Teens

Philadelphia has long shaped the history of American Art, and its future is taking form in A Future of Artists. This exhibition brings together works made by Philadelphia-area high school students under the guidance of local working artists. Gallery interpretation within the show is authored by undergraduate art historians from Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Drawing inspiration from "A Nation of Artists," the Teen Art Show presents diverse perspectives rooted in place.

The works on view emerged over weeks of making, as the teens found their voices as artists and developed techniques in sewing, observational landscape drawings, animation, and character design. The project also extended beyond the workshop setting: almost 2,000 postcards, distributed to local high schools, invited broader participation through instructional videos by teaching artists. In A Future of Artists, young artists across the city explore what it means to make art today, placing themselves in an ongoing lineage of American artists while beginning to define their own practices.

Photo by Christina Marie Walley