Exhibition cover illustration is based on artist Sam Maitin's original designs for a series of large public banners that were installed at Wanamaker's Department Store in downtown Philadelphia in the late 1980s. Illustration by Elaine Lopez.
The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation, The Penn Art Collection, and Penn Libraries are pleased to present We the People: Sam Maitin, an exhibition of selected works by the celebrated Philadelphia artist, on view at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Pennsylvania, October 15, 2025 through February 21, 2026.
Download the exhibition catalog. (PDF 5.7MB)
Opening Reception
Please join us on Wednesday, October 15, to celebrate the exhibition opening with a public reception in the Arts Lounge at the Annenberg Center beginning at 5:00 PM.
- Wednesday, October 15, 2025
5:00–7:00 PM - Arts Lounge at the Annenberg Center
3680 Walnut Street (enter from the South Plaza)
University of Pennsylvania
This program is free and open to the public.
About the Exhibition
We the People: Sam Maitin brings together a selection of works from the celebrated artist, beloved teacher, political activist, and champion of cultural life in Philadelphia. A life-long resident of the city, and a Penn alumnus (FA’51, 1928–2004), Sam Maitin’s joyful work dominated the Philadelphia landscape for decades, on bus shelters, walls of hospitals and educational institutions, and across the city promoting various arts organizations and social causes.
We the People: Sam Maitin features a diverse collection of works by the artist, including banners, prints, and studies, in an exhibition curated by Lynn Smith Dolby, Director of The Penn Art Collection, and Lynne Farrington, Director of Programs and Senior Curator in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts at Penn.
The exhibition is presented in conjunction with the concurrent Penn Libraries exhibition, Maitin in Philadelphia: Mayor of the Arts, on view from September 8 to December 19, 2025, on the 5th floor of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Maitin in Philadelphia features a selection of posters from Philadelphia cultural institutions championed by Maitin, including the Philadelphia Civic Center, the South Street Arts Festival, and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Both exhibitions celebrate Penn’s recent acquisition of Maitin’s archives.
Acknowledgments
We the People: Sam Maitin was produced by The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation, The Penn Art Collection, and Penn Libraries, in partnership with Penn Live Arts.
Exhibition graphic design by Elaine Lopez.
