As the United States commemorates its 250th anniversary, Philadelphia’s cultural institutions are meeting the moment by examining the country’s history—right here in the city where modern democracy began. From musical performances and contemporary exhibitions that consider what America’s founding ideals mean today, to explorations of overlooked histories in museums and interactive events in public spaces, these eleven projects—produced with the support of Center grants—draw connections between our history and modern American life.
In addition to these cultural events, learn more about how our funder, The Pew Charitable Trusts, is collaborating with civic and philanthropic partners to support America’s 250th here.
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Sounds of Democracy
A More Perfect Union
Orchestra 2001
May 26 to June 15, various locations
What does freedom sound like? Orchestra 2001 offers an answer with a series of free concerts at various locations this spring. The contemporary music ensemble curates each program around an important amendment to the United States Constitution. A More Perfect Union kicked off in Dilworth Park with a new piece about Women’s Right to Vote, composed by Valerie Gay. It continues with 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 Brewery).
Declarations of Independents: Philly Anthems
WXPN
June 6 song challenge
Local songwriters channel the independent spirit of Philadelphia into new works commissioned by public radio station WXPN. Declarations of Independents: Philly Anthems presents a genre-diverse array of original songs rooted in folk (Eliza Hardy Jones), jazz (Christian McBride), rock (The Hooters’ Eric Bazilian), and house music (Lady Alma), all reflecting on America’s founding ideals. The songs premiere on the radio beginning in July, with a culminating concert and vinyl compilation planned for the fall. To kick the project off, the public is invited to participate in a “Philly Anthems” edition of WXPN’s 24-hour songwriting challenge; the songwriting prompt is revealed on June 6.
A Hundred Years On
Highmark Mann
June 18
To mark the country’s 250th anniversary, Highmark Mann will reflect on a different milestone in history: The Centennial Exhibition. A showcase of American art, technology, and innovation, the Exposition took place in 1876 in Fairmount Park—the same grounds the amphitheater sits on today—and gave the public its first look at the telephone, the typewriter, the Statue of Liberty and more. Peter Boyer and Mark Campbell’s A Hundred Years On, performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Crossing Choir, and featured soloists, is a world premiere oratorio that follows five fictional characters through a moving and sometimes humorous day at the Exposition.
Freedom and Identity in the Public Square
Sail Through This To That
Delaware River Waterfront Corporation
May 28 to July 30, Spruce Street Harbor Park
Textiles, the Delaware River, and the pursuit of freedom are common ground between two women who lived 250 years apart from one another. This public installation by artist and poet Indira Allegra, curated by Rob Blackson, connects the experiences of Ona Judge, an enslaved seamstress to Martha Washington who escaped in 1796, and Rem’mie Fells, an aspiring fashion designer and trans woman killed in 2020. Sail Though This to That tells “a story of freedom, identity, and remembrance” through decorated sails flown from schooners docked on the river. It opened on May 28 with a processional beginning at the Betsy Ross House in Old City and concluding at Spruce Street Harbor Park, where the work is installed through July 30 as part of ArtPhilly’s What Now: 2026 festival.
Let Freedom Ring
Association for Public Art
June 4 to September 27, Cherry Street Pier
A work of art that invites viewer participation, Let Freedom Ring is a sculptural bell tower playing all but the final note of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.” Filling that silence at the end is the role of the visitor, with the help of a 600-pound bell at ground level. This work by Paul Ramírez Jonas uses the patriotic anthem to inspire public cooperation and civic engagement, and at its unveiling ceremony on June 4th, Jonas and Association for Public Art’s executive director Charlotte Cohen will be on hand to share thoughts about Let Freedom Ring, followed by a performance from Play On Philly.
Vámonos Pa’l Monte
Mural Arts Philadelphia
Fall 2026
Puerto Rican culture, migration stories, and themes of resilience are woven together in a public event conceived by artist Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz, with costume designer Kristina Tollefson and Mural Arts Philadelphia. The project is informed by a yearlong collaboration with residents and cultural workers in Philadelphia’s Norris Square neighborhood and in Puerto Rico, leading to a series of public programs this summer and fall, led by project curator Marángeli Mejía-Rabell. Later this year, a culminating four-mile processional performance—featuring costumes that draw from Puerto Rico’s landscapes, ecology, history, and regional motifs—will celebrate community and invite the public “to walk together toward a shared future.”
Community Voices in Contemporary Art
America Today
The Print Center
through July 25
How does printmaking play a role in expressing the American experience? At The Print Center, America Today highlights connections between the mission-based print studios of present day and work produced during the New Deal era, when printmaking served as social commentary. The exhibition provides a diverse perspective on the country’s founding ideals by bringing together work from six mission-based studios around the country. "They're rooted in a place," explains The Print Center’s Lauren Rosenblum of the participating studios. "And they see their work as equally important as uplifting voices of the communities they're embedded within."
New Perspectives on History
The Basil Biggs Project
ArtPhilly
June 26 to June 28, Wilma Theater
Personal history connects with national history in The Basil Biggs Project, a new play by playwright and stage and screen actor Anna Deavere Smith. Informed by her research into the history of pre-20th century Pennsylvania as well as her family’s lives during the Civil War, the play centers on Deavere Smith’s great, great grandfather, a farmer and veterinarian who played a significant role in the Battle of Gettysburg. Featured in ArtPhilly’s WhatNow: 2026 festival, the play imagines what life was like for Smith’s ancestors as they navigated a transformative time in American society.
Several Pew Fellows will also showcase new projects during What Now, and their work runs the gamut from poetry to music, film to performance art. Visit ArtPhilly’s website to learn what the festival holds in store from Jos Duncan Asé, King Britt, Andrea Clearfield, Glenn Holsten, Trapeta B. Mayson, Sebastienne Mundheim, Shavon Norris, Odili Donald Odita, Raúl Romero, Yolanda Wisher, and Rashid Zakat.
In Pursuit: Philadelphia and the Making of America
History Making Productions
June 5 and beyond, various locations
The docu-series In Pursuit takes a deep dive into the history of American democratic life through the lens of Philadelphia. Director Andrew Ferrett explains, “When you start to understand the neighborhoods and the extraordinary history of the city, the picture that emerges is that it's a history of the United States. And it's all contained within these streets.” Each chapter of In Pursuit premieres in a series of public screenings, held at historically and culturally significant locations around the region all year long; RSVP to see Episode 2 at Penn Museum on Wednesday, June 3, and Episode 3 at Pennepack Baptist Church on Friday, June 5, and keep an eye on inpursuit.tv as future screenings are announced.
The Declaration’s Journey
Museum of the American Revolution
through January 3, 2027
Learn the history of the Declaration of Independence and trace its impact through modern times in this exhibition, featured recently The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. The Declaration’s Journey activates during the Semiquincentennial week with “Declaration Days at the Museum,” a series of in-gallery talks, historical interpretation, and hands-on demonstrations that takes place July 1-5. To further explore the Declaration’s global impact and highlight the research behind the exhibition, the museum will present a two-day convening on the international legacy of the Declaration on September 25 and 26.
The First Salute
Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History
through April, 2027
Explore an often-overlooked history of the American Revolution in The First Salute, the story of a community of Jewish merchants living on the Caribbean Island of St. Eustatius, which helped supply Washington’s army. The exhibition draws on first-hand accounts and historical records to tell how this community contributed to the nation’s founding and helped turn the tide of the American Revolution. The Weitzman’s senior advisor for content and strategic projects, Josh Perelman, told USA Today, “Like so many others before and after them, Jewish people came to America because they saw it as a land of opportunity, a place to start anew, and a place where they could determine their own future."
