Art in the Open 2018

Art in the Open (AiO) is a biennial citywide event that celebrates artists, their inspirations for creating art, and their relationships with the urban environment. Art in the Open debuted in June 2010, bringing a jury-selected group of artists to the Schuylkill Banks – from the historic Fairmount Water Works to South Street – to inspire new ways of seeing the river and the city it runs through. Every other year, a new group of artists is chosen for a three day event, creating new works of art outside, in a creative process open to everyone.

The public is encouraged to participate in Art in the Open by visiting often during the three-day event, to see the works of art evolve and talk with the artists about their creative process. By actively engaging with AiO, you become part of that process – shifting ideas of the art audience, and as part of the environment the artists are considering, influencing how the art take shape. Artists’ working times will vary with their project’s particular needs; most activity takes place between 9 am and 5 pm.

Partnering civic and cultural organizations throughout Philadelphia also offer extensive opportunities for public engagement with the event, showcasing the vibrant community of working artists, galleries and institutions that make Philadelphia a major Urban Art Center, and its two rivers: waterways which continue to inspire creative response and also serve as an ecologically critical lifeline for its residents.