‘Fresh Perspectives’ at PAFA shows how creativity fosters civic engagement in kids

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

An art exhibition opening young eyes to Philadelphia’s civic landmarks is getting a second life.

“Fresh Perspectives,” a show featuring student work inspired by the nation’s 250th anniversary, has been extended at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and will move to City Hall later this year.

Organizers and educators say the project shows how creating artwork can foster civic engagement in children.

“We’ve never done anything like this before,” said Keisha Jordan, president and CEO of Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia, which instigated the project.

In the run-up to the semiquincentennial celebration this summer, more than 350 elementary and middle school students from 13 Philadelphia private schools turned their attention to Philadelphia civic landmarks and made their own artwork from them.

“We had the idea when all of the celebrations started being planned around the 250th anniversary of our country, and we really wanted to have an opportunity to get young people involved,” Jordan said.

Turning icons into art

The fund works with many private schools to offer financial assistance to students, including several Catholic schools that participated in “Fresh Perspectives.” In art classes, students were given materials and prompts to help focus their attention on civic icons like Independence Hall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Robert Indiana “LOVE” sculpture.

Two dozen eighth graders at St. Malachy Catholic School collaborated on a quilled version of the “LOVE” sculpture. Each student made a small portion of the sculpture by rolling strips of colored paper and stacking them into a small cardboard box. When all their boxes were fitted together they formed an image of the popular public sculpture in JFK Plaza, better known to some as LOVE Park.

“Figuring out how to puzzle it all together was chaos. It was always going to be chaos, because when you’re working with 24 13- and 14-year-olds,” art teacher Juliana Ottomano said. “But we had a really good time. They would have realizations throughout the project of: You can’t just give zero effort into this thing, because it’s part of a bigger piece.”

Other classes collectively made a 3D wall hanging of an imagined Philadelphia skyline, and a large assemblage of Philly locations such as City Hall, the Ben Franklin Bridge and the Philadelphia Zoo. One class created drawings and cardboard models of Philadelphia buildings designed by Black architects Julian Abele, who worked on the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Walter Livingston Jr., who designed Zion Baptist Church in North Philadelphia.

“Philadelphia is full of beautiful art, and community is represented through art in so many different ways here. I think it’s a learned skill to be able to look around the world and see that,” Ottomano said. “Having a space for students to be present with this thing that they see every day, but not actually see, is really impactful. I think it’s shaping kids to stop and look at their world.”

When art becomes civic engagement

People who participate in art projects are four times more likely to be civically engaged, according to a recent survey by the National Endowment of the Arts. In 2025, most U.S. adults surveyed did not participate in any clubs or organizations (67%), did not volunteer for organizations or associations (58%) or did not attend religious services (51%), according to the NEA. But people who engaged in the arts as either spectators or creators were more likely to engage with their communities.

The NEA report summarized surveys of adults. Children, particularly teenagers, can be petulant and dismissive of group projects, according to Ottomano. The fact that the “Fresh Perspectives” project resulted in a public art exhibition at a prominent Philadelphia museum overcame a lot of hesitation.

“Middle schoolers don’t want to be excited about things. It’s just what they are. That’s middle school. But they really are,” Ottomano said.  “Having that — people are going to drive to see your artwork — as a motivator was really cool. Not something that we usually have.”

Desiree Disney, the principal of the participating school Our Mother of Consolation, said the project allowed students to see themselves as members of a larger society.

“This project has also helped us expand on our personal reflections of the journey we endured this first year in our new school building,” Disney said in a statement. “This is the kind of experience that becomes a lasting school memory, helping students see themselves as artists and as part of something bigger.”

The exhibition “Fresh Perspectives” at PAFA has been extended to Monday, July 27. It has attracted the attention of City Hall. The city’s office of arts and culture, Creative PHL, is planning to host a portion of the exhibition in City Hall’s display cases this fall.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that 13 schools participated in “Fresh Perspectives,” and the Catholic schools involved in the project are not affiliated with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series that explores the impact of creativity on student learning and success. WHYY and this series are supported by the Marrazzo Family Foundation, a foundation focused on fostering creativity in Philadelphia youth, which is led by Ellie and Jeffrey Marrazzo. WHYY News produces independent, fact-based news content for audiences in Greater Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey.