Dew Drop-In
2026-03-28 10:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
All ages are welcome to join us at Dew Drop-In workshops on Saturdays at Fairmount Water Works!
During March’s theme, The Color of Water, we’re exploring what affects the appearance of water, and then using the waterways of Philadelphia as inspiration for watercolor art.
See where your creativity flows on March 28 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m!

CURRENTS: A Multimedia Exhibition Opening Reception
2026-05-09 13:00 - 16:00 | PA
In CURRENTS, ten prominent local artists will expose the hidden mysteries of the raw architecture and underground corridors beneath the historic Fairmount Water Works (FWW).
Imaginative site-specific artworks will immerse visitors in the voices of the river and the history and ecology of the Water Works and its environs. Trickling harmonic notes will accompany ephemeral video projections while haunting multi-media installations will connect colonial times to both the real present and an imagined future 250 years ahead.
CURRENTS is curated by Philadelphia Sculptors, and is a FWW, PHL250 and Global Philadelphia World Heritage Month event.
Philadelphia Sculptors works to promote contemporary sculpture and expand public awareness of the role and value of sculpture through exhibitions, public forums, and educational outreach.
Co-Curators: Elaine Crivelli, Leslie Kaufman, and Marsha Moss.

Participating Artists: Joy Feasley and Paul Swenbeck, Julianna Foster, Carolyn Healy and John Phillips, Nadia Hironaka and Matthew Suib, Eugene Lew, Martha McDonald, and Taji Ra’oof Nahl.

Naked Stark: Open Outdoor Rehearsals
2026-05-13 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-14 11:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-15 13:00 - 17:00 | PA
OPEN REHEARSALS OUTSIDE AT FAIRMOUNT WATER WORKS
Catch a glimpse of the Naked Stark Artistic Collaborators rehearsing for their full-length performance FLOOD BEGIN AGAIN premiering in the fall! These outdoor rehearsals are unique opportunities to witness us co-create in collaboration with live music, set pieces, and the architecture of this historic site.
Photos by Channing Billups

WE THE PEOPLE: Preserve Our Right To Clean Water Preview Reception
2026-05-14 16:30 - 18:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
WE THE PEOPLE: Preserve Our Right To Clean Water
4th Annual Special Fine Art Exhibition
Preview Reception
The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) has been a national leader in educating the public about the value of clean water and the need for public stewardship of our regional and local watersheds. This exhibition encapsulates these ideas and invites visitors to engage in thought and discussion sparked by a series of events which celebrate clean water including a fine art exhibition, installations, dance performances and interactive displays throughout the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center (FWWIC).
The exhibition will be open to the public from May 16 to August 1, 2026.
Participating Artists: Keith Breitfeller , *Emily Brown, Brian David Dennis, Thom Duffy, **Benjamin Passione, Rinal Parikh ,
Amie Potsic, Ana Vizcarra Rankin, Robert Reinhardt and Michael Williamson.
Courtesy of Galleries: *Avery Galleries and **Gross McCleaf Gallery.
The exhibition is curated by Thom Duffy under the direction of Karen Young, FWWIC Director, and brought to you in part by the Fund for the Water Works and the Edward F. Grusheski Water Literacy Foundation.

Curator-Led Tour of WE THE PEOPLE Fine Art Exhibition
2026-05-16 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-16 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-30 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-30 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-13 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-06-13 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-27 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-06-27 13:00 - 14:00 and 6 more dates | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
ART EXHIBIT TOURS
WE THE PEOPLE: 4th ANNUAL ART EXHIBIT AT FWWIC
We welcome visitors to register in advance for personal and engaging tours with Thom Duffy, Curator. Visitors will also be greeted by contributing artists. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from artists who are featured in this special exhibition !
Register HERE.

CURRENTS: Taji Ra'oof Nahl - Special Artist Performance
2026-05-16 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-06-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Join us in this Special Artist Performance of CURRENTS!
In CURRENTS, imaginative site-specific artworks will immerse visitors in the voices of the river and the history and ecology of the Water Works and its environs. Trickling harmonic notes will accompany ephemeral video projections while haunting multi-media installations will connect colonial times to both the real present and an imagined future 250 years ahead.

Taji Ra’oof Nahl is a conceptual artist working across sculpture, film, sound, and collective study. He is a 2024 Guggenheim Fellow in Fine Arts. He is the architect of the TR7 Ecosystem—an evolving platform that organizes installations, moving image, performance, and collaboration into a unified cultural infrastructure. His work operates through Field Trips, Video Almanacs, live scoring sessions, and staged productions that examine overlooked histories and the movement of knowledge through civic space.
CURRENTS is curated by Philadelphia Sculptors, and is a FWW, PHL250 and Global Philadelphia World Heritage Month event.
Philadelphia Sculptors works to promote contemporary sculpture and expand public awareness of the role and value of sculpture through exhibitions, public forums, and educational outreach.
Co-Curators: Elaine Crivelli, Leslie Kaufman, and Marsha Moss.

Said in Stone: Statuary Art at Fairmount Water Works
2026-05-27 16:00 - 17:30, 2026-06-10 16:00 - 17:30, 2026-06-24 16:00 - 17:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Join us for Said in Stone: Statuary Art at Fairmount Water Works, a tour focusing on the “form” that complements the “function” of our National Historic Landmark.
Along with the history, learn about the artistic expression of this site through the architecture, fountains, sculpture, landscape design and the Schuylkill River School of Painting. The beauty of the form brought attention to the critical function of the Fairmount Water Works.

CURRENTS: Martha McDonald - Special Artist Performance
2026-05-30 14:30 - 15:30, 2026-05-31 14:30 - 15:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Join us in this Special Artist Performance of CURRENTS!
River Ode: The Schuylkill Freed is a site-specific performance by Martha McDonald exploring the history of the Fairmount Water Works and the life of the Schuylkill River. Sited in the abandoned John B. Kelly Pool on the ground floor of the historic building, the performance will activate the space through movement, costume and original music reflecting on the engineering feats that harnessed the power of the river to bring clean water to the people; tales of the Schuylkill Rangers, 19th century Irish river pirates from nearby Grays Ferry; and the rebirth of the river after decades of pollution.
Anchoring the piece in the Semiquincentennial, McDonald will play a glass armonica—an instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin that uses water to make music. A series of spinning glass bowls that create ethereal tones when touched with wet fingers, the glass armonica evokes the water wheels that once hummed in this building and conjures a mournful resonance within its crumbling walls.
CURRENTS is curated by Philadelphia Sculptors, and is a FWW, PHL250 and Global Philadelphia World Heritage Month event.
Philadelphia Sculptors works to promote contemporary sculpture and expand public awareness of the role and value of sculpture through exhibitions, public forums, and educational outreach.
Co-Curators: Elaine Crivelli, Leslie Kaufman, and Marsha Moss.

FLOOD, BEGIN AGAIN Dance Performance by Naked Stark
2026-09-26 13:00 - 15:00 | PA
FLOOD, BEGIN AGAIN Dance Performance by Naked Stark
The Naked Stark is a partner in movement at Fairmount Water Works. Join us to watch their full-length immersive performance FLOOD, BEGIN AGAIN premiering in the former Kelly Pool. Six dancers propel, cascade, and ebb through the textural landscapes of concrete, river, fabric, and lighting that flood the pool and offer uncomfortable, humorous, and risky possibilities.
Co-created and performed by The Naked Stark artistic collaborators, Amalia Colón-Nava, Chloe Marie, Harlee Trautman, Katherine Kiefer Stark, Marcie Mamura, and Meredith Stapleton
Original live music by Andy Thierauf and lighting installation and design by Harbour Edney

Photos by Channing Billups
