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, studies, and prints, 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 Sep 8 to Dec 19, 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.
Please join us from 5-7 PM on Oct 15 for a public reception celebrating the exhibition's opening. This program is free and open to the public. Registration is requested but is not required to attend.
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.