Hear from our summer intern, Sarah Usandivaras
August 14, 2023My name is Sarah and I am this year’s summer SHIP intern at the Arthur Ross Gallery. Since starting just over a month ago I have gained a plethora of skills and experience in the art industry and beyond. read more
Lynn Dolby & Emily Zimmerman selected to participate in the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) inaugural Curatorial Digital Leadership Initiative
July 27, 2022The Arthur Ross Gallery & Penn Art Collection are delighted to announce that Lynn Dolby, University Art Collection Manager & Assistant Curator and Emily Zimmerman, Assistant Director/Assistant Curator at the Arthur Ross Gallery have been selected as one of 16 curatorial teams across the United States to be part of the Association of Art Museum... read more
An interview with Lynn Smith Dolby, curator of “From Studio to Doorstep”
July 21, 2022From your perspective as the curator, could you please provide us with a brief overview of the timeline and processes for this exhibition? Lynn Marsden-Atlass (University Curator and Executive Director of the Arthur Ross Gallery approached me in the late winter about the possibility of curating a show for the summer. read more
Meet the newest addition to the Ross Gallery staff – Emily Zimmerman, Assistant Director / Assistant Curator
July 12, 2022I understand you have family ties to the University of Pennsylvania Yes, my father, Franklin Zimmerman, was the chairman of the Music Department at the University of Pennsylvania and taught musicology for 25 years. read more
We did it . . . we are W.A.G.E. certified!
July 6, 2022The Arthur Ross Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce that it has been certified by Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.), based on its demonstrated history of and commitment to paying artist fees that are appropriate to the institution’s operating budget. read more
Student Spotlight
July 1, 2022Sunny Xiaoyang Hua is a rising junior majoring in English literature and minoring in French & Francophone Studies. Sunny was born and raised in Nanjing, China, and she holds a steadfast belief in the power of arts and letters. read more
Student Essay: Alice Zhao on ‘No Ocean Between Us’
September 13, 2021Our summer CURF intern, Alice Zhao, worked closely with Heather Moqtaderi, Assistant Director and Curator, on preparing for the upcoming exhibition No Ocean Between Us: Art of Asian Diasporas in Latin American & the Caribbean, 1940-Present. In this essay, Alice reflects on researching two artists of Afro-Chinese descent. read more
Arthur Ross Gallery interview with curator Lara Yeager-Crasselt
July 8, 2021Our summer intern, Alice Zhao, interviewed Lara Yeager-Crasselt, curator at the Leiden Collection, to talk about her current show An Inner World and its multifaceted significance to the discourse on Seventeenth Century Dutch Art, to the gallery, and to our current moment. read more
Welcome Alice!
June 15, 2021Alice is a rising senior double majoring in Art History and Political Science, and is interested in the connection between art and politics. As a summer intern at the Arthur Ross Gallery, she is looking forward to conducting outreach to local organizations, participating in research, and learning about the physical process of art installation. read more
Visualizing a New Year’s Mindset
January 11, 2021By Heather Moqtaderi, Assistant Director & Curator How have you adapted this past year? How are you doing? I’m sorry that I can’t literally hear you, but please know that I wish you the best. read more
Engaging Minds Through Art @ Home
May 13, 2020TO DO AT HOME Every semester Arthur Ross Gallery invites 4th – 6th grade students and their teachers for our Engaging Minds through Art program. At each session, our amazing artist-educator leads a tour and discussion of the exhibition followed by a hands-on art making activity. read more
We get up … thoughts for a new routine
May 7, 2020by Suzanne L. Seesman As an Administrative Assistant, my work life is all about preparation – scheduling meetings, organizing documents, and setting up for events. In late February, I added several bottles of hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes to the Arthur Ross Gallery supply order. read more
A look back on ‘Frankenthaler on Paper’ exhibition
April 28, 2020As many of you may know, our Frankenthaler On Paper exhibit officially came to a close at the end of last month. Thank you to everyone who visited the gallery and here is a look back on the exhibit! Special thanks to the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. read more
Paths of Subtle Resistance: The Careers of Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Martha Jackson
April 28, 2020On March 23 Angelica Maier was to present a lecture Paths of Subtle Resistance: The Careers of Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Martha Jackson at the Arthur Ross Gallery in coordination with the exhibition Frankenthaler on Paper. Due to COVID-19 this live event was cancelled. read more
Life as a College Student in the Coronavirus Pandemic
April 2, 2020by Cameron Hayes Life has changed significantly as a college student in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. Classes are now entirely virtual and campus resources are no longer as easy to access. read more
12@12 with Mary Tasillo, Director, Common Press
March 19, 2020As we navigate through this difficult time, we thought that we would share with you a 12@12 we had a couple of weeks ago on March 4, 2020 with Mary Tasillo on the exhibition Frankenthaler on Paper. Thank you Mary for sharing your notes! I’d like to talk a bit about process. read more
Student Spotlight: Emma Lien
December 3, 2019Our next student spotlight is sophomore Emma Lien! Emma is pursuing a duel degree from the College of Arts and Sciences, where she is majoring in Art History, and The Wharton School, where she is concentrating in Finance. The intersection between art and business has guided much of Emma’s work experience. read more
Student Spotlight: Brooke Krancer
November 1, 2019This week we are highlighting Brooke Krancer, one of our current student docents! Brooke is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in History and minoring in Art History. During her time at Penn, Brooke has developed a passion for research. read more
Student Spotlight: Miranda Ribeiro-Vecino
June 10, 2019Meet Miranda Ribeiro-Vecino! A rising senior at Penn and Philadelphia native, Miranda is working at the Arthur Ross Gallery as the gallery’s summer intern! On campus, Miranda is majoring in fine arts and philosophy; two disciplines that she says go “hand-in-hand” in her creative endeavors. read more
Creative Writing
April 12, 2019Over the course of four Saturdays in February, we hosted a Creative Writing Workshop series facilitated by Philadelphia-based writer Julian Shendelman. For each workshop, Julian followed a different theme relating to the exhibition Citizen Salon: Place; People, Birds and Beasts; Sky; Body and Spirit. read more
12@12 Talk: Associated American Artists
March 28, 2019Lynn Smith Dolby, University Art Collections Manager, joined us on Wednesday, March 6th for a 12@12 talk on Associated American Artists. Lynn noted that the Associated American Artists was established in 1934 by Reeves Lewenthal who sought to market “art for the people” rather than “art for the wealthy”, through an efficient system of production... read more
Student Spotlight: Harry Galiano
February 18, 2019A Junior at Penn, Harry Galiano is study Fine Arts with a minor in Architecture. Aside from participating in the Arthur Ross Gallery’s Student Advisory Board and Student Docent program since 2017, Harry is involved in a myriad of art-related endeavors on and off campus. Nearly all of these endeavors are philanthropic in some capacity. read more
12@12 Talk: Citizen Salon
January 3, 2019For today’s 12@12 talk, our Assistant Director, Heather Moqtaderi, highlighted comments from select participants (citizen curators) who voted for artworks in our current crowd-sourced exhibition, Citizen Salon. Moqtaderi focused on the artworks installed on the two walls that face each other at the center of the gallery’s west wall. read more
Student Spotlight: Reese Berman
December 11, 2018A Sophomore at Penn, Reese is majoring in Art History and minoring in Psychology and Fine Arts. Aside from being a Student Board member at the Arthur Ross Gallery, Reese is currently a graphic illustrator for both 34th Street Magazine and Penn Appétit Magazine. read more
Citizen Spotlight: Faye Anderson
December 11, 2018Faye Anderson is director of All That Philly Jazz, a place-based public history project that is documenting Philadelphia’s golden age of jazz. The places include Geno’s Empty Foxhole, which was located in the basement of the parish hall of St. Mary’s Church at Penn. read more
Student Spotlight: Alex Johnson
November 20, 2018A Senior at Penn, Alex is majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies, Law & Society, and History of Art. She hails from Washington, D.C. Alex is the current Co-Chair of the Student Advisory Board of the Arthur Ross Gallery. read more
Student Spotlight: Caroline Miller
November 13, 2018A Senior at Penn, Caroline is majoring in Visual Studies and minoring in Art History. She hails from Arlington, VA. Caroline is the current Co-Chair of the Student Advisory Board of the Arthur Ross Gallery. This past summer, she was as an editor and researcher for Dr. read more
Student Spotlight: Yasmin Gee
November 8, 2018A Senior at Penn, Yasmin is majoring in Art History and minoring in Journalistic Writing. She hails from London, U.K. Aside from working as a docent at the Arthur Ross Gallery, Yasmin is currently a campus representative for Rent the Runway. read more
12@12 Talk: Paper and Process by Mary Tasillo
November 8, 2018uring a recent installment of 12@12 (a twelve-minute gallery talk at 12 pm), Mary Tasillo of the Common Press responded to our current exhibitiovn “William Kentridge: Universal Archive”: I’d like to talk about paper and process – as both a papermaker and a printmaker. Right now we’re surrounded by linoleum cut prints based on ink drawings. read more
Student Spotlight: Morgan Moinian
October 31, 2018A Junior at Penn, Morgan is majoring in Art History and Architecture. She hails from New York City. Aside from working as a docent at the Arthur Ross Gallery, Morgan is currently a brand strategist for Felix Coffee Co. read more
Student Spotlight: Luiza Repsold Franca
October 23, 2018A Junior at Penn, Luiza is majoring in Art History and minoring in English and Fine Art. She hails from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Aside from working as a docent at the Arthur Ross Gallery, Luiza has been involved in the Philadelphia Museum of Art in multiple capacities. read more
Daily Dose of Docents: Corey Loftus
November 9, 2017Penn Senior Corey Loftus studies History of Art and is currently writing her Honors Thesis on Anni Albers’ textiles commissioned by two synagogues. Corey loves being a docent at ARG because she not only gets to see Penn students at the gallery, but also meets visitors from all walks of life. read more
Daily Dose of Docents: Briana Haggerty
November 9, 2017Briana Haggerty is pictured above giving a tour of our current exhibition, A View of One’s Own, over Homecoming Weekend. She particularly liked giving tours this weekend because our Gallery Director, Lynn Marsden-Atlass (also pictured above; far right) came to the gallery to give her input and perspective on the show. read more
Daily Dose of Docents: Ali Harwood
October 7, 2017Ali Harwood has been a docent with us at the gallery for three years and loves the ability to deeply understand exhibits by interacting with gallery viewers. read more
Daily Dose of Docents: Andrew Park
September 27, 2017History of Art Senior, Andrew Park sat down with us to talk about art and life as a docent at Arthur Ross Gallery. Andrew is excited to be a docent and talk to students about the current exhibition. read more
Daily Dose of Docents: Cordelia Mikita
September 21, 2017The Arthur Ross Gallery offers the unique opportunity to have a free tour of the gallery led by a trained student docent every Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm! We are sitting down with each of our docents for a quick chat. read more
Artist Spotlight: Minor White and Christopher Sean Powell
March 17, 2017Minor White (American, 1908-1976) Minor White was an American photographer whose art was guided by spirituality and philosophy. White’s grandfather, an amateur photographer, gifted him his first camera when he was seven years old. However, White did not initially plan on pursuing photography. read more
Artist Spotlight: Elliott Erwitt and Olivia Block
February 22, 2017Elliot Erwitt (French, b. 1928) Elliott Erwitt is a French photographer who immigrated to the U.S. at age 10. As a college student, Erwitt exchanged janitorial work for film classes at New School for Social Research. Right after finishing his education, he was drafted into the army. read more
Artist Spotlight: Lucien Clergue and La Cosa Preziosa
February 15, 2017Lucien Clergue (French, 1934-2014) Lucien Clergue was a celebrated French photographer. During his childhood, his hometown of Arles was almost completely destroyed by Allied bombing. This traumatic experience would influence Clergue’s early photography, as it centered around dark post-WWII imagery. A young and ambitious Clergue famously accosted Pablo Picasso outside of a bullfight and showed him his photographs. read more
Artist Spotlight: Ralph Gibson and Nadia Botello
February 8, 2017Ralph Gibson (American, b. 1939) Ralph Gibson is an influential American photographer known for his surreal and erotic photography. Gibson’s photographic debut was his role as Photographer’s Mate in the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1960. After the war, Gibson studied painting and photography at the San Francisco Art Institute and worked as a printing assistant to Dorothea Lange. read more
Artist Spotlight: Jerry Uelsmann and Marinna Guzy
February 1, 2017Jerry Uelsmann (American, b. 1934) Jerry Uelsmann is an American photographer known for his surreal and whimsical scenes. Uelsmann grew up in Detroit and developed a passion for photography while in middle school. His first solo exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art opened doors for him and allowed him to become the forerunner of photomontage in America. read more
Artist Spotlight: Eliot Porter-Kaitlyn and Aurelia Smith
January 25, 2017Eliot Porter Eliot Porter was born in Chicago in 1901. He developed a love for nature photography after being gifted a camera as a child. Even though he went on to begin a career in chemical engineering, he never let go of his love for photography. read more
Artist Spotlight: Andrew Moore and Michael Roy Barker
January 18, 2017The Arthur Ross Gallery’s newest exhibition, titled Landscape / Soundscape, consists of a paired collaboration between landscape photographs from Penn’s Univerity Art Collection and commissioned soundscape compositions. Our first Artists Spotlight of the exhibition features the collaboration between photographer Andrew Moore and audio-visual artist Michael Roy Barker. Andrew Moore (American, b. read more
Artist Spotlight: Ernel Martinez
December 8, 2016“Our work finds inspiration from the collective history, memory, and narratives of the communities that have been marginalized and systematically oppressed. This creative process manifests itself in the cross-sectional spaces where art intervention, activism, and community engagement merges. read more
Artist Spotlight: Wilmer Wilson IV
November 21, 2016“My work is an ongoing treatise on marginality. I try to perceive materials, images, and bodily states that are designated marginal or “thin,” and fasten them together to make them accrue presence. I frequently aggregate thin things into film-like layers that then cover a target body. read more
Artist Spotlight: Sarah Tortora
November 17, 2016“I create sculptural works hovering between comfortable semblance and cold sovereignty, consisting of structures that flirt with the likeness to historical artifacts, utilitarian fixtures, Modern furniture, architecture, or mechanisms of display. Their anthropomorphic scale suggests the potential for human intervention, but they remain amalgams deliberately elusive to classification, performing parallel to language but remaining outside of it. read more
Artist Spotlight: Demetrius Oliver
November 10, 2016“Harmonic Spheres is a video that was done in collaboration with Blanche Bruce [Terry Adkins’ alter ego doppelganger] that depicts the back of a person’s head shrouded in fog. In the video, the camera slowly pans across the head to the accompaniment of an original musical score. read more
Artist Spotlight: Nsenga Knight
November 3, 2016“Through my social practice projects, geometric drawings, text paintings, prints and photographs, I am drawing lines of flight and connecting dots across geographical space and time to answer a pervasive question – who am I and what is my place in the world? My work borrows from materials found in historical archives, memoirs, rituals, and documentary photographs. read more
Artist Spotlight: Jamal Cyrus
October 26, 2016“I have been exercising/exorcising my preoccupations in a variety of methods, cross‐referenced and cross‐fertilized. A collage of procedures: A video of a drawing, a drawing of a text, a woodcarving of a photograph. Seeking in these collisions the emancipatory desires of my predecessors. read more
Artist Spotlight: Jessica Slaven
October 20, 2016“Energy, faith, and words populate my contemplative life, and I then work through those contemplations materially in the studio. I like to help a thought find its physical expression. I hope to concentrate energy and make the object vital.” – Jessica Slaven on her artistic process. read more
Artist Spotlight: Tameka Norris
October 5, 2016Tameka Jenean Norris, with herself and her communities as a subject, uses painting, video, photography, music, performance, installation, project-based art, context art, confession, the internet, and institutional critique to explore the internal drives and external influences that shape identity. read more
Interview Exclusive: Curator Dejáy B. Duckett Talks About Memory, the Legacy of Terry Adkins, and Social Justice in ARG’s Current Exhibition
October 4, 2016We sat down with Dejay B. Duckett, Associate Director and Associate Curator of the Arthur Ross Gallery, to talk about her current show Darkwater Revival: After Terry Adkins and its multifaceted significance to her personally, to the gallery, and to the campus environment. Dejáy curated the show in collaboration with Demetrius Oliver, an artist and Penn Alumnus. read more
Student Spotlight: Ben Behrend
April 11, 2016This week we are honoring Ben Behrend, current senior in the College, and our first ever chair of the Arthur Ross Gallery Student Board! Ben is a Philadelphia native studying History and Spanish. On campus, he serves as a board member of Quadramics Theatre Company and gives tours to prospective students. read more
For God’s Sake: A Review of Abbas: Children of Abraham at the Arthur Ross Gallery
February 8, 2016Our second review selected from “Art Reviewing and Criticism” is by student Sam Murray. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we did: Black, white, and Abraham. read more
Review of Abbas: Children of Abraham by Martha Swift
February 8, 2016Susan Bee Laufer’s English 119 class, “Art Reviewing and Criticism” stopped by the gallery last week to see our Abbas exhibition. The students later wrote riveting reviews about the aesthetics, cultural relevance, and social commentary present in Abbas’s photo exhibition. We have selected two to share with you on our blog. read more
Student Spotlight: Isabel Kim
August 24, 2015I’ve interned twice for art institutions, once in New Jersey and once in Korea, but this was really my first long, comprehensive summer internship where I was actually part of the process and had access to all the behind the scenes work in a gallery. read more
Director Lynn Marsden-Atlass leads a group of Penn Alumni through France!
October 17, 2014Castles and Cathedrals of France Today we are touring the Renaissance castle of Chenonceau in the Loire Valley. Henri II gave his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, this lovely castle that spans the Cher River. read more
Arthur Ross Gallery Autumn Art Gala
October 7, 2014The Autumn Art Gala was a huge success! Over 175 people came to the gala from fraternity brothers to engineers to curious onlookers. People ate, drank, and listened to Penn student jazz performances all against the backdrop of Shared Vision: The Myron A. and Anne Jaffe Portenar Collection. read more
Staff Pick: Betye Saar, Return to Dreamtime, 1990
August 19, 2014In the current exhibition of Shared Vision: The Myron A. and Anne Jaffe Portenar Collection, the staff at the Arthur Ross Gallery and the Curator’s Office of the University of Pennsylvania have chosen a very special piece and has always been chosen to be discussed on tours! Come see this piece for yourself along with the other... read more
Shared Vision
August 6, 2014The Arthur Ross Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania presents Shared Vision: The Myron A. and Anne Jaffe Portenar Collection, opened to the public on Saturday, July 19, 2014. The exhibition includes 63 works drawn from the Portenar’s extraordinary gift of over 800 prints, paintings, sculptures, photographs, and works on paper donated to the University in 2013. read more
On the Wings of Eagle and Raven
April 17, 2014Currently on view until July 6, 2014 On the Wings of Eagle and Raven, opened to public on April 11, 2014. The Haida and Tlingit Native Americans have a rich visual tradition that includes highly stylized artifacts and totem representations. read more
Looking back on William H. Johnson: An American Modern
April 15, 20142014 at the Arthur Ross Gallery began with the masterful, vividly colorful work of William H. Johnson (1901-1970), a pivotal figure in modern American art. This traveling exhibition featured key stages in Johnson’s career and was developed by Baltimore’s James E. Lewis Museum of Art, Morgan State University, and the Smithsonian Institution. read more
RODIN at the Arthur Ross Gallery!
September 25, 2013AUGUSTE RODIN: THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE Selections from the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Collections on view at the Arthur Ross Gallery through December 22, 2013 RODIN Summer ended on a very exciting note when 20 breathtaking sculptures made their cross-country exodus from L.A. to Philadelphia for the August 17 opening of Auguste Rodin: the Human Experience. read more
Venice Biennale – June 2013
September 25, 2013The theme of this year’s exhibition La Palazzo Encyclopedic has been played out at the Arsenale. It is inclusive of all marginalized artists from around the globe, an austistic persons ceramic animals and figures, fantasy drawings from prison inmates and more. R. Crumb the hippie illustrator gets an enormous room as do many other outside artists. read more
30! A Celebration of the Arthur Ross Gallery
January 17, 2013Happy New Year to one and all! The 2012-13 season marks ARG’s 30th year, and our schedule is jam-packed with exciting exhibitions and events. Over the past thirty years, the Gallery has mounted nearly 150 exhibitions curated by both home-grown talent and by guest curators and artists from around the world. read more
Carnival 2013!
April 24, 2012On April 18, the ARG staff collectively held our breath hoping to avert a downpour. Thankfully, there was only a light drizzle outside by the time the capoeira demonstration began on the garden walk outside of the Gallery. read more
Seeing is Believing – In Material
February 21, 2012In Material brings together four innovative artists (Lucy Arai, Sonya Clark, Mi-Kyoung Lee, Cynthia Schira) who have very distinct ways of seeing fiber and fiber art. As with most art forms, fiber art is about process, materials, and methodology. read more
Double Take
December 8, 2011As many Penn students and staffers know, the campus is brimming with sculpture and fine art for the community to enjoy. But these works are not just limited to our fine cultural intuitions such as ICA, the Penn Museum and the Arthur Ross Gallery. read more
A Year in Review
July 11, 2011On the cusp of 4th of July weekend, it’s a gorgeous, uncharacteristically un-humid day here in West Philadelphia. Summer has kicked into high gear, and the other night while stargazing on my back porch, I had a chance to muse about the exciting year in the gallery soon coming to a close. read more
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