Philadelphia Museum of Art Brings Back ‘Pay What You Wish’ Friday Nights for 150th Anniversary
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Museum of Art will revive its popular “Pay What You Wish” Friday Nights starting April 10, offering free or reduced-cost admission through Labor Day weekend as part of its 150th anniversary celebration, the museum announced Feb. 27.
The program, named “Independent Fridays,” runs through Sept. 4 and coincides with the opening of several major exhibitions this spring, including “A Nation of Artists” opening April 12 and “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments” opening April 25.
“Independent Fridays is our birthday gift to Philadelphia, and a reaffirmation of our mission of bringing art to people and people to art in Philadelphia,” said Daniel Weiss, the museum’s George D. Widener Director and CEO.
The museum piloted a return to Pay What You Wish Friday Nights for the final three weeks of its surrealism exhibition in January, resulting in a 128% increase in attendance compared to the previous three weeks and an almost 20% increase in admission revenue over the same period, according to museum officials.
The expanded access is made possible by gifts from board chair Ellen Caplan and her husband Ron Caplan, and the William Penn Foundation, which will offset reduced admission fees.
“Pay What You Wish program is how I was first introduced to the museum as a child,” said Ellen Caplan, board chair. “It’s an honor for me and the entire board to support Dan and the museum for these exciting months ahead. There’s no better way to turn 150 than to say thank you to our city.”
The museum previously offered Pay What You Wish Friday Nights for many years before discontinuing the program in 2024 and replacing it with reduced-admission pricing.
Independent Fridays will feature locally sourced cocktails, light bites, gallery tours, and live music from the museum’s DJs-in-Residence.
After Sept. 4, the museum will return to its regular half-off Friday night rate of $15. Admission remains Pay What You Wish on the first Sunday of every month. Children 18 and under are always free, and discounts are available for seniors and students.
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Philadelphia Museums to Present Landmark Two-Year Exhibition of American Art
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts will jointly present “A Nation of Artists,” a major exhibition spanning more than 300 years of American art, opening April 12 and running through mid-2027, the institutions announced Feb. 12.
The exhibition, organized in collaboration with the private Middleton Family Collection, coincides with America’s 250th anniversary and PMA’s 150th anniversary. It will feature more than 1,000 paintings, photographs, sculptures and decorative arts drawn from both museums’ collections and the Middleton holdings, including over 120 rarely seen works from the family’s collection on public view for the first time.
At PAFA, works from the late 18th century to today will be arranged thematically to explore westward expansion, industrialization and international exchange. PMA will present a chronological display of American art from 1700 to 1960, highlighting global connections, artistic innovation and responses to the natural world and economic change.
“This is a transformative moment for PAFA and for Philadelphia,” said Kristen Shepherd, PAFA’s president and CEO. “In collaboration with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we are proud to present ‘A Nation of Artists’ in a way that is deeply rooted in PAFA’s history, yet forward-looking in its exploration of what defines American art today.”
The exhibition will be installed throughout PAFA’s recently restored Historic Landmark Building and PMA’s newly renovated American art galleries.
Highlights include large-scale portraits by Charles Willson Peale and Thomas Eakins, landscapes by Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Edwin Church, works by enslaved potter David Drake, textiles and sculpture by Native American artists, Impressionist paintings by Mary Cassatt and John Singer Sargent, and contemporary works by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Mickalene Thomas and Kara Walker, among others.
John S. Middleton, whose family collection is a cornerstone of the exhibition, said the collaboration offers an opportunity to share works that have brought his family “so much joy and inspiration.”
“With every viewing, there’s something new to discover,” Middleton said. “It’s an honor to help bring American art to life in a new way during this very special 250th commemoration of our country’s founding.”
Daniel Weiss, PMA’s director and CEO, called the exhibition “a cultural milestone” that will “bring together voices from around the country through innovative programs, partnerships and scholarship.”
The exhibition runs through July 5, 2027, at PMA and Sept. 5, 2027, at PAFA. Visitors may experience both venues with separate but discounted admission. A schedule of live events, including talks, performances and workshops, will be announced.
