Philadelphia Art Galleries, Museums, Supplies & More

Best art galleries Philadelphia museums supplies classes

We hope everyone reading this is ready to take a deep dive into the local Philadelphia art scene. Galleries, museums, supplies, schools, shows, events and more will all be covered thoroughly right here.

Kicking things off will be the best Philadelphia Art Galleries and Museums where you can see some of the finest exhibitions and collections your area has to offer. Up next we will let you know where you can find all of the supplies you need at some of the best art stores near you.

Shows, festivals, and events that are held annually or more frequently will be the topic of our next section. Going on an art walking tour or checking out the best sculptures and statues around town can be a great way to see a variety of styles in a short amount of time.

Local art classes and lessons will need to get its own section and there are plenty of classes for both kids and adults that are available. Some of our more experienced readers may not need any lessons so we will tell you where you can find art studios for rent near you as well. And our final section will list the best shops for framing around town.

Stick around for our local art map towards the end to find all these spots pinned. And anyone who is interested can read more of our posts on the Northeast at that link.

Best Art Galleries & Museums In Philadelphia

Many would agree that the best art galleries and museums in Philadelphia are:

The collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art includes the world’s largest and most important collection of works by Marcel Duchamp, Auguste Rodin’s sculptures, and paintings works by Paul Cézanne’s The Large Bathers, Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, and important paintings by Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, and others. They have several monthly programs that include artist talks and monthly live performances.

The Rodin Museum also has one of the most extensive collections of sculptor Auguste Rodin’s works outside of Paris. The museum houses a collection of nearly 150 objects containing bronzes, marbles, and plasters by Rodin.

The Barnes Foundation possesses about 4,000 items including over 900 paintings. They are home to the world’s biggest collection of Renoir and Cézanne paintings, as well as notable pieces by Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, Van Gogh, and other well-known artists. You might also be interested in their art classes with new courses curated monthly.

The Woodmere Art Museum is home of important outdoor sculpture by Harry Bertoia, Dina Wind, and Robinson Fredenthal. Woodmere has almost 8,000 works in its collection, and nine galleries host exhibitions and events. Painting and watercolor courses are available.

Paradigm Gallery + Studio is glad to provide art consulting services for a wide range of projects, interests, and budgets in addition to numerous art classes. Every year, the Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art offers over 300 events ranging from film premieres to art exhibitions to fashion shows.

Delaware Art Museum is always free on Sundays and from 4pm to 8pm on Thursdays from April to December. They provide workshops as well as weekly art courses. The collection contains over 12,000 works of art with notable holdings of work by John Sloan, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Howard Pyle.

The Mezzanine Gallery is always open to the public and free of charge. Every first Friday of the month from 5-7pm you should head over for a great event. They also have an individual artist fellowships program with applications accepted in eighteen artistic fields and awards ranging from $3,000 for emerging artists to $6,000 for established artists to $10,000 for masters.

The Delaware Contemporary offers art lessons and they even rent out art studios. They host an annual event called the West Street Art Festival in June which includes both indoor and outdoor creative-based activities, as well as weekly events on the first Friday of each month.

Materials & Supplies Near You

Some of the best local stores to buy art supplies and materials would be:

The Expressive Hand sells pottery supplies and provides glazing and firing services. They also have pottery classes. The Phila Canvas Co specializes in selling canvas and also does custom orders.

Plaza Artist Materials, A C Moore Arts, Artist & Craftsman Supply and Michaels all offer framing services.

Shows & Events

Check out the best shows, festivals, and events held in your area like:

The Delaware Contemporary hosts the West Street Art Festival in June which includes indoor and outdoor based activities, performances, vendors, food trucks, and refreshments. Manayunk Arts Festival is one of the region’s largest outdoor arts events that attracts upwards of 200,000 people each year to Manayunk’s historic Main Street for a two-day festival of arts, crafts, music, food, and more.

Visit the Mezzanine Gallery or Delaware Contemporary on the first weekend of each month to check out their First Fridays which are always a good time.

Art Dealers & Appraisers

If you want to add a new piece to your collection or find out how much a piece is worth you can contact art dealers and appraisers near you like:

Hahn Gallery provides a variety of services including restorations, appraisals, framing, and art consulting. McCarty Fine Art and Antiques has been a local Philly dealer since 1978 and can help with sales and restoration, collection consulting, licensed auction services for public or private sales, and insurance appraisals.

Gross Mc Cleaf Gallery from the best museums list also sells art.

Walking Tours

If the weather is nice why not go on an art walking tour at:

Mural Arts Philadelphia will take you to see the world’s largest outdoor art gallery and learn about the city’s beautiful mural collection. The Association for Public Art provides a self-guided tour route to uncover an array of sculptures throughout the city.

Sculptures & Statues

Framing art supply stores Philadelphia lessons near you studios

You can also find some really creative sculptures and statues around your area like:

  • Government Of The People at 2-32 N Broad St
  • Clothespin Sculpture at Market St & S 15th St
  • Iroquois Sculpture at 552 N 24th St
  • Shakespeare Memorial at Logan Square
  • Playing Angels Sculpture at Kelly Dr
  • Lion Crushing a Serpent at 1848 Walnut St
  • Copeland Sculpture Garden at 2301 Kentmere Pkwy, Wilmington

The Clothespin Sculpture is located in City Center, between the two office towers of Centre Square. Claes Oldenburg created it and it was erected in 1976. Government of the People was sculpted by Jacques Lipchitz and installed at the Municipal Services Building Plaza in 1976.

Mark di Suvero made the Iroquois Sculpture between 1983 and 1999, and it was placed in 2007. Alexander Stirling Calder created the Shakespeare Memorial in 1926, placed it in 1928, and then transferred it to its current location in 1953.

The Playing Angels Sculpture was made in 1950 by Swedish-born artist Carl Milles and installed in 1972, hovering above the grass along Kelly Drive. Lion Crushing a Serpent by Antoine-Louis Barye was made nearly 200 years ago and installed in 1892.

The Copeland Sculpture Garden, which was dedicated in 2006, features over 20 sculptures by nationally recognized artists.

Philadelphia Art Classes

We aren’t all at the same skill leval and sometimes a lesson or two can give us the boost that we need. Some of the best Philadelphia art schools and classes can be found at:

The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1805 and offers undergraduate and graduate fine arts education degree programs. The University City Arts League offers art lessons to people of all ages and also puts on summer art camps and after-school programs.

Throughout the year the Manayunk Art Center has a variety of workshops for all ages taught by professional creators. Art Sphere provides art classes for children and teenagers, after-school programs, and thematic workshops.

The Philly Art Center has a wide range of programs, including after-school programs, art camps for kids, and parties. They also offer night classes for adults.

Create – Sues Art Class specializes in unique small private classes, workshops, parties, and events for students of all ages. They also offer evening lessons, after-school programs, one-day workshops, and art camps.

Cab Calloway School of the Arts is a magnet public arts school that accepts students in grades 6–12. They offer majors in dance, digital media and communication arts, instrumental music, piano, strings, technical theatre, theatre, visual arts, and vocal music.

The Barnes Foundation, Woodmere Art Museum, Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Delaware Art Museum, and The Delaware Contemporary from our initial best galleries near you list to start also offer art classes, as does The Expressive Hand from the supply stores list.

Studios For Rent Near You

Those of you who are ready to start a big project can find art studios near you like:

The Delaware Contemporary also has art studios for rent.

Framing

A frame can take a normal looking picture a long way, and some of the best places for art framing in Philadelphia are:

Trinity Framing is only open by appointment. Frameworks Studio & Gallery provides home and office consultations. In addition to custom framing they have a large selection of distinctive, original ready-made frames and handcrafted gifts manufactured by local artisans.

Vision Graphics Picture Frames provides a variety of services like custom framing, fine art scanning and printing, photo restorations, framed art packaging and shipping, and art installation.

American Picture Framing has over 500 moulding options and over 250 mat selections in store. Plaza Artist Materials, A C Moore Arts, Artist & Craftsman Supply and Michaels from art supplies list as well as Hahn Gallery also do framing in your area.

We should also mention that we also have posts on:

Have Fun Enjoying The Philadelphia Art Scene

Well guys, we tried to cover the full art scene near you to the best of our abilities. We listed the best local galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers in your area.

If you made it all the way to the end then you probably love art as much as we do. You can let us know about any of your own tips and tricks in the comments at the end of the post, or please also mention if we got anything wrong or if anything we posted has become dated.

Have fun going to the galleries, museums, buying supplies or doing anything that has to do with art in Philadelphia!

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