Philadelphia Museum of Art - Information : Press Room : Press Releases : 1996

August 21st, 1996

Joan Mondale To Speak At Art Museum

The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia, in cooperation with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, will present "Art in Public Places: A Comparison of Japan and the United States," a lecture by Joan Mondale, one of America's strongest champions of the arts. The program will be held on Thursday, September 5, 1996, at 11:00 a.m. in the Museum's Van Pelt Auditorium, and will be free after Museum admission.

After studying art in college, Joan Adams Mondale worked at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. She moved to Washington, D.C., in 1964 when her husband, Walter Mondale, was elected to the U.S. Senate. Washington provided many opportunities to be an advocate for the arts (she wrote Politics in Art in 1972) while continuing studies with a master potter. In 1977, Mrs. Mondale was named honorary chairperson of the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities by President Carter, and her tireless work in supporting cultural life across the country earned her the nickname of the nation's "Joan of Art." From 1979 to 1981, she served as honorary co-chairman of the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. Mrs. Mondale moved to Tokyo in 1993 when President Clinton appointed her husband Ambassador to Japan. There she embarked on an extensive program of promoting art in public places. During her talk at the Museum, she will show videos of public art projects in Boston and Tokyo.

Support for this program is courtesy of Teleflex Foundation, Price Waterhouse LLP, Philadelphia Gas Works, USAir and The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States, showcasing more than 2,000 years of exceptional human creativity in masterpieces of painting, sculpture, works on paper, decorative arts and architectural settings from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. An exciting addition is the newly renovated and expanded Perelman Building, which opened its doors in September 2007 with five new exhibition spaces, a soaring skylit galleria, and a café overlooking a landscaped terrace. The Museum offers a wide variety of enriching activities, including programs for children and families, lectures, concerts and films.

For additional information, contact the Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215) 684-7860. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call (215) 763-8100 or visit the Museum's website at www.philamuseum.org.