pcah Sign Up Information

The Mütter Museum''s Spit Spreads Death and the Relevance of Pandemic History

How will this moment be remembered? A Center-supported exhibition at the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia offers some perspective on how history may regard the stories and circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. In conversations recorded before the exhibition opened—and before the coronavirus pandemic—we spoke with former museum director Robert Hicks and Matt Adams of the artist collective Blast Theory about how they approached Spit Spreads Death, commemorating the 1918–19 flu pandemic. 

>> For more on this project, watch a film of the commemorative parade created by
Blast Theory, featuring a score by David Lang, performed by The Crossing.

Our Grants in Action

Each of the programs below offers a virtual experience. Click through for more details. For information on in-person programming, be sure to consult each organization''s website.

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is a multidisciplinary grantmaker and hub for knowledge-sharing, investing in ambitious, imaginative, and catalytic work that showcases Philadelphia''s cultural vitality and enhances public life.

Images: Spit Spreads Death parade, presented as part of Spit Spreads Death: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19 in Philadelphia, The College of Physicians/Mütter Museum, photo by Leo Manning; Refik Anadol, video installation for the Los Angeles Philharmonic''s presentation of Edgard Varèse''s Amériques, 2014; Lee Francis, Weshoyot Alvitre, and Will Fenton, Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga, 2019, colored spread of Lenape peoples united in prayer, Red Planet Books and Comics; George Nakashima Woodworkers, New Hope, Pennsylvania, photo by Elizabeth Felicella, courtesy of the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia.

Publications from Center-Funded Projects Reflect on Monuments, American History, and More

A graphic novel, exhibition catalogues, and other publications preserve, extend, and elevate the ideas embedded in projects supported by Center grants. Read our survey of ten publications that feature the work of artists such as Weshoyot Alvitre, Tania Bruguera, Mel Chin, nora chipaumire, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Ed Emshwiller, Martine Syms, and others.

Our Grants in Action
 

• Exhibition Opening: The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia''s Shofuso and Modernism: Mid-Century Collaboration between Japan and Philadelphia is scheduled to open in September with both virtual and in-person components. The exhibition explores the transcultural exchange of ideas among architects and designers George Nakashima, Junzo Yoshimura, and Antonin and Noémi Raymond. Learn more about the exhibition.>> 
   

• Virtual Museum Tour: Mütter Museum curator Anna Dhody leads a video tour of the medical history museum''s Spit Spreads Death: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19 in Philadelphia. The exhibition explores the pandemic''s history and personal stories, built on data from the death certificates of 20,000 individuals who died from the flu outbreak in the city. Watch the video tour.>> 
   

• An Arabic Newspaper for Philadelphia: Participants of Swarthmore College''s Friends, Peace, and Sanctuary project have launched a new Arabic newspaper, the Friends, Peace, and Sanctuary Journal. “As people begin to see more Arabic in our public spaces, the more we can recognize that we are a critical part of this community and society as well,” co-editor Nora Elmarzouky told WHYY. Read more.>> 

New Videos: Pew Fellows from Home

In May, theater artist and Center consultant Ain Gordon connected with two of our Pew Fellows over Zoom to talk about making art during a pandemic.

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is a multidisciplinary grantmaker and hub for knowledge-sharing, investing in ambitious, imaginative, and catalytic work that showcases Philadelphia''s cultural vitality and enhances public life.

Images: Lee Francis, Weshoyot Alvitre, and Will Fenton, Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga, 2019, colored spread of Lenape peoples united in prayer, Red Planet Books and Comics; Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, photo courtesy of the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia; Becky Suss, 2019 Pew Fellow; James Ijames, 2015 Pew Fellow, photo by Ryan Collerd.

Artistic Practice Now: An Interview with Visual Artist & Pew Fellow Lisa Marie Patzer

Patzer’s new media installations interrogate how emerging technologies—and the ideologies that inform their production—shape our lives and influence visual culture. In this new Q&A, she discusses how her practice and interests have evolved during the pandemic. "It’s undoubtable that this intense time spent in the domestic space has influenced my [artistic] decision-making,” she says.

Grantees in the News

• The New York Times surveys the "25 most influential works of American protest art since World War II," including Hank Willis Thomas''s All Power to All People (pictured above). The sculpture was first installed in Philadelphia’s Thomas Paine Plaza in 2017 as part of a Monument Lab citywide project, produced with Mural Arts Philadelphia.
   
• Architectural Digest features Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia’s Shofuso and Modernism exhibition, examining the history of the house that was designed by one of Japan’s most well-known architects, Junzo Yoshimura. Constructed in 1953, "It became one of the most influential Japanese homes of the postwar generation," AD reports. Take an in-depth virtual tour of Shofuso on November 25.
   
• The New York Times profiles free jazz pioneer Milford Graves and his study of music’s impact on the human heart. Ars Nova Workshop, in partnership with the Institute of Contemporary Art, continues its Mondays with Milford film screening series through January.

International Artists Residencies Awarded to Three Pew Fellows

Pew Fellows Andrea Clearfield (2016), David Scott Kessler (2015), and Wilmer Wilson IV (2017) have been awarded international artist residencies, tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2021 at Banff Center for Arts and Creativity, Fogo Island Arts, and Civitella Ranieri, respectively. The residency “is going to come at the perfect time,” Wilson says, “because I will have internalized an ethos of flexibility or portability in my work, which feels like a specific response to this historical moment.”

Staff News from the Center

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is a multidisciplinary grantmaker and hub for knowledge-sharing, investing in ambitious, imaginative, and catalytic work that showcases Philadelphia''s cultural vitality and enhances public life.

Images: Pew Fellow Lisa Marie Patzer, Antichamber of Municipal Futures, Algorithmic Generated Wallpaper, produced in collaboration with Andrew Hart and the College of Architecture and Built Environment, Jefferson University, installation view, part of Philadelphia Forthcoming: The Endless Urban Portrait, Da Vinci Art Alliance, 2020, photo by the artist; Hank Willis Thomas, All Power to All People, Philadelphia, Monument Lab, 2017, photo by Steve Weinik/Mural Arts Philadelphia; Wilmer Wilson IV, performance detail from Channel, 2017, photo by Allison McDaniel, courtesy of the artist; Kelly Shindler, photo by Constance Mensh. 

Questions of Practice: Mimi Lien on a Design-First Theater-Making Process 

Earlier this year, Mimi Lien received the prestigious Edwin Booth Award, recognizing four of her projects, including her work on Pig Iron Theatre Company''s Superterranean, which premiered in Philadelphia with Center support last fall. In this newly published interview, the MacArthur Fellow and Tony Award-winning designer discusses how beginning with design for this devised theater work afforded new possibilities to "harness" the audience''s experience of three-dimensional space "for dramatic potential."

On the Potential of Social Practice

Experience Center-Supported Projects Online & On-site

While several cultural institutions are reopening, these programs also offer digital experiences. Click through for more information, and be sure to consult an organization''s website for in-person visiting guidelines.

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is a multidisciplinary grantmaker and hub for knowledge-sharing, investing in ambitious, imaginative, and catalytic work that showcases Philadelphia''s cultural vitality and enhances public life.

Images: Pig Iron Theatre Company, Superterranean, 2019, pictured: Rolls André, Isaac Calvin, Pew Fellow Dito van Reigersberg, and Chelsea Murphy, photo by Johanna Austin; Koyo Kouoh, photo courtesy of RAW Material Company; Mariam Ghani, photo by Nicole Bengiveno; Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, photo by Elizabeth Felicella, courtesy of the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia; Milford Graves, Beyond Polymath, 2017, sculpture detail, photo courtesy of Ars Nova Workshop; The Philadelphia Matter - 1972/2020, Christ Church Preservation Trust, photo by Benjamin Brown, Masters Group Design. 

Making History: Celebrating the Groundbreaking Work of Women Artists ​ ​

In recognition of Women’s History Month, we take a look back and a look forward to Center-supported projects celebrating the brilliant and groundbreaking work of women artists and their important contributions to art and cultural history—Trisha Brown, Valie Export, Sheila Hicks, Barbara Kasten, and Yvonne Rainer among them.

“A Sense of Futurity”: We Talk with Visiting Scholar Linda Earle

We asked nationally recognized educator, administrator, funder, and curator Linda Earle about her inspirations and ambitions for her term as the Center’s 2021 Visiting Scholar, which considers how Black archives can serve as a framework for a multivalent exploration of Black cultural production.  

“A sense of futurity, which is the space in which artists create, is impossible without a sense of the past,” she says in this new interview. 

Pew Fellow of the Week: An Interview with Theater Artist Rhodessa Jones 

2020 Fellow-in-Residence Rhodessa Jones speaks with us about why she makes work for and with other women, being drawn to art early in life in a family of Black migrant workers, and what she hopes to accomplish during her time in Philadelphia, five decades into her career.

Culture + Community: A Special Edition of Culture Track

In collaboration with Slover Linett and Yancey Consulting, LaPlaca Cohen is conducting a national research initiative meant to keep the cultural sector in dialogue with the experiences and needs of its communities, audiences, and participants during the pandemic and beyond. Visit the Culture Track website to learn more about how to participate.

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is a multidisciplinary grantmaker and hub for knowledge-sharing, investing in ambitious, imaginative, and catalytic work that showcases Philadelphia''s cultural vitality and enhances public life.

Images: Pati Hill, Understanding Your Chinese Scarf, 1983, 15 black & white copier prints, original mats, entire grid: 48” x 98”, each print: 11 ⅛” x 15 ¾”, courtesy of the Estate of Pati Hill; Linda Earle, 2021 Visiting Scholar, photo by Stephanie Price Photography; Rhodessa Jones, 2020 Pew Fellow, photo by Emily Fitzgerald.