Philadelphia Art Alliance

The Philadelphia Art Alliance is a multidisciplinary arts center located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. It is the oldest multidisciplinary arts center in the United States for visual, literary and performing arts. Founded in 1915, the Art Alliance has been promoting the careers of emerging and established visual, literary and performing artists by providing both exhibition and performance space, as well as meeting areas for the exchange of ideas. Founded by theatre aficionado Christine Wetherill Stevenson (1878-1922), the Art Alliance has been located since 1926 in the historic Wetherill mansion on Rittenhouse Square in center city Philadelphia

Our Mission: The Philadelphia Art Alliance is dedicated to the advancement and appreciation of innovative contemporary craft—works in ceramic, glass, fiber, metal and wood—and design, and to inspiring dynamic interaction between audiences and artists in a setting of historic and aesthetic significance.

Our Programs: The Philadelphia Art Alliance presents 3 to 4 exhibitions of contemporary crafts and design in the first and second floor galleries throughout the year. Gallery exhibitions change every 6 to 8 weeks. We also use our historic setting to educate audiences about traditional craftsmanship, presenting over 30 informative and entertaining lectures, demonstrations and performances each year on the third floor parlor space, each coinciding with a particular exhibition or event happening in the city. With our renewed mission and focus, the Art Alliance serves as a professional resource for craftspeople and students of all ages and skill levels, hosting professional development workshops and craft demonstrations that are educational for students and professionals alike.

Historically, the Philadelphia Art Alliance has hosted exhibitions by some of the most outstanding figures in the visual, literary, and performing arts. Artists Andrew Wyeth, Henry O. Tanner and Horace Pippin held their first solo exhibitions at the PAA. Exhibitions of architects Antonio Gaudi and Walter Gropius, and photographers Man Ray, Weegee and Ernest Withers, coexisted with readings of poets such as E.E.cummings, W.H. Auden and Robert Frost and lectures and performances of dance legends such as Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey and Merce Cunningham.

Thanks to the financial support of our members, the Art Alliance continues to flourish as one of America’s oldest art centers with a distinguished historical record of brilliance and innovation.