The Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show will hold its 98th annual event June 6-8, with an exclusive – and free – opportunity to preview the art beforehand.
Over 140 artists from around the country, including local student artists, will exhibit their work around Rittenhouse Square beginning Friday, June 6. The list of this year’s participating artists, the medium in which each works and a map showing where each will be set up along the perimeter of the park are on the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show website.
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Thousands of visitors are expected to attend the free three-day event. The show takes place from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday.
The show’s preview will be held in the lobby of the Rittenhouse Hotel, at 210 W. Rittenhouse Square, now through Wednesday, June 4. There, the public can get a first look at some of the art pieces to be displayed during the show. On June 4, a free meet-and-greet with the artists will be held in the lobby from 5-7 p.m. RSVPs for the event can be submitted online.
What started in 1928 as a student-led showcase inspired by the streets of Paris, the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show has evolved into the nation’s oldest outdoor art show and one of the most coveted events of the year for artists and art appreciators.
Lily Wallis, a Bryn Mawr College art history student and former intern with the organization that hosts the show, wrote a personal essay about the event’s significance on Philadelphia and the art community, as a whole.
“One of the most inspiring aspects of the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show is that it is, at its heart, by artists and for artists,” Wallis wrote. “The artists involved in producing the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show are not just participants – they’re leaders, decision makers and advocates for the show’s future.”
Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show
June 6-8 | Free
Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Rittenhouse Square Park
1800 Walnut St., Philadelphia