News

• November 20, 2019

  Penn Museum’s Transformation Revealed

  The Penn Museum’s beloved sphinx is front and center in the new main entrance, along with two other new galleries and a refurbished auditorium, the result of a years long transformative building renovation. The main level reopens after a historic renovation featuring the relocated sphinx and completely reimagined Africa and Mexico/Central America galleries.

• November 20, 2019

  Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw talks ‘30 Americans’

  In the latest episode of Penn Today's “Office Hours” podcast series, which explores the minds of the University’s academic talents in a more unbuttoned setting, Shaw explains the event that shaped her career, the behind-the-scenes process of curating the new “30 Americans” exhibit at the Barnes Foundation that highlights contemporary art from influential African-American artists.

• November 11, 2019

  Penn Honors Seven Alumni Including Creative Spirit Awardee, Composer Jennifer Higdon

  On Friday, Nov. 8, The University of Pennsylvania honored seven distinguished alumni at the 2019 Alumni Award of Merit Gala. Award-winning composer Jennifer Higdon received the 2019 Creative Spirit Award for her life-long commitment to and excellence in the arts. Higdon received her Ph.D. and master’s degrees from Penn following a certificate from the Curtis Institute of Music and bachelor’s from Bowling Green State University.

• November 6, 2019

  The Culture of Coworking Spaces

  As Penn sociologist David Grazian discovered through hundreds of hours of fieldwork, despite today’s digital work-anywhere economy, having a physical place to conduct business still matters. There’s little question we’re on the verge of a “new” digital economy—some argue it’s already here—but as it continues to evolve, so too does the way the workforce actually works, including where people physically conduct their business. That last notion intrigued University of Pennsylvania sociologist David Grazian, so he embarked on a quest to better understand where people work in this new economy.

• November 6, 2019

  Fall Into The Arts

  On Nov. 16, the Penn Museum will unveil its Africa Galleries, consisting of 300 objects that are placed in context to confront colonial mentalities and illustrate the continent’s impact on the world. The curation team was led by Tukufu Zuberi, the Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations and a professor of sociology and Africana studies. Also opening is the Mexico and Central America Gallery. Curated by anthropologist Simon Martin, it showcases similarities and tells universal stories across distinct civilizations through 260 artifacts, including four breathtaking Mayan monuments.