Exhibitions: real and virtual

Current Exhibitions

Our galleries showcase local folk and traditional arts - vernacular and alternative expression. We are open September - June on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 - 6 and by appointment. FREE. Tours also available by appointment (donations encouraged): 215.726.1106

Tatreez: Palestinian Women's Embroidery in Philadelphia
Making and sharing traditional needlework, stitching patterns belonging to villages that no longer exist, local Palestinian women artfully sustain heritage and community through the beauty that is tatreez. Nehad Khader curates a new exhibition about the meanings of this art—the first in a new series of Community Folklife Documentation exhibitions at PFP curated by community members.... (read more)

Storied Objects
Taking a stand against injustice, making a huge sacrifice for future generations, coming together with others in celebration and struggle: everyday, people are engaged in epic sagas, building best hopes into satisfying lives. Folk arts are among the means we use to pursue real and varied freedom dreams. Significant experiences are on view this fall, in a small exhibition of telling objects: paintings, sculpture, and musical instruments made by people with important stories to hear.

Continuing Exhibits

If These Walls Could Talk: William and Miriam Crawford's Dining Room
Bill and Miriam Crawford's actual dining room are four walls collaged with 40 years of social change memorabilia. Like other folk arts, these lovingly tended walls of memory and struggle trace community and convey folk history. An artistic creation in its own right, this assemblage evokes the homes and workplaces of many activists. The dining room walls chronicle four decades of a family's political life, recording the Crawfords' involvement in the Communist party, the civil rights, Black Power, and anti-war movements, the "Stop Rizzo" campaign, and Bill's own campaign for city controller. Like an elaborate, oversized scrapbook, the walls seamlessly mix radical political memorabilia with favorite images of African American literary and musical figures, popular culture, cartoons, and photographs of old friends. Each piece has a story. (Read more)