For immediate release: November 4, 2023 Contact: morgan.nitz@phila.gov PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia and the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) today shared updated site designs for the Bethel Burying Ground public art memorial during an event celebrating the historic burial site with Mayor Jim Kenney, artist Karyn Olivier, City officials, and the Bethel Burying Ground Historical Site Committee. The memorial designed by Olivier entitled “Her Luxuriant Soil” will acknowledge and celebrate the lives of the over 5,000 African Americans buried beneath what is now We ..read more

The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) is pleased to announce the selection and approval of Mushroom Seating, a new site-specific public artwork by Joshua Sarantitis that will be installed at Paschalville Library in Southwest Philadelphia. The work was commissioned through the City’s Percent for the Art Program as part of site renovations led by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and Rebuild.  Rendering of “Mushroom Seating” by Joshua Sarantitis, a Percent for Art Public Artwork to be installed at Paschalville Library.  Mushroom Seating will provide permanent ..read more

For immediate release: October 30, 2023 Contact: morgan.nitz@phila.gov PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia and the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) today announced that Alvin Pettit is the winning artist to create Philadelphia’s permanent Harriet Tubman statue. The statue will become the first statue of a Black female historical figure in the City’s public art collection and will be located on the northeast apron of City Hall. Alvin Pettit’s design entitled “A Higher Power: The Call of a Freedom Fighter” was selected by the  African American Hist ..read more

For immediate release: October 19, 2023 Contact: City of Philadelphia, press@phila.gov Bloomberg Philanthropies, RebeccaC@bloomberg.org PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia announced today that it has been selected to receive $1,000,000 as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, a program that supports temporary public art projects addressing an urgent civic issue. The winning project Healing Verse Germantown: The Streets Are Talking—led by the City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE), in collaboration with artistic leads Trapeta Mayso ..read more

For immediate release: October 17, 2023 Contact: press@phila.gov PHILADELPHIA – Today, the City of Philadelphia unveiled a new exhibit entitled Remembering MOVE: May 13, 1985 about the history of the 1985 bombing on Osage Avenue. The permanent exhibit, created by the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE), uses documentary photography and other sources to present the complex history of the MOVE bombing and remind all of the destructive event and its victims. “My hope is that Remembering MOVE will inspire civic dialogue about Philadelphia’s controversial past and strive ..read more

Rendering of “Up, Up and Away” by Serena Saunders, a Percent for Art public art installation coming to the Philadelphia International Airport Terminal A-West. The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) is pleased to announce the selection and approval of a new site-specific public artwork that will be installed in the Philadelphia International (PHL) Airport, entitled Up, Up and Away by Serena Saunders. This work of public art is being commissioned through the City’s Percent for Art Program as part of renovations to the Philadelphia International Airport restr ..read more

For Immediate Release: September 11, 2023 Contact: press@phila.gov   City to Celebrate Little Amal, 12-Foot Puppet of Syrian Refugee, with Global Cultural Celebration at LOVE Park Chasing LOVE will take place at LOVE Park on Thursday, September 14, from 4-6 p.m. It is part of the festivities of this year’s Welcoming Week, which honors and celebrates the contributions of immigrant people in our communities. PHILADELPHIA—The City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE), in partnership with the Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA), invites all to atte ..read more

AMAL’S VISIT TO PHILADELPHIA IS PART OF AMAL WALKS ACROSS AMERICA: A NATIONWIDE JOURNEY SPANNING MORE THAN 35 CITIES & TOWNS, 100 EVENTS, 300+ PARTNERS The City of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Global Philadelphia, LOVE Park, Nationalities Services, Office of Immigrant Affairs Center, Office of the City Representative, One Art Community Center, Philadelphia Theatre Company, SpiralQ, Taller Puertorriqueño – El Corazón Cultural del Barrio, Theatre Exile, The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE), The Welcoming Center, and Visit Philadelphia will welcome Little Amal to ..read more

June 28, 2023 Left: “Seeds of Change” mural in Jackson, MS by artist Ricardo Moody Top Right: “Temple of Time” in Parkland, FL by artist David Best Bottom Right: “Pathway to Hope,” in Tulsa, OK by artist Rick Lowe and William Cordova New York, NY – Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced 17 U.S. cities are finalists to receive grants of up to $1 million each as part of the Public Art Challenge, a program launched in 2014 to support temporary public art projects that address an urgent civic issue.  More than 150 cities from 40 U.S. states applied, and the most frequent ..read more

“El Ritmo Del Centro” by Amber Art and Design, a Percent for Art Mural located at 5th Street and Allegheny Ave. The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) and Rebuild are pleased to introduce El Ritmo Del Centro, a new site-specific mural by Amber Art and Design located in the Fairhill neighborhood of North Philadelphia. The 5,000 square foot mural was commissioned through the City’s Percent for Art Program as part of Rebuild renovations to the Rivera Recreation and Mann Older Adult Center, and is located on a prominent retaining wall along 5th Street and Allegheny Ave ..read more