T
he world-renowned Benjamin Franklin Parkway is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. Kicking off in the fall, you can start the celebration now by visiting some of the hottest spots on the Parkway. The Franklin Institute, the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the Free Library of Philadelphia, Moore College of Art and Design, the Rodin Museum, Swann Memorial Fountain and the Barnes Foundation provide opportunities to learn and appreciate so much about Philadelphia.
“We have in our midst something that is just as beautiful as any of the great cities around the world,” explains Penny Balkin Bach, Executive Director & Chief Curator of the Association for Public Art (aPA). The Parkway 100 “We Are Connected” Kickoff Festival on September 8th will serve as the official launch of the centennial celebration. More than 100 free, family-friendly activities will be held indoors and outdoors at the museums and spaces along the Parkway. You’ll be able to “pay what you wish” for inside and outside activities that include entertainment, crafts and tours. Park Towne Place will unveil a Parkway mural in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia. To commemorate 100 years, aPA will commission two enchanting temporary public art installments that will transform the renowned space into a mystical dreamscape. Cai Guo-Qiang: Fireflies / September 14 - October 8 Artist Cai Guo-Qiang embellishes 27 customized pedicab sculptures, affixing them with colorful clusters of lanterns evoking the mesmerizing image of - you guessed it - fireflies. An opening ceremony will take place on Thursday, September 14th, as Cai Guo-Qiang orchestrates the unveiling of his fireflies in a synchronized performance. Afterwards, the pedicabs will take visitors on short excursions up and down the Parkway, from Sister Cities Park to Iroquois Park. Rides will be available free of charge, ThursdaySunday, 6 PM-10 PM. Prior to each ride, enjoy a five-minute documentary chronicling Cai Guo-Qiang’s creative journey from his native Quanzhou, China, to the final production here in Philly. Fireflies will be co-curated by Lance Fung of Fung Collaboratives with major support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Winter Fountains for the Parkway / December 2017 - March 2018 Artist Jennifer Steinkamp will redefine the landscape of the Parkway by illuminating the space with five 13’x 26’ architectural domes. The domes are inspired by actual fountains that
decorate the Parkway and the designs illuminated on the domes are informed by botanical and horticultural collections featured at the Parkway’s various educational institutions. These Winter Fountains also are designed to function in the snow, so, depending on the weather, they will produce an additional surface of ethereal illumination. Jennifer Steinkamp’s Winter Fountains for the Parkway is commissioned by the Parkway Council with the Association for Public Art for Parkway 100 and with major support from the William Penn Foundation. The Benjamin Franklin Parkway has inspired awe and wonder for generations. The cultural epicenter of Philadelphia, which forms the spine of Philadelphia’s Museum District, stretches from Philadelphia’s iconic City Hall to the majestic Philadelphia Museum of Art. First commissioned over a century ago by the Association for Public Art (at the time known as the Fairmount Park Association), the Parkway also is a byproduct of the City Beautiful Movement, which, prominent around the turn of the 20th century, emphasized the cultural significance of architecture, landscape and public art by incorporating those elements into modern city planning. In recent years, the Parkway has served as a centerpiece to events such as Jay-Z’s Made in America Music Festival, the NFL Draft, as well as a historic visit from Pope Francis, which attracted more than a million visitors in September 2015. Both Fireflies and Winter Fountains will help transform the Benjamin Franklin Parkway landscape into lavish pieces of art and introduce a rich heritage to a new generation of art enthusiasts. The installations are temporary so don’t miss your opportunity to see these once-in-a-lifetime exhibits with your own eyes! prh
hot spots Darryl Moran for Parkway Museums District
Park
way Fireflies & Winter Fountains
100 by Bryan Culver
1- Cai Guo Qiang, sketch for Fireflies, 2016. Collection of the artist, courtesy Cai Studio 2.- Cai Guo Qiang,
proposal for Fireflies, 2016. Digital Rendering, 2 courtesy Cai Studio
1
3.- Jennifer Steinkamp,
Proposal for Winter Fountains, 2017. Digital rendering, courtesy Jennifer Steinkamp and the Association 3 for Public Art
Visit www.parkwaymuseumsdistrictphiladelphia.org, www.associationforpublicart.org and www.parkway100.org for more details throughout the summer.
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July / August / September 2017