The Fairmount Park Art Association is the nation’s first private, nonprofit organization dedicated to integrating public art and urban planning. Founded in 1872 by concerned citizens who believed that art could play a role in a growing city, the Art Association initially focused on enhancing Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park with sculpture. The organization’s work soon expanded beyond the park to the city as a whole, and today the Art Association commissions, conserves, and interprets public art in neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia. The Fairmount Park Art Association works closely with the City’s Public Art Office, Fairmount Park, and other organizations and agencies responsible for placing and caring for outdoor sculpture in Philadelphia. Visit www.fpaa.org for more information about the Art Association, a public art map with descriptions of over 100 works of outdoor sculpture, and tips for learning about public art in Philadelphia and other cities.
Press Release
“Sculpture Saturdays Presented by PNC Arts Alive” In-conjunction with Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO
Six Saturdays of free family-friendly public art programming this fall beginning September 11
The Fairmount Park Art Association Announces
“Sculpture Saturdays Presented by PNC Arts Alive”
In-conjunction with Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO
Six Saturdays of free family-friendly public art programming this fall
September 11 – October 16, 2010 along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
WHEN: Saturdays, September 11, 18 and 25
Saturdays, October 2, 9 and 16 (no rain dates)
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. dailywith ongoing activities throughout the day
WHERE: Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA
Sculpture-making workshops take place at Aviator Park (20th and the Parkway)
iPod Tours begin and end at Café Cret (16th and the Parkway)
INFO: Sculpture Saturdays programming is free and open to the public. Visit www.museumwithoutwallsaudio.org/sculpture-saturdays or call (215) 546-7550 for visitor information.
WHAT: Building on its innovative interpretive audio program, Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO, the Fairmount Park Art Association announcesSculpture Saturdays Presented by PNC Arts Alive,a series of family-friendly public art activities offered along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for six consecutive Saturdays in September and October 2010, beginning Saturday, September 11. Sculpture Saturdays will combine hands-on programs with mobile technologies to further engage audiences of all ages with Philadelphia’s preeminent collection of public art through iPod tours, children’s sculpture workshops and more.
Sculpture Saturdays offers experiences for all age groups:
- iPod Tours: Self-guided iPod tours of up to 15 people at a time will venture down the Parkway and Kelly Drive. Participants can borrow an iPod Touch loaded with all 35 Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO programs. Participants will learn how to further engage with the artworks by using advanced iPod features, such as GPS mapping and messaging. iPod Tours begin and end at Café Cret (16th and the Parkway).
- Kids’ Sculpture Workshops: Each week, kids can stop by the PNC Arts Alive tent in Aviator Park (20th and the Parkway) for artist-led sculpture-making activities inspired by Philadelphia’s collection of public art.
- Outdoor Sculpture Fun Guide and Art Kits for Kids: Children will receive a professionally illustrated kids sculpture booklet and art kit to take home.
- Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO Ambassadors: Public art “ambassadors” will be on hand along the Parkway, distributing official Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO maps and guiding participants interested in experiencing the program on their cell phones, smart phones, or mp3 players.
Sculpture Saturdays Presented by PNC Arts Alive is the programmatic component of Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO, the Fairmount Park Art Association’s new interpretive outdoor sculpture audio program, which launched in June 2010. This innovative program invites passersby to stop, look, listen, and experience public art in a new light, through professionally produced three-minute interpretive audio segments revealing untold histories at 35 stops for 51 outdoor sculptures along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Kelly Drive. The diverse narratives are told by over 100 authentic voices with personal connections to the artwork. Accessible through multiple platforms, Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO is available to the public for free on the street by cell phone, audio download, or streaming audio on the program website: www.museumwithoutwallsaudio.org.
Sculpture Saturdays is made possible by a special grant from PNC Arts Alive. PNC Arts Alive is a five-year, $5 million investment from the PNC Foundation that supports visual and performing arts groups with the goal of increasing arts access and engagement. For more information on PNC Arts Alive and the grant recipients visit www.pncartsalive.com.
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Fairmount Park Art Association
1616 Walnut Street, Suite 2012
Philadelphia, PA 19103-5313
(215) 546-7550
Downloads
Media Contact
Press Contacts:
Canary Promotion, (215) 690-4065
Emaleigh Doley, emaleigh [at] canarypromo [dot] com
Megan Wendell, megan [at] canarypromo [dot] com
Press Releases
Events
06/10/2010 - 11:00am - 12:30pm | Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO Launch Event @ LOVE Park |