This exhibition continues the collaboration between ICA and New York-based textile studio Maharam, which invites artists to reimagine the windows of ICA’s façade. For the 2025-26 edition, Philadelphia-based artist Xenobia Bailey created a design that reflects her “Funktional” aesthetic and rooted in her decades-long fiber arts practice.
This exhibit features the work of Penn staff and students who created replicas and new works of art in three campus makerspaces: Education Commons, the Bollinger Digital Fabrication Lab, and Venture Lab. Through experiential learning, the contributors to this exhibit cultivated creativity and new technological skills while deepening their appreciation of cultural heritage. Free and open to the public.
Part of America 250 at Penn programming, this exhibit explores the overlooked yet essential role of nurses during the American Revolution, whose vital work helped shape early American healthcare. It challenges the widespread belief that nursing began in the 19th century with Florence Nightingale by providing rare evidence of a world of nursing and caretaking that thrived before, during, and after the American Revolution. Free and open to the Penn community.
Part of America 250 at Penn programming, this exhibit will feature select photographs by Academy Award-winning cinematographer and Penn alumnus Phil Parmet, who documented life in Haiti after the fall of Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier in 1986. This display captures both the "resignation, disappointment, and sadness" and the "strength and determination" felt by the Haitian people during this pivotal time in their history. Free and open to the public.
“A World in the Making: The Shakers” explores the design legacy of the Shakers, a religious group whose values of community, labor, and equality shaped their furniture, architecture, and everyday objects. Through works by contemporary artists influenced by the Shakers, alongside original Shaker-made pieces, the exhibition invites reflection on how Shaker ideals continue to inform conversations around inclusion, gender, and intentional living in the 21st century. Free and open to the public.
Part of America 250 at Penn programming, this exhibit will showcase materials from various groups who have taken strident critiques of a wholly celebratory approach to American history and the mythos of the founding fathers. The exhibit includes posters, buttons, pamphlets, photographs, and other ephemeral materials—many of them produced by people of color, student organizations, and grassroots groups. Free and open to the public.
Part of America 250 at Penn programming, this exhibition surveys the revolutions that shook the Atlantic world in the 1790s—and the profound changes that resulted—from France to Haiti to Philadelphia. The books, documents, objects, and images on display will challenge visitors with the questions posed during that revolutionary era. Free and open to the public.
On view for the first time in the U.S., this exhibition—blending arts with archeology—features century-old watercolors documenting Egyptian tomb paintings. Created by Egyptian artist Ahmed Yousef during Penn Museum excavations in the early 1920s, these paintings vividly record elaborately decorated funerary chapels from Dra Abu el-Naga, a key burial ground of elite officials and priests during Egypt’s New Kingdom (ca. 1550–1070 BCE). Included with Museum admission.
This exhibition frames the making of a collaborative performance by the Martha Graham Dance Company and PHILADANCO! alongside rarely seen images from modern dancer and choreographer Martha Graham’s 1938 work, “American Document,” and its enduring question, “What is an American?” The mixed-materials display explores Graham’s work alongside Philadelphia dance company PHILADANCO!’s decades-long commitment to preserving and advancing the work of Black artists. Free and open to the public.
This exhibition, on view in the Annenberg Center lobby and curated by the Arthur Ross Gallery inaugural faculty director Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, will present a selection of recent paintings by Penn alum Allison Zuckerman that exemplify her exuberant, layered approach to image-making. Using paint and collage, Zuckerman creates densely constructed compositions that draw from art history, popular culture, and the internet. Her paintings celebrate the history of the image-making medium while reimagining who has the power to shape its future. Free and open to the public.
This annual exhibition features the work of eight artists completing Penn’s Fine Arts program, marking a key moment as they launch their professional careers. The exhibition reflects the breadth and critical rigor of Weitzman’s MFA program, in which each artist develops an independent body of work grounded in sustained research, experimentation, and dialogue culminating in projects that are formally ambitious and intellectually engaged. On display at the Arthur Ross Gallery (in the Fisher Fine Arts Library) and the Gordon Gallery (in Stuart Weitzman Hall). Free and open to the public.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute will host its largest annual community-building event. This year, the symposium theme is “Breakthroughs in Big Data, Omics, and AI” and will highlight breakthroughs achieved over the last decade by CHOP researchers. Participants can engage with scientific presentations, poster sessions, a reception, an award ceremony, and networking opportunities. This event is free and open to the CHOP and Penn communities.
Hosted by Pennovation Works, this Philly Tech Week gathering is designed to bring together the people building, supporting, and growing AI and tech across Philadelphia. Free and open to the public, this summit—featuring a full day of keynotes, fireside chats, lightning sessions, demos, and networking at the Pennovation Center—is beneficial for researchers, investors, operators, educators, company founders, and community leaders. Register to attend.
Philadelphia Writing Project’s annual Youth Writing Festival showcases the creative work of Philadelphia’s talented youth writers and creators. Attendees can visit tables run by local writing organizations and youth creators, join workshops to learn about opportunities to write and publish their work, create zines, and more. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.
This workshop will provide Penn students and faculty engaged in energy and sustainability work across fields with the opportunity to interact, learn from each other, and build resources to reshape graduate training. The workshop will focus on the climate space, but there will be insights translatable to other fields. This free, multidisciplinary program is suitable for students, faculty, postdocs, and practitioners from all fields relevant to energy and sustainability. Register to attend.
The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble—led by Arturo O’Farrill and comprised of multi-Grammy Award-winning musicians—will perform works from across the Latin jazz canon, as well as O’Farrill’s own compositions. Students can receive a discount with Penn ID.
Visitors will celebrate the joys of spring as the garden and trees bloom. The vibrant flowers change on a weekly basis as the season unfolds, bringing bursts of color and fragrance. Free with Penn ID.
Lana Dee Povitz, associate professor of history and Jewish studies at Middlebury College, will examine the importance of coalitional feminism in understanding some of the institutional transformations underway in contemporary American Jewish life. Part of America 250 at Penn programming, this talk is free and open to the public. Register to attend.
To honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—which was typeset and printed within 12 hours starting on July 4, 1776—the Common Press will host a 12-hour, two-day community typesetting event during which all are invited to hand-set metal type to help create a historically accurate replica. The final product will remain available for printing through September 2026. Part of America 250 at Penn programming, this event is free and open to the public. Register to attend.
Susan Wachter, co-director of the Penn Institute for Urban Research (IUR) and William Glasgall, Volcker Alliance Public Finance Adviser and Penn IUR Fellow, will speak with a panel of global public finance experts about how global cities and other subnational governments could adopt attributes of America’s municipal market structure. The conversation will cover how a credit-driven culture may help meet the demands of population growth and climate change. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.
This Public Trust program will celebrate the launch of Curating Engagement, a book that brings together the conversations, frameworks, and practices of 50 practitioners working to rethink public engagement as stakes rise and margins narrow. This event will feature a conversation with expert panelists exploring how public engagement practices are transforming curatorial practices in Philadelphia and beyond. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.
Penn alumni are invited to participate in annual Alumni Weekend programming this May amid Commencement festivities. View a comprehensive list of activities on the Alumni Weekend website. Registration required for most events.
During this annual showcase, Penn GSE students will present the projects they’ve developed throughout the year. This free program is an opportunity for the Penn community to learn about the work that Graduate School of Education students are doing, as well as for participating students to reflect on the impact of their efforts as they prepare to celebrate graduation and the next steps in their academic and professional journeys.
The Jeremy Nowak Memorial Lecture series honors the late visionary urbanist, Philadelphia native, and Penn IUR advisory board member Jeremy Nowak, who worked to build equitable communities. The eighth annual lecture in this series will explore how Jeremy’s legacy lives on in current movements, including how his methods and insights remain relevant to the work of organizers today. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.
Kelly Writers House (KWH) invites the Penn community to celebrate its 30th anniversary during Alumni Weekend! Attendees can network, enjoy refreshments, and reconnect with KWH community members from every era. Register to attend.
The Penn community is invited to the 20th anniversary celebration of the Platt Student Performing Arts House. Kushol Gupta, an alum of the Penn Band and Perelman School of Medicine, will offer a presentation on the history of student performing arts at Penn. The program will be followed by a reception. Register to attend.
Participants of all ages and backgrounds are invited to this Common Press workshop to print a copy of the Declaration of Independence. The composition will be set in Caslon metal type and ready to print on the studio’s 1889 cast-iron handpress. These hour-long demonstrations are part of America 250 at Penn programming. Groups of up to 20 people are welcome. Reserve a time slot.
This seminar will feature Wen-Ying Sylvia Chou, alongside current and former officials at the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Science Foundation, providing their honest assessment of the current situation in these federal agencies. Panelists will share their perspectives on how to sustain the unique partnership between the federal government and U.S. universities that advances science and medicine. Free and open to Penn students, faculty, and staff. Register to attend.
Noted by The New York Times as “one of the great companies of the world,” the Martha Graham Dance Company celebrates a century of Graham’s groundbreaking and uniquely American dance style with three distinct performances in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. These shows are part of America 250 at Penn programming and the Penn Live Arts series “America Unfinished.” Students can receive a discount with Penn ID.
Penn will recognize outstanding staff members who play key roles in the University’s successes. The awards are presented in three categories: Models of Innovation, Pillars of Excellence, and Model Supervisors. President J. Larry Jameson, Provost John L. Jackson, Jr., Executive Vice President Mark Dingfield, and Vice President of Human Resources Felicia Washington will present the awards. Following the 4:00-5:00 p.m. ceremony, a reception will take place in the Warden Garden from 5:00-6:30 p.m. Register by May 26 to attend.
Part of Penn Libraries’ America 250 programming, this book talk will feature author Emily Sneff, an early American historian and leading expert on the Declaration of Independence, exploring how the Declaration was communicated to people in the new nation and around the Atlantic world. Participants will learn about the many people involved in the process of declaring independence, from printers to soldiers to diplomats to translators. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.
This free program hosted by the Penn Museum and the Wharton School will feature the Juneteenth Freedom Stage, offering live music and performers, food trucks, and local small-business retail vendors. There will also be an activity zone for all ages, pop-up exhibitions, educational workshops, and access to all the Penn Museum galleries. The Wellness Empowerment Project —a collaboration between Wharton and Penn Medicine—will feature a health and wellness fair, financial literacy resources, health screenings, and access to community-based services. Registration is encouraged.
Penn Nursing will host a webinar featuring alumni who have built and launched their own independent practices across a range of specialties. Panelists will share their personal journeys—from initial inspiration to business planning, licensing, financial considerations, and the realities of running a practice day-to-day. This session is designed for nurses, students, and alumni who are curious about clinical autonomy, innovative care models, or starting a practice of their own. Free and open to the Penn community. Register to attend.