Weekly Art Dispatch: 12.1 - 12.7
Artist talks, workshops, screenings, and more! Here's a glimpse into the week ahead.
Hi friends,
I’m so sorry for going MIA for the last two months! I took some time to regroup and consider how to make this newsletter more sustainable. The monthly list wasn’t really working… It was time-consuming to collate a month’s worth of upcoming exhibitions and programs; the newsletters ended up being too long for email inboxes, and I had to exclude events worth promoting.
Going forward, I’ll be sharing a weekly art guide that will give me room to include more information beyond opening and closing receptions, such as speaker series, special programs, workshops, and more. If you have strong feelings or feedback about this change, please let me know! I’d love to make sure this remains a helpful resource for art.phila subscribers.
Of course, I will also continue to update the art.phila Instagram, though I hope to start using IG primarily for images from exhibitions and events I visit rather than weekly art guides, so be sure to share this Substack with any friends who want to be looped in!
Without further ado… here’s where you should look this week:
Monday - 12.1
Exhibition | Postigo Express: Documenting the Basque Conflict in San Sebastián, 1977-2003
Arthur Ross Gallery
On view November 7, 2025 - January 4, 2026
Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, 10 AM - 5 PM | Wed, 11 AM - 6 PM | Sat - Sun, 12-5 PM
Visit the Arthur Ross Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania to see the first American exhibition of acclaimed Basque photographer Fernando Postigo’s work. This groundbreaking show offers unprecedented access to documentation of one of Spain’s most turbulent historical periods.
Film Screening | Philadelphia
Arthur Ross Gallery, Fisher Fine Art Library, UPenn
Building tours begin at 5 PM | Film screening begins at 6:30 PM
In conjunction with World AIDS Day, the Arthur Ross Gallery presents a special screening of Philadelphia (1993, dir. Jonathan Demme), starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. The screening will be introduced by art historian and curator Jonathan Katz, Associate Professor of Practice in the History of Art Department and Gender Studies and Women’s Studies, whose 2016 exhibition, Art, AIDS, America, traveled to five museums across the country. Tours of the Fisher Fine Arts Building will be given on a rolling basis. Following the film, audience members are welcome to stay for an open conversation on representation, advocacy, and care in art and media.
Workshop | Cooperatives for Creatives
Obvious Agency Group
Location: Pig Iron Theatre Company, 1417 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
Date and Time: Monday 12/1, 6-9 PM
In this workshop, participants will learn about the fundamentals that define cooperatives and how they differ from other types of collectives, explore case studies of cooperatives in the arts and culture sector, and brainstorm how a cooperative could meet their needs and the needs of their communities. Participants are welcome to join as individuals or alongside their collaborators, and will receive resources for further study into various cooperative models.
Tuesday - 12.2
Exhibition | Of the Grid: Systems + Structures in Contemporary Art
Leonard Pearlstein Gallery
On view through December 15
Hours: Tues - Fri 12-6 PM | Sat 12-5 PM
Incorporating photography, video, drawing, weaving, sculpture, embroidery, printmaking, painting, book arts, and interactive installation, the 36 artists in the exhibition use the constraint of the grid as an integral part of their tactile practice – whether serving as a formal framework for experimentation, an indexical device to interrogate historical narratives, an organizational tool for intertextual mapping, or a conceptual means to flatten and expand space. The sprawling exhibition design will activate the floors, walls, and windows of the Pearlstein Gallery’s 3700 sq ft of space.
Artist Talk | Queer Materials Lab Resident Artist: KT Abadir-Mullally
Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Fiber Studio 250
Tuesday, 12/2, 6 PM
Abadir-Mullally (b.1997) is a Coptic-American installation and social practice artist based in Philadelphia. Abadir-Mullally’s work has been included in exhibitions in Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles. Abadir-Mullally is a member of Batikh Batikh, an artist collective, pop-up cinema, and gallery centering SWANA women, queer, and local artists in Philadelphia. They hold a BFA from California Institute of the Arts and an MLIS from Simmons University. Abadir-Mullally’s day job is as a Digital Archivist in Jersey. Above all else, they are passionate about the agency of the living to decide how their narratives are preserved.
Wednesday - 12.3
Exhibition Opening | The Creative Genes
Hicks Art Center Gallery, Bucks County Community College
Opening Reception: December 3, 4-8 PM
Hours: Tues - Fri, 10 AM - 6 PM | Sat, 12-4 PM
If you’re willing to go for a drive, this exhibition presents 4 groups of genetically related artists from diverse backgrounds and narratives who share experiences and exposure to positive environments that fostered creative growth. In addition, writers participating in recent Volta Center’s workshops, will reveal their thoughts on creative lineage in words. Visitors will have a rare opportunity to see these pieces, which have been drawn from artist studios, archives, and collections specifically for this exhibition, some of which have not been widely exhibited before.
Artist Talk | Lisa Marie Patzer and Sophie Glenn
Organized by InLiquid Gallery
6 PM at the Oar Pub, Park Towne Place | Tour of the Permanent Collection at 7:15 PM
Lisa Marie Patzer’s artistic practice celebrates memory and history by reimagining archival materials in new visual forms. Sophie Glenn recreates classic furniture designs completely out of steel as a means of self-discovery. Both Glenn and Patzer are featured in the current rotational exhibition at Park Towne Place, Bespoke Matter.
Thursday - 12.4
Artist Talk | Clay and Conversations with Adebunmi Gbadebo
The Clay Studio
December 4, 1-2 PM EST
On December 4th, Resident Alumni and Clay as Care artist Adebunmi Gbadebo will talk about her artistic career, her time at The Clay Studio, and the vulnerability of sharing the exploration and honoring of her family’s history with her work.
Bonus: The Clay Studio has an archive of past conversations available on their website!
Exhibition Opening | Seven Artists on Paper
3808 Gallery
Opening Reception 12/4, 5-8 PM
The works in this exhibition range from graphite on paper figurative drawings to photographs to prismacolor, oil crayon and collage abstractions. Featured artists include: Emil Baumann, Tom Goodman, Virginia Maksymowicz, Mark Stockton, Blaise Tobia, Dennis Will, and Mark Willie.
Friday - 12.5
First Friday!
Philadelphia’s thriving local arts scene gets special recognition on the first Friday of every month. Here are some highlights this week:
Barnes Foundation - This month’s event features award-winning jazz vocalist and composer April Varner. Performances at 6:30pm & 7:45pm. Tickets $35.
Cherry Street Pier - Artists and artisans market 4-9 PM.
Paradigm Gallery - Opening reception for No Garden, featuring work by Eric Kenney, Max Seckel, and Keith Warren Greiman. 6-8 PM.
James Oliver Gallery - Holiday Group Exhibition. 6-8 PM.
5U Space - Opening Reception, work by Thomas Pontone. 12-5 PM.
Other Participating Businesses:
Museum for Art in Wood • Pentimenti Gallery • Muse Gallery • Thinker Maker Society • Larry Becker Contemporary Art • Locks Gallery • Vox Populi • PII Gallery
Symposium | Re*Membering Mavis Pusey
Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia
December 5, 10 AM - 6 PM | Registration is free & open to the public
This symposium explores questions of visibility, preservation, and remembrance. How can acts of conservation and curation become forms of remembrance and care for artists whose legacies have been obscured? How do we care for the material and historical traces of artists whose voices have been overlooked? How can institutions reframe their roles in sustaining the legacies of Black women artists? On Friday, December 5th, ICA will host public dialogues featuring notable participants from the field, including O’Neil Lawrence (National Gallery of Jamaica), conservation specialists from the Getty Research Institute and Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center, and leadership and curatorial teams from the Studio Museum in Harlem.
Art Shop | 30th Annual Print Sale
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
December 5th, 5:30-8:30 PM
Celebrate 30 years of fine art printmaking at PAFA by joining the 30th Annual Print Sale. Since its founding in 1993, the Print Sale has promoted and celebrated prints created by Academy students. Browse a wide variety of etchings, lithographs, relief prints, stamp prints, and screenprints—all priced under $200. Every purchase directly supports the artists.
Art Print Giveaway at 8 PM
Donate for a chance to receive a Faculty Print—suggested donation: $1.
Saturday - 12.6
Exhibition Opening | C’est La Vie by Pierre Trombert
Chimaera Gallery
On View December 6 - 28 | Opening Reception & Book Launch: 12/6, 4-7 PM
Hours: Saturday, 12 - 4 PM, or by appointment
In his newest exhibition, C’est la Vie, Pierre Trombert presents a vibrant series of works on paper that open a window to joy, curiosity, and the gentle humor found in everyday adventures. These abstract drawings invite viewers to pause and reflect, offering small moments of wonder that echo the spontaneity and unpredictability of life. This exhibition is accompanied by the release of the first two books of Trombert’s memoirs.
Party | 2025 Annual Print Center Benefit
The Print Center
5 PM Champagne Reception - $150 | 6 PM Entry - $75
Celebrate The Print Center’s 110th birthday and honorees, City Councilperson Rue Landau and Artist Gabriel Martinez on Saturday, December 6th. Bid on an extraordinary group of artworks donated in celebration of The Print Center, including works by: Kate Breakey, Sebastiaan Bremer, David Graham, Cecilia Paredes, Stephen Powers (ESPO), Katia Santibañez, Kiki Smith, Ron Tarver, Shawn Theodore, June Wayne, and Wendel A. White, among many others. Bid while enjoying an open bar, tasty bites, and posing for a Polaroid portrait.
Sunday - 12.7
Fun for the Family | PECO Free First Sunday & Family Day
Barnes Foundation
Sunday, December 7, 10 AM - 4 PM
Registration opens Thursday, December 4, at 10 AM. Space is limited.
It’s the first Sunday of the month, which means free admission at the Barnes. Enjoy fun art activities, performances, and access to the collection and Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets. Be sure to catch the Philadelphia Youth Concert Band, presented by the PYO Music Institute, who will perform “American Musical Masters: Reimagined and Retold,” a program featuring works by Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and more.
Opening Reception | Winter Magic
3rd Street Gallery
Sunday, December 7th, 2 PM
Winter Magic is a group show celebrating the beauty, joy, and creativity of the season. Featuring works by member artists, this curated collection offers original art priced from $5 to $500.
Last Chance - Exhibitions Closing This Week
Common Obsessions - A solo exhibition of work by Jonathan Stemler at Connie A. Eastburn Gallery at Cairn University through 12/5.
OTHER HOME - A dual exhibition of animated video installations by Amy Lee Ketchum + Ana Carolina Estarita Guerrero at Tiger Strikes Asteroid through 12/5.
Michelle Lopez: Pandemonium - Lopez’s recent sculptures come together with her commissioned multimedia installation, Pandemonium at The Galleries at Moore through 12/6.
Mavis Pusey: Mobile Images - the first major museum survey dedicated to the work and life of Jamaican-born artist Mavis Pusey, featuring over 60 artworks from her prolific 50-year career at the ICA Philadelphia through 12/7.
As always, if I’ve missed anything or if you’d like to share any tips on upcoming events in the Philadelphia area, please contact me at art.philaguide@gmail.com.