Invigorating Civic Life
Philadelphia’s visitor center receives an upgrade
The Independence Visitor Center, a gateway to the Philadelphia region for 2.5 million visitors annually, completed a three-year, $15 million renovation to its building on Independence Mall in May. A new 42-foot-long digital touchscreen “concierge wall” allows patrons to search for area attractions, and a new cafe, expanded event space, and a larger gift shop help make the center more economically self-sufficient. The center’s changes aim to address the substantial increase in Philadelphia tourism from 27.7 million domestic visitors in 2001 to a record 45 million U.S. and international visitors in 2018. Pew helped establish the center in 2001 and supported its latest enhancements with a $500,000 grant in March 2017.
Pew arts fellows receive recognition
The work of Pew Fellows in the Arts continues to reach national and international audiences. The documentary film of 2018 fellow Jonathan Olshefski, “Quest: A Portrait of an American Family,” which follows one Philadelphia family for nearly a decade, was nominated for a Peabody Award. The Peabody Awards recognize “the stories that matter” across TV, radio, and digital media. Other fellows currently showing in major international exhibitions include Alex Da Corte (2012) at the Venice Biennale, Tiona Nekkia McClodden (2016) at the Whitney Biennial, Camae Ayewa and Rasheedah Phillips (2017) at the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Ryan Trecartin (2009) at Fondazione Prada in Milan, Sharon Hayes (2016) at Stockholm’s Moderna Museet, and Geoff Sobelle (2006) and Jennifer Kidwell (2016) at the Hong Kong Arts Festival.
