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Visual Arts

New exhibition ‘Re-materialize’ features artists who transform recycled materials
Curator standing in front of two hanging artworks

Heather Moqtaderi, assistant director and curator of the Arthur Ross Gallery, in front of two hanging artworks by El Anatsui. 

New exhibition ‘Re-materialize’ features artists who transform recycled materials

Open to the public for the first time since March, the Arthur Ross Gallery’s new exhibition “Re-materialize” features sculptures and mixed-media work by four artists who transform found and recycled materials.
The unique pandemic challenges faced by immunocompromised individuals
Three images that are part of a virtual gallery, on left are two printed-fabric face masks, top right is a hand holding a pen over a handwritten journal, bottom is a pink sky at sunset through a screen door.

Photos from the virtual exhibit. (Image: Courtesy Penn LDI/Capturing Well-being While Immunocompromised During COVID-19.)

The unique pandemic challenges faced by immunocompromised individuals

A photo-elicitation study funded by a Leonard Davis Institute (LDI) COVID-19 Rapid-Response grant has found that immunocompromised patients face unique challenges as a result of both their heightened risk of infection and adherence to government pandemic guidelines.

Hoag Levins

Design faculty and Art for Philadelphia raise money against police brutality
Open magazine with a photo of Shirley Chisholm on the left and an article titled The Ticket That Might Have Been: Shirley Chisholm on the right.

Sharon Hayes, “President Chisholm,” 2020. (Image: Weitzman School)

Design faculty and Art for Philadelphia raise money against police brutality

Weitzman faculty members David Hartt and Sharon Hayes are among a group of Philadelphia-based artists participating in Art for Philadelphia, a fundraising initiative to support those protesting against police brutality.

From the Weitzman School of Design

Literary characters as masks: A reflection on identity during a pandemic
student wearing a dark mask with pom-poms with words #IRunWithMaud

For the final project in a Penn English course on young adult literature, Amy Juang created masks for characters in five books. A double major in English and visual studies from Minneapolis, Juang graduated in May. 

Literary characters as masks: A reflection on identity during a pandemic

An English and visual studies double major, May graduate Amy Juang created five masks to reflect the identities of characters in novels she studied in a young adult literature course taught by Melissa Jensen.
Celebrate the arts, history, and nature from home
Triptych of a still from an art museum showing a contributor to their online content, a spring blossom and a collection of historical objects from the Penn Museum available for exploring virtually online.

Celebrate the arts, history, and nature from home

While Penn’s arts and culture centers remain closed, they are still finding ways to sustain connections through online collections and programs.

From The Power of Penn

Engaging with the climate crisis, online
A hand holds a pen in front of an iceberg in the ocean

Work by Amy Balkin, artist-in-residence for the PPEH this year, is a part of the Making Sense gallery. (Image: Amy Balkin)

Engaging with the climate crisis, online

Across a quartet of digital platforms, including one for this week’s Climate Sensing and Data Storytelling convening, the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities is encouraging public engagement and the pairing of environmental art and science on climate issues.

Katherine Unger Baillie

The Sachs Program unveils 2020 grants
Dancing in a nightclub

Ph.D. candidate Tamir Williams will curate an exhibition at Slought titled “A Space to Appear, A Space to Tarry,” which will present works from the photographic series “Black Nightclubs on Chicago’s South Side” (1975-1977) by Penn alumnus Michael Abramson.

The Sachs Program unveils 2020 grants

The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation revealed 34 new art projects from students, faculty, and staff that will receive funding.
Understanding the Americas through material texts
Professor standing with hands on her hips in the library with a chandelier in the background

Glenda Goodman, assistant professor of music at Penn, collaborated with a friend at Princeton to organize the American Contact project on material texts. 

Understanding the Americas through material texts

Penn and Princeton partner to create a now-virtual symposium to explore 38 objects, including books, journals, maps, musical scores, visual art, wampum, textiles, stone tablets, and various kinds of handwork.