Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky (detail) by Benjamin West, 1816
Join art historian Bonita Billman for a special celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, commemorated through the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in a collaborative exhibition. “A Nation of Artists” features more than 1,000 works, including more than 120 paintings and decorative arts from the private Middleton Family Collection. Together, these works offer fresh perspectives on the evolving story of American art and experience.
At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, enjoy a guided tour that follows the unfolding story of American creativity from 1700 through 1960 across furniture, decorative arts, paintings, and sculpture. The exhibition includes the vital contributions of Indigenous, African American, and other historically underrepresented artists whose work has helped shape the nation’s visual culture. Visitors encounter the crisp realism of Charles Willson Peale, the refined Impressionism of Mary Cassatt, the powerful expressiveness of Horace Pippin, and the radiant color fields of Mark Rothko.
“A Nation of Artists” at PAFA celebrates the reopening of the Historic Landmark Building. Designed by Frank Furness and George W. Hewitt, it was the first structure in the United States conceived expressly for both exhibiting and teaching art. A guided visit of the exhibition, curated thematically, explores contemporary art, placing today’s most compelling living artists in conversation with creators of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Works from Benjamin West, Winslow Homer, and Georgia O’Keeffe, among others, are featured.
Lunch at the Philadelphia Museum of Art cafe is included.
Know Before You Go
- The tour departs by motorcoach from downtown Washington, DC with a designated secondary pick-up outside the city. Content delivered by the study leader on the way to the destination, after the secondary pick-up, is an integral part of the study tour experience. Meeting the group once the tour is en route is discouraged.
- Tour participants meet at and leave by bus from the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C St. SW (corner of 6th and C Sts. SW), with a pickup stop at the I-495 Exit 27 carpool parking lot at about 7:25 a.m.
General Information
- Registration for this tour will end by 2 p.m. ET on Friday, May 15, 2026.
- Smithsonian Associates is a mask-friendly environment. Please feel free to bring and wear a mask at any time during a tour, both for your safety or the safety of others.
- As we aim to move away from single use water bottles, guests are strongly encouraged to get in the habit of bringing their own reusable water bottle on tour.
- For additional tour information:
