7 Must-See Art Destinations in Philadelphia

A couple weeks ago I was invited to Philly to experience the art scene with the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. Much of what I knew about Philadelphia prior to this trip came from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Rocky, The Roots, Kevin Hart, and my days as an American Studies major at Skidmore College. With curiosity and slight trepidation, I accepted the invitation and took the short train ride into 30th Street Station. Philadelphia is a very different place than New York. My first point of contact with the city was the line to get a taxi, which, compared to Penn Station, was a breeze. The taxi drove me to the beautiful Le Meridien in the heart of the city (directly in front of City Hall and a few steps away from Robert Indiana's famous Love Statue) where I checked in and began my adventure.

The tour began almost immediately as our small group met in the lobby of the hotel and boarded a bus into Old City on a Friday night. The neighborhood was having what they call First Friday, a monthly open house for art galleries that filled the streets with people of all ages enjoying the 40+ galleries, street musicians, and characters of the city. That night really set the tone for a weekend of great art, interesting conversations with gallery owners and artists, and amazing food at a few of Philadelphia’s best restaurants, including Fork, FARMiCiA, and Le Virtú.

There is so much to see in Philadelphia, and after a weekend of nonstop exposure to the city's art scene (save time for food, sleep, and the mandatory visit to UBIQ), I had barely scratched the surface. For those of you that have considered making the trip but have no idea where to start, check out this list of 7 Must-See Art Destinations in Philadelphia, and go to visitphilly.com for tons more.

RELATED: The 25 Greatest Philadelphia Graffiti Writers
RELATED: Must-See Art and Design Destinations in Stockholm

Address: 201 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Since opening their doors in 2000, the Wexler Gallery has exhibited works that have a unique blend of design and fine art. The beautiful two-story, 5,600-square-foot gallery space displays sculptures, paintings, furniture, jewelry, and other pieces by internationally regarded artists right next to the works of lesser or largely unknown talent. Through interesting and often unconventional pairings—a Picasso hangs alongside furniture by Wendell Castle, for example—the Wexler Gallery sets itself apart from other organizations that specialize in one field.

Gallery owner Lewis Wexler says that the goal of the space is not to sell people art, but to have them leave knowing more than they did when they walked in. He also shared a story of the gallery's early days that speaks to the vibe of Old City and sets it apart from the art culture of New York. According to Wexler, another gallery brought clients into his gallery, and they ended up buying some art. Instead of asking for a percentage of the sale, the other gallery owner simply asked that Wexler return the favor in the future, proof that the old nickname "the City of Brotherly Love" still rings true.

The current exhibition at Wexler Gallery features the work of London-based designer and architect Timothy Schrieber and the abstract paintings of California-based artist Jenny E. Balisle. As an architect, Schrieber takes design cues from nature and cell structures. He blends geometric and organic forms into unique pieces of furniture that are also designed with function and aesthetics in mind. One of his best pieces is the Morphogenesis Chaise. One of only twelve made, the stunning carbon fiber base and plush upholstery feels like a dream—and a $30,000 one at that.

Jenny Balisle's large-scale wood panel paintings find unity in opposing forces. The artist paints with both hands to balance the rigidity of one with the freedom of the other and she, like Schrieber, also mimics the beautiful chaos of nature. The exhibition is on view through Nov. 30, 2013.

Website

Address: 141 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Established in 1986 as a non-profit organization, The Center for Art in Wood (formerly the Wood Turning Center) leads the charge for education, appreciation, and the growth of wood-based art and design. The Center contains over 1,000 pieces in its permanent collection and close to 25,000 artist files, books, and images in its research library. The Center also offers community outreach programs, courses, lectures, and events. The International Turning Exchange (ITE) residency program at the Center for Art in Wood gives seven fellowships a year to artists who work in wood, photojournalists, and scholars to live and work at the University of Arts in Philly.

Website

Address: 249 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19106

The TRUST building was an old bank, built in 1902, that has been converted into an event space. The building is a perfect example of Neoclassical architecture that was popular at the turn of the 20th century, with columns that mimic ancient Greek temples. While I was there, the TRUST was being used as an exhibition space for American pop artist Perry Milou. The inside of the building is gorgeous, and the two levels were perfect for displaying Milou's large-scale paintings and prints. Many of the pieces were Philly-themed with television, movie, and music stars featured prominently. Art exhibition or not, the space (also once the home to Real World) is worth checking out.

Website

Address: Citywide

The Philadelphia Open Studios Tour (POST) is an annual program that has come and gone this year, but it is definitely worth adding to your calendar for 2014. The largest of its kind in the region, the self-guided tours allow fans of art to visit the studios of many amazing artists to see where and how they work. We began at The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, tucked away on the third floor of The Barclay, where we met with POST director Ann Peltz and headed to the studio of Rebecca Gilbert, a teacher and printmaker who works in woodcut and intaglio (her studio is pictured above). To see the materials, unfinished pieces, and tools that an artist uses on a daily basis and to talk to them about their process gives you a different level of appreciation for the finished product.

Website

Address: 231 N. 3rd Street 1st floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106

During POST, we also visited the studio and gallery space of fine art photographer James Abbott who was sharing the space with Byron Wolfe. It was interesting to see two very different bodies of work exhibited in the same space, on either side of the room. The building itself is located right next a bridge which features heavily in some of Abbott's Philly photos. Byron Wolfe is relatively new to the Philadelphia area and just started teaching at Temple University, so it will be interesting to see the effect that Philly has on his work.

Website

Address: 915 Spring Garden St Philadelphia, PA 19123

915 Arts at 915 Spring Garden was also a stop on POST, but it was really like visiting dozens of individual studios. The building is an art studio compound with over 100 rooms set up like a massive school. We were encouraged to roam all five floors of the 75,000-square-foot space. Seeing the work of so many painters, sculptors, and designers in the spaces where the pieces were created and being able to talk to all of them is a truly unique experience.

Website

Address: Citywide

The Mural Arts Program Tours are maybe my favorite thing about the Philadelphia art scene. The program itself was started in 1984 as a part of the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network. Jane Golden was hired to connect with graffiti writers to create murals instead of tagging the streets. Today there are over 3,600 murals on walls around Philadelphia and another 2,000 are on deck to go up. There is amazing art everywhere you look, and the Mural Arts Program offers walking, guided, trolley, bike, train, and various other themed tours so that you could spend as much time as you want exploring all of the amazing (and enormous) collection of public art. Every city in America should emulate this program.

Website