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.
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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.
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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.