 Brandywine Street (+1 215 569 4060;www.performancegarage.org)

Underground Arts

This cavernous warehouse basement has an edgy feel, cut-price drinks and a range of musical shows from the eclectic (venerable surf-rock group Man or Astro-man?) to the conventional (indie-rock darlings Bosnian Rainbows). Gaps in the calendar are filled with comedy, spoken word and open-micnights. Don't expect comfortable seats or subtle lighting - this is where you come to dance, clap, sing along or heckle. 

WHAT'S ON

Upcoming shows include Norwegian singer Sondre Lerche on 25 September, and actor/comedian John Hodgman (often seen on The Daily Show) on 17 October. 1200 Callowhill Street (no phone; www.undergroundarts.org)

World Cafe Live

Since 2004, this west Philadelphia venue has been providing what the founders call 'live music for grown-ups'. This means that in addition to a line-up of well-known bands, this place also has clean bathrooms, comfy seats and clear sightlines. Food is healthy (garlic houmous and quinoa salad) and there's a good selection of wine by the glass; most shows end by 10.30pm. 

WHAT'S ON

In September, Dinosaur Jr founder J Mascis, indie-pop-rock duo Pomplamoose and Brazilian band Sambadá. 3025 Walnut Street (+1 215 222 1400; www.philly.worldcafelive.com) 

Painted Bride art center

This performance venue has been luring visitors to its corner of the Old City neighbourhood for four decades, but the programming is fresh and innovative. There's avant-garde photography, group karaoke and percussion orchestra as well as traditional dance and theatre performances. 

WHAT'S ON

Up-and-coming dancers on 3 and 4 October; on 21 October there's an open-mic story-telling competition. 230 Vine Street (+1 215 925 9914;www.paintedbride.org)

This feature first appeared in Condé Nast Traveller USA Special September 2014

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