The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage

06/05/2026

We join the community in mourning the passing of Dito van Reigersberg, a force in Philadelphia’s performing arts scene, who died June 1, 2026, at the age of 53.

van Reigersberg was a theater-maker, cabaret performer, and 2002 Pew Fellow, an honor he shared with his Pig Iron Theatre Company co-founders Dan Rothenberg and Quinn Bauriedel. He developed and appeared in numerous Center-supported Pig Iron productions, including 2006’s Obie Award-winning "Chekhov Lizardbrain" and 2015’s "I Promised Myself to Live Faster."

With Pig Iron, he sought to make “experimental theater with a heart”; through his drag persona Martha Graham Cracker, he lit up the stage and electrified crowds. We offer a remembrance of his life and work on our website. 🔗 https://www.pewcenterarts.org/news/memoriam-dito-van-reigersberg-theater-artist-and-pew-fellow

06/04/2026

What does freedom sound like? Orchestra 2001 offers an answer with a series of free concerts around Philadelphia, happening now. The contemporary music ensemble's Center-supported project "A More Perfect Union" marks America's 250th anniversary by performing the music of 30 American composers, including 15 Philadelphians, with each program reflecting on a different amendment to the US Constitution.

Upcoming concerts include a reflection on the Right to Bear Arms, featuring work by Pew Fellow Jennifer Higdon (June 5, Ft. Mifflin), a “musical flash mob” celebrating Freedom of Assembly (June 8, Cherry Street Pier), and a pub crawl feting the Repeal of Prohibition (June 15, Yards Brewing Co.).

Find out more on our website. 🔗: https://www.pewcenterarts.org/grant/more-perfect-union-musical-reflections-six-amendments-us-constitution

06/03/2026

As the United States commemorates its 250th anniversary, Philadelphia's cultural institutions are meeting the moment—right here in the city where modern democracy began. Many are examining, interpreting, and sometimes questioning the country’s history and our understanding of its founding ideals.

Center grantees like Association for Public Art, ArtPhilly, Mural Arts Philadelphia, The Print Center, The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, WXPN, and more offer events this year that invite you to explore the past, reflect on the present, and imagine the future. 🔗: https://www.pewcenterarts.org/front-and-center/interpreting-american-experience-through-arts-center-guide-semiquincentennial

06/02/2026

We're pleased to announce two new staff appointments. Anne Ishii will join the Center as Director of Grantmaking Programs, beginning July 6. A cultural leader with more than a decade of experience in nonprofit administration, philanthropy, and creative practice, Anne will oversee the Center’s grantmaking initiatives, encompassing grants to Philadelphia-area cultural organizations and artists. She most recently served as Program Director at United States Artists and was previously Executive Director of Asian Arts Initiative.

Additionally, Zach Blackwood has been named Program Officer for Fellowships, stewarding the Center’s long-running program that supports the Philadelphia region’s artists. Zach takes on this role following his work as the Center's Program Officer for Community Connections and Audience Participation. Learn more about both of our colleagues and their new roles on our website.

PHILADELPHIA (June 2, 2026)—The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage (the Center) announced today the appointment of Anne Ishii as Director of Grantmaking Programs, effective July 6. A cultural leader with more than a decade of experience in nonprofit administration, philanthropy, and creative practice,...

05/28/2026

Opening today (May 28) at Spruce Street Harbor Park: "Sail Through This to That" connects the lives of two remarkable women who lived 250 years apart. This large-scale artwork by indira allegra explores the lives and freedom practices of Ona Judge, a seamstress enslaved to Martha Washington, and Rem'mie Fells, an aspiring fashion designer and trans woman whose life was taken in 2020.

Join a public procession, including music and poetry performances, today beginning at 4:30 p.m. near the President’s House site (6th and Market) and concluding at Spruce Street Harbor Park, where the installation's sails will be raised. Learn more at the link. 🔗: https://bit.ly/4a0NM3Z

Commissioned by Delaware River Waterfront, curated by Rob Blackson, and presented in partnership with ArtPhilly, William Way LGBT Community Center, and The Fabric Workshop and Museum

05/22/2026

Author and Pew Fellow Carmen Maria Machado has increasingly been collaborating with visual artists over the last several years. Now, she turns to curation with "The Object of Power is Power." The exhibition of work by contemporary Cuban artist Rocío García is on view at New York’s Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art through September 20. Machado tells Vogue that Rocío's work "has such a narrative" and feels close to a short story collection. "It’s not me coming at it from the perspective of an art historian," she says. "It’s more me asking: What is my creative response to this work?"

“It’s not me coming at it from the perspective of an art historian or something, it’s more me asking, What is my creative response to this work?” says Machado of “The Object of Power is Power,” an exhibition of the work of Rocío García.

05/21/2026

The disability arts ensemble Kinetic Light "is creating a new vocabulary for dance that is creative, justice oriented, and breathtakingly beautiful," says Lisa Sonneborn of the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, College of Education.

Kinetic Light is collaborating with IOD to develop "You Caught Me On Your Shoulders," a multisensory dance performance based on significant moments in disability advocacy and culture. In this video, Lisa discusses how expanding access can create "a relationship that connects artists and audiences on stage and off."

Learn more at our website.🔗: https://www.pewcenterarts.org/grant/you-caught-me-your-shoulders-kinetic-light

05/19/2026

Pew Fellow José Ortiz-Pagán’s creative practice ranges from installations to performances, and he works closely with Philadelphia's Latinx neighborhood groups in Fairhill and Kensington. His next venture is Mesa Blanca Cafe, a space for botany, spirituality, art, and coffee—slated to open in in East Kensington in September. Ortiz-Pagán spoke withMetro Philly about his creative journey and how receiving a Pew Fellowship represents "far more than an award."

Philadelphia artist José Ortiz-Pagán is using spirituality, healing and community-centered art to reshape neighborhoods and open a new creative space.

05/18/2026

It's the final week to see the Center-supported exhibition “Syd Carpenter: Planting in Place, Time, and Memory” at Woodmere Art Museum. This retrospective looks at five decades of work from the Philadelphia ceramic artist and Pew Fellow. Get more insight into the pieces on view during a special docent tour on Thursday, May 21 from 2 to 4:30 p.m., and see the exhibition before it closes on May 25th.

A multi-site retrospective for ceramic artist and Pew Fellow Syd Carpenter spans her five-decade career with a comprehensive exhibition at Woodmere Art Museum. As well, the project includes installations at the Maguire Art Museum at Saint Joseph’s University, which showcases Carpenter’s large fr...

05/15/2026

We're pleased to be supporting this year's American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting & Expo, happening right here in Philadelphia May 20-23. This is the moment for museum professionals to visit our city and experience a wide range of exhibitions and programs at our extraordinary museums and heritage sites—including several Center grantees. AAM 2026 seeks to chart the future of museums through 200 sessions, hands-on workshops, and networking opportunities. 🔗: annualmeeting.aam-us.org