How many times have you passed a remarkable example of architecture and never noticed? Slow down and join us for a walking tour of selected buildings in Philadelphia’s City Center. These buildings will be examined in terms of the aesthetics of each design, of the building’s relationship to other nearby buildings, and the overall plan of downtown Philadelphia. Philadelphia’s built environment offers a wide range of shapes and textures open to creative understanding.

How many times have you passed a remarkable example of architecture and never noticed? Slow down and join us for a walking tour of select buildings of Philadelphia’s Market Street East. These buildings will be examined in terms of the aesthetics of each design, of the building’s relationship to other nearby buildings, and the overall plan of downtown Philadelphia. Philadelphia’s built environment offers a wide range of shapes and textures open to creative understanding.

Within a few blocks of Philadelphia’s City Hall, nestled among office and governmental buildings, are clustered works by several of the twentieth century’s most prominent sculptors. Participants in this guided discussion will consider the relationship of art and the urban environment, issues of location and its effect on the viewer, as well as public and “semi-private” space. Highlights include Claes Oldenburg’s Clothespin (1976) and Jacque Lipchitz’s Government of the People (1976).

This guided discussion along Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway will examine two prominent modes of public sculpture: the “memorial” and the “pure artwork.” Issues considered on this tour will include the problem of the memorial; representation verses abstraction, and issues surrounding public space. Highlights include Henry Moore’s Three Way Piece Number 1: Points (1964) and Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker (1902 [1925 casting]). This tour will require a moderate amount of walking: approximately 1 mile.

This discussion explores the unique sculpture environment of the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial Sculpture Garden along the banks of the Schuylkill River below Boat House Row. Developed over nearly thirty years, this sculptural landscape offers the viewer a wide range of works by both national and international artists presenting a variety of subjects and forms for consideration. This tour involves a minimum of walking. Parking is available below the Girard Avenue Bridge on Kelly Drive.

Rain date will be October 16, 2011.

This class is eligible for tuition assistance.  Please click here to learn more about our Financial Assistance program.

If you have any questions regarding this class, please click here to send an e-mail, or call us at 610-971-9960.

Students will have the opportunity to supplement their classroom experience by visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Saturday, October 22, November 19 and Decem ber 17, 2011 at 10:00 AM.  Students will be responsible for transportation and museum fees.

This class is open to all students who have successfully completed our Part I: Informed Perception course and financial assistance and membership discounts are available. 

This class is eligible for tuition assistance. Please click here to learn more about our Financial Assistance program.

If you have any questions regarding this class, please click here to send an e-mail, or call us at 610-971-9960.

Learn how Matisse courageously created works of art that expressed his interest in the decorative aspects of both the objective world and the traditions of art. This course will focus on paintings of similar subjects for comparative analysis and the exploration of key concepts in his work—especially design and form. Classes include lively exercises, class discussion, independent work, and guided discovery.