Skip to Content Skip to Content

Arts & Humanities

Picturing artistic pursuits
students working with clay slabs at a table

nocred

Picturing artistic pursuits

Hundreds of undergraduates take classes in the fine arts each semester, among them painting and drawing, ceramics and sculpture, printmaking and animation, photography and videography. The courses, through the School of Arts & Sciences and the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, give students the opportunity to immerse themselves in an art form in a collaborative way.
Art Matters: Sam Maitin’s ‘Celebration’ mural
Celebration mural.

Artist Sam Maitin created his "Celebration" mural specifically for this space in the Annenberg School for Communication.

nocred

Art Matters: Sam Maitin’s ‘Celebration’ mural

The artist known as Philadelphia’s “Mayor of the Arts” created the 17 colorful, playful pieces specifically for the Annenberg School for Communication.
‘The Illuminated Body’ fuses color, light, and sound
barbara earl thomas with seth parker woods

nocred

‘The Illuminated Body’ fuses color, light, and sound

A new Arthur Ross Gallery exhibition of work by artist Barbara Earl Thomas features cut-paper portraits reminiscent of stained glass and an immersive installation constructed with intricately cut material lit from behind.
25 years of ‘LOVE’
dramatic light on Robert Indiana’s LOVE statue on Penn’s caption.

nocred

25 years of ‘LOVE’

The iconic sculpture by pop artist Robert Indiana arrived on campus in 1999 and soon became a natural place to come together.
Art Matters: ‘Fields of Transformation’ by Claudy Jongstra
A close-up of fields of transformation, showing wool in grey, cream, indigo, and gold

A close-up of “Fields of Transformation.” The wool was hand-dyed using natural materials, including onion skin and indigo.

(Image: Brian Hogan)

Art Matters: ‘Fields of Transformation’ by Claudy Jongstra

“Fields of Transformation,” a monumental textile mural in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, symbolizes knowledge evolving into wisdom.

Kristina García

A ‘celebrity translator’ takes center stage
emily wilson sitting in the penn museum auditorium

nocred

A ‘celebrity translator’ takes center stage

Emily Wilson, professor of classical studies, is renowned for her English translations of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poems, first “The Odyssey” and now the “The Iliad.”
Art Matters: Hand-coiled clay jar by Pueblo artist Les Namingha
clay jar in museum case surrounded by other clay works

The clay jar by artist Les Namingha is on view in the Penn Museum’s long-term exhibition, Native American Voices: The People. Here and Now.

(Image: J. DiSanto, Penn Museum)

Art Matters: Hand-coiled clay jar by Pueblo artist Les Namingha

A hand-coiled clay jar by pueblo artist Les Namingha is on view in the Penn Museum’s Native American Voices gallery. The abstract surface design references water and its use in the U.S. Southwest.
Chinese Calligraphy Club makes an old art new again
Hands holding calligraphy brush as they paint.

The Penn Chinese Calligraphy Club features drop-in sessions from 6-7 p.m. on Fridays at the ARCH Fireside Lounge.

nocred

Chinese Calligraphy Club makes an old art new again

The Penn Chinese Calligraphy Club, formed during the pandemic, endures as a meeting ground for amateur calligraphers who value the practice as meditation and art.