Philadelphia Museum of Art - Information : Press Room : Press Releases : 1997

May 20th, 1997

Video Gallery Presents 'Public Service And Other Announcements'

Public Service and Other Announcements, on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from May 20 through August 3, 1997, brings together two decades of videos by artists using the formats of public service announcements or advertising. Many of the works were originally produced for broadcast or cable television. Some artists have employed these familiar forms to deliver information about pressing social issues such as racism, pollution and homelessness. Others devote the 30 to 60-second spots to exploring more personal subjects, including portraits of other artists and short performance pieces. A number of artists have chosen to subvert the conventions of PSAs and advertisements by reversing the camera to focus on TV viewers as subjects, or by satirizing the usual product promotions.

Artists whose works are featured in Public Service and Other Announcements include Laurie Anderson, Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, Bill Viola, Stan Douglas, Gran Fury, Tom Kalin and Martha Rosler, among others. Programming in the Video Gallery, which is located in the Galleries of 20th-Century Art on the Museum's first floor, is made possible by the generous support of the Women's Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest museums in the United States, with a collection of more than 227,000 works of art and more than 200 galleries presenting painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, decorative arts, textiles, and architectural settings from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Its facilities include its landmark Main Building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Perelman Building, located nearby on Pennsylvania Avenue, the Rodin Museum on the 2200 block of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and two 18th-century houses in Fairmount Park, Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove. The Museum offers a wide variety of activities for public audiences, including special exhibitions, programs for children and families, lectures, concerts and films.

For additional information, contact the Marketing and 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.