Philadelphia Museum of Art welcomes thousands of students with free tours and transportation
Philadelphia are students in grades K-12 and Title I school students can now see the museum's 'The Time is Always Now' show for free
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is welcoming more local students this season with a new program offering free tours and bus funding for the ongoing exhibit, “The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure.”
The initiative is open to students in grades K through 12 from the School District of Philadelphia and Title I schools in the tristate area. The tours and bus funding are available for the run of the exhibit, through Feb. 9, with several weekday slots per month. Each slot provides a one-hour tour with a museum educator and 30 minutes for students to roam around the museum.
The exhibit showcases more than 60 contemporary portraits, sculptures, and paintings of the Black figure from nearly 30 Black and African diasporic artists, including from Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York.
Local artist Roberto Lugo has two ceramic works on display; one is a self-portrait of Lugo as a baby held by his mother, a reworking of a Madonna and Child statue from the Italian Renaissance. Portraits from famed artist Amy Sherald, renowned for her portrait of former first lady Michelle Obama, are also on view. “The Time is Always Now” is the first exhibit commissioned by PMA director and CEO Sasha Suda.
“Since joining the PMA just over two years ago, it’s been my goal to reflect the communities we’re here to serve and welcome back more school groups,” Suda said in a statement. “We’ve been blown away by the positive reaction to this exhibition. Through this initiative, we’ll welcome even more students into the museum to experience it.”
Demand for tours has already been high, with 44 school groups booked before the exhibit’s opening on Nov. 8.
“The bus funding helps open access, and I truly hope to see loads and loads of school buses filled with students coming to see this exemplary exhibition,” said Audrey Hudson, the newly named deputy director for learning and engagement.
Groups can make reservations online, via email to schoolprograms@philamuseum.org, or by calling the museum’s school team at 215-684-7608.