America’s 250th Anniversary

Glen Foerd proudly joins the nationwide celebration of America’s 250th anniversary with a vibrant slate of programs that honor Philadelphia’s legacy of creativity, community, and civic spirit. Stay tuned for some exciting upcoming programs and events

 

Radical Americana Art Exhibition

How do we observe the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States in 2026? How has the Declaration of Independence been commemorated or criticized in the past?

Radical Americana will be a series of exhibitions organized by a consortium of Philadelphia’s extensive collection of arts and cultural institutions, celebrating how today’s artists are continuing the city’s unique and rich legacy as a center for creativity and civic engagement. We ask artists to explore the influential historical year of 1776, and the subsequent commemorations in Philadelphia in the years 1876, 1926, and 1976 as points of research for contemporary artists to gain inspiration and add their voices to the current dialogue about our nation’s present and future. 

Learn more here about this citywide project opening in the Spring of 2026.

  • Caitlin McCormack (b. 1988) is a Philadelphia-based fiber artist and educator. Raised in a rural, working-class household in New Jersey, they became acquainted with various art and craft modalities and gained a profound appreciation for nature at a young age, with a propensity for crochet. McCormack has participated in solo and group exhibitions at Elijah Wheat Showroom, The Mütter Museum, Museum Rijswijk (NL), Mesa Contemporary Art Museum, Hashimoto Contemporary, The Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Feinkünst Krüger, Field Projects, Future Fair, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, and a site-specific installation with BravinLee Projects in NYC. Their work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Juxtapoz, BOMB, Hyperallergic, Smithsonian, The Guardian, Whitehot Magazine, Fiber Art Now, and Bust Magazine, and their sculptures were the subject of an interview with Jim Cotter for Articulate on PBS. In addition to working as an instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and Hussian College of Art and Design, they have completed artist residencies at The Vermont Studio Center (VT), The Peter Bullough Foundation (VA), The Wassaic Project (NY), Byrdcliffe Artist Colony (NY), Monson Arts (ME), Kimmel Harding Nelson (NE), and the historic Dune Shacks in Provincetown, MA. McCormack received a Joseph Robert Foundation grant in 2021 and was awarded the Woodmere Museum of Art’s Maurice Freed Memorial Prize in 2023. 

  • Jessica Eldredge is an artist based in Old City, Philadelphia. Her work explores the interplay of color, pattern, and structure to reveal the endless possibilities of beauty in order and repetition. Working across a range of media including painting, printmaking, collage, and installation, she draws inspiration from quilts, weaving, and other textiles, as well as from decorative arts such as stained glass and tiles. Her art reflects a fascination with the way many small parts can come together to create a harmonious whole. 

    Jessica’s work has been exhibited widely throughout the Philadelphia area and is held in several private collections. In addition to her studio practice, she is an active teaching artist, partnering with schools and nonprofit organizations across the region. She holds a BA from Smith College and an MA from the Winterthur Program in Early American Material Culture. 

 

Bells Across PA

Bells Across Pennsylvania is a statewide public art initiative presented by America250PA in celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the United States in 2026. Local artists in collaboration with Mural Arts were invited to design and transform three-foot-tall fiberglass bell sculptures, each uniquely interpreted and sponsored by local organizations and individuals. Glen Foerd is proud to host the Northeast bell designed by Bob Dix.

The bell will be installed in March 2026 on the Boathouse deck.

  • Bob Dix was born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia. He trained at the Art Institute of Philadelphia and worked for many years as a graphic designer and illustrator. He’s known for his charming cartoons capturing oddities throughout Philadelphia, which he posts on his blog “PhilODDelphia”. He teaches art classes with the TaconyLAB and leads art historical tours through Riverfront North. He was interviewed for the Inquirer in September last year where you can learn more about his work. 

Nature to Industry to Nature Again

The design illustrates the evolution of the area — from the Lenape homeland, to an industrial hub, and back to a place of nature and recreation.

The Poquessing Creek marks the border between Philadelphia and Bucks County and serves as a symbolic throughline. The bell tells a 360° story, encouraging viewers to discover hidden details as they move around it, reflecting Glen Foerd’s layered history. The piece incorporates historical, cultural, and natural imagery, connecting local industry, heritage, and ecology. It includes hidden gems and translated phrases in multiple languages to represent the area’s diverse community, native flora and fauna, especially mice, referencing the Lenape meaning of Poquessing (“land of many mice”), symbols of local industry, and historical landmarks/statues. Historical figures highlighted include Lenape leader, Tamanend who signed the Treaty of Shackamoxon or Penn Treaty, Florence Foerderer Tonner – last single owner of Glen Foerd and arts patron; daughter of Robert Foerderer, Robert and Caroline Foerderer, who renovated Glen Foerd after purchasing it from the original owners, Charles and Lily Macalester, original builders of the Glen Foerd estate, Henry Disston – industrialist whose saw works shaped nearby neighborhoods, Matthias Baldwin – industrialist who built a summer home in the vicinity.