On the first and second levels of the Penn Museum Library, visitors can view a collection of photographs by Penn students that reflect key themes from their fieldwork experiences in the past year. Contributing student photographers are from Penn's departments of Anthropology, Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World, Classics/Ancient History, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and History of Art. Free with Penn ID.
Extended for summer viewing, “Revolution at Penn?” examines the formation of Penn, the debates that divided the school during the American Revolution, and the compromises that reorganized it as the University of Pennsylvania in 1791. Several artifacts evoke the contentious era and provoke new questions about the place of universities in America, then and now. Open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A new exhibition curated by students in Penn's School of Arts & Sciences will explore the deep human history associated with the color blue. Into the Blue will span 4,000 years—displaying 20 objects from across the Penn Museum’s collections, including select artifacts from the Middle East, China, Africa, ancient Egypt, and Central America. The exhibition will examine three themes: Obtaining Blue, Making Blue, and Synthesizing Blue. On view through spring 2026. Included with Museum admission.
The Weitzman School of Design's Year End Show brings together work from the Class of 2025 in architecture, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, historic preservation, and urban spatial analytics. The gallery opens on Saturday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Afterwards, regular visiting hours will be Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free and open to the public.
This four-day training event is designed to help humanists develop new digital skills to assist with their research, teaching, and learning. Participants select one of nine classes, each constructed with graduate students and early career professionals in mind. No previous digital humanities experience is assumed or required for most classes.
Morris Arboretum staff will kick off the “Bees, Butterflies, and Blooms” summer-long exhibition at the Hummingbird Hut. Participants will learn about the connections between plants and pollinators, including the hummingbird, as well as how they pollinate and how to attract them to homes. Free with Penn ID.
This tour will focus on evergreen and deciduous shrubs for home gardeners. Shrubs provide showy foliage, vibrant blooms to attract pollinators, and structures to be used as natural screens. Participants can discover new and old-time favorite shrubs. Free with Penn ID.
Starting May 25, this two-week exhibition will highlight contemporary Chinese artistic creations through the lens of garden cultures, primarily as they relate to China’s minority peoples. Featured artworks reflect how traditional minority cultures strive to meet the challenges posed by modern environmental conditions.
Noor Toraif, an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Policy and Practice, will discuss her research examining the nexus of the child welfare, juvenile, and criminal legal systems. The conversation will focus on youth and young adults’ experiences within these systems, the systemic causes and consequences of carceral contact, and community-based strategies for disrupting youth criminalization.
Penn Farm is a campus farm and educational program that uses regenerative practices to grow produce in support of food access initiatives across the Penn community. Volunteers will convene for a hands-on learning experience. There will be an optional tour of Penn Farm from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Registration is required.
This symposium will explore how scientific advancements, platform technologies, and entrepreneurship can drive more effective and equitable innovations in oral healthcare. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with a panel of experts on the challenges and opportunities for innovation in oral and craniofacial medicine.
This panel discussion about the future of arts leadership in academia will serve as the keynote event of the 2025 Annual Meeting of Arts Administrators in Higher Education. The conversation will be moderated by Timothy Rommen, Penn Vice Provost for the Arts. Free and open to the public.
This networking session, hosted by Emily Zimmerman, Director of Exhibitions and Curatorial Affairs at the Arthur Ross Gallery, will convene current and prospective members of ArtTable—the foremost organization dedicated to advancing gender parity in visual arts leadership—to foster new connections and engaging conversations. Light refreshments will be served.
Glen Gaulton, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, will explore the ethical dimensions of biomedical research and the real-world implications of research misconduct. Drawing from decades of experience and in-depth case studies, Gaulton will examine common ethical pitfalls, institutional responsibilities, and how researchers at all levels can foster a culture of integrity and accountability.
Chaz Howard, Penn Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity & Community, will discuss his new collection of spiritual reflections designed for people everywhere, including recent college graduates, who are looking to find their “way” and their “why.”
Local businesses and community vendors will participate in a semi-annual West Philadelphia tradition by offering special one-night-only deals for $1, $3, or $5. Local musicians and artists will provide entertainment up and down Baltimore Avenue, from 40th Street to 51st Street.
Toll the Bell is a city-wide sound installation bringing greater awareness to the gun violence epidemic affecting our city and the nation. At 1 p.m. on June 6, National Gun Violence Awareness Day, a prolonged period of bell ringing and other sound-making will take place at 30-plus locations across the city and beyond.
Continuing the city-wide Toll the Bell event that calls attention to gun violence, this free program will feature an encore of Philadelphia-based jazz vocalist and composer Ruth Naomi Floyd’s “Echoes: Shattered Flesh and Breathless Souls,” as well as several speakers and a two-part showcase by the Omar’s Hat music collective. Omar’s Hat will perform a commissioned work exploring loss, community, and hope.
Mingmar Sherpa, a rural physician and former Head of the Department of Health, Nepal, will discuss his training program in Nepal, which teaches midwives and nurses how to spot high-risk pregnancies with ultrasound.
This program will honor Juneteenth and the summer solstice by practicing letterpress printing. Participants will use letterpress printing technology to print impressions of leaves from native plants found in Philadelphia, with a focus on species used by enslaved people such as elderberry and coneflower. Free and open to the public.
Visitors will celebrate the Rose Garden with story time, arts and crafts, and science-related fun! Participants will explore human relationships with roses, including their herbal properties, common myths about them, and why they’re important at the Morris Arboretum. The program will also share information about the Arboretum’s new, organic approaches to pest control in the Rose Garden. Free with Penn ID.
Juneteenth—commemorating the end of slavery in the United States—is a day to celebrate freedom, heritage, and community. Ahead of June 19, this festival will feature live performances, DJ sets, immersive storytelling, and hands-on activities for all ages. Participants can support Black-owned businesses at a community marketplace and attend the Juneteenth Honors Program. Free and open to the public.
This tour investigates native plants and trees in the natural lands area near the Wissahickon Creek. The program includes a brief history of the area and describes the importance of wetland ecosystems for plants, trees, and wildlife. Visitors are advised to wear walking or hiking shoes. Free with Penn ID.
Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo, a Penn alum, will share a brief overview of the U.S. judicial system, including the parallel state and federal systems, both civil and criminal. The session will also cover some of the basics of the U.S. Constitution, the structure of both state and federal courts, the procedures by which judges are appointed or elected, and the concept of jurisdiction.
As part of Penn Carey Law’s Ad Hoc Workshop summer series, Practice Professor of Law Colleen Shanahan will present chapters from her forthcoming book, “Unrepresented: Power, Profit, and Pain in America’s Lawyerless Courts.”
This workshop explores the fundamentals of hand bookbinding, including basic sewing and paper-folding skills, vocabulary, and the use of bookbinding tools. Participants can apply learnings from this workshop to practice many other forms of bookbinding, including more advanced structures. Registration is required.
Participants in this self-directed scavenger hunt will try to find the heads of The Beatles band members in plants that are pollinated by beetles. Free with general admission.
Visitors are invited to immerse themselves in two lush new meadows planted for this exhibition. Giant pollinator-inspired art will offer a creative touch with artists presenting works that capture the essence and importance of pollinators in the local ecosystem.
Participants can enjoy a screen-free study break featuring origami and other paper crafts. Free and open to the Penn community.
This hybrid talk, part of the Penn Bioethics Seminar Series, will foster a discussion on strategies for developing ethics curricula tailored to bioengineering students. The session will highlight the Department of Bioengineering’s Engineering Ethics Initiative, which aims to embed ethics into core technical courses. Registration is required.
Known for stellar musicianship and dynamic live shows, West Philadelphia Orchestra is a brass band inspired by the Romani brass “orkestras” and “fanfares” of Eastern Europe. They will perform as part of Garden Jams, Penn Museum’s outdoor summer concert series.
Penn Flutes will perform as part of the Music in the Stacks series for their second performance in the Chemistry Library. Organized by the Department of Music and the Albrecht Music Library, “Music in the Stacks” brings Penn musicians into library spaces for drop-in, public performances. RSVP is encouraged for non-Penn card holders.
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 exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art marks the first major museum survey dedicated to the work and life of Jamaican-born artist Mavis Pusey (1928-2019), an important figure in geometric abstraction, featuring over 60 artworks from her prolific 50-year career.
As part of Penn Carey Law’s Ad Hoc Workshop summer series, Seaman Family University Professor Karen Tani and Ph.D. student Christen Hammock Jones will present “Unwanted Histories: Personal Narratives and Constitutional Decisionmaking in Disability and Reproductive Rights.”
Participants will celebrate the 250th birthday of the U.S. Post Office by making mail. Visitors can use the letterpress to print a quote from the first postmaster general Benjamin Franklin and pull from the Common Press’s rubber stamp collections to create mail art. Registration is required.