About the Gallery

The Esther M. Klein Gallery is a self-supporting branch of the Science Center, the first urban, university related research park in the United States. The Klein Art Gallery was established in 1976 and has since supported well over 2000 artists through solo and group exhibitions. The Klein Art Gallery is recognized throughout Philadelphia for the caliber of its exhibitions and the quality and scope of its community outreach initiatives.

Our Vision
The Esther M. Klein Art Gallery is not a commercial art gallery, nor is it a community art center. It is a critically acclaimed exhibition venue that emphasizes the importance of art and community. With a long history of cutting edge art exhibits, the Klein Gallery is unique in its role as a proactive Philadelphia arts venue that promotes and facilitates a truly interactive relationship between art and community.

Our Mission
To positively promote and impact the cultural life of our immediate neighborhood of West Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Area with a diverse range of art exhibitions, gallery talks, slide and panel discussions, extensive education programs which include innovative studio workshops.

To assure the broadest public access to our programs, all Klein Gallery events and activities are FREE. In addition, the Klein Gallery provides roundtrip transportation and lunch for all visiting schools and student organizations. Our innovative community outreach initiatives enable the Klein Gallery to be a forum for active participation and involvement in the arts by a diverse and often underserved public.

Constituency and Geographic Area Served
A varied audience from over 200 national and international science and technology companies that make up the Science Center, and the public at large, view the gallery space daily. Proactive community outreach initiatives target underserved Philadelphia communities enabling them to take full advantage of all Klein Gallery events. The Art Outreach Program serves schools and community based organizations throughout the Greater Philadelphia Area. Adult groups from community centers and adult care facilities also visit the gallery to participate in outreach programs. The Klein Gallery is located within a few city blocks of both the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University campuses and is a valued resource to both institutions. We are pleased to be able to provide free art programming and unique art education activities for all visitors.

Gallery Exhibitions & Programs

EXHIBITION SERIES
Exhibitions at the Klein Gallery are selected based on excellence and community interest. The Klein Gallery changes its exhibitions approximately six to eight times a year offering the public a diversity of challenging programs. Specific events such as gallery talks, performances, workshops, and seminars supplement each exhibition adding depth to our programming and furthering our commitment to reach out to the community with free art and educational opportunities. All scheduled exhibits serve our mission to promote the vital relationship between art and community. The Klein Art Gallery pursues several specific exhibition themes that support our outreach initiatives:

Art-in-Science Exhibition Series: This series is inspired by the Klein Gallery's affiliation with the Science Center and offers exhibition opportunities to individuals who explore the artistic and expressive possibilities of technology and science either through solo work or in collaboration with other artists. R. Buckminster Fuller, a past World Resident at the Science Center, initiated the series in the early 1980's with two critically acclaimed exhibits. The Art-in-Science exhibition series addresses art and community issues by extending exhibition opportunities to individuals or groups working in the sciences, as well as promoting unique science-related art exhibits to the general public.

Arts & Community Series: Introduced in 2001, this series features grass roots organizations that use art and the creative process in unique and compelling ways to instill and/or enhance a sense of community under adverse conditions. Arts & Community exhibits showcase the artwork produced by individuals and groups served by the selected organization. Exhibiting organizations will have the full resources of the Klein Art Gallery with the aim of increasing public awareness of the vital relationship between art and community, and the valuable work the exhibiting organization is doing.

Collaborative Dialogues: The Klein Gallery is committed to presenting work which represents the diversity of Philadelphia's rich cultural heritage. Exhibitions from this series encourage creative and active dialogues among different communities. Exhibitions have included work by artists from varying ethnic groups in the Philadelphia area, as well as traveling exhibitions by international artists from China, Turkey, South America, Mexico, Israel, and the Netherlands. Members of the Philadelphia prison communities, the Philadelphia Police Department (COPP ART), and Philadelphia Fire Department (Hot Stuff) have also taken part in the Klein Gallery's exhibitions.

Emerging Artists Series: This ongoing series represents the Klein Gallery's commitment to supporting new and emerging artists from the Philadelphia area by giving them the opportunity to exhibit their work in an established exhibition space and to a diverse audience. Over the past twenty-five years the Klein Gallery has exhibited the works of many local artists who have since established themselves as prominent artists in the Philadelphia area and abroad.

Annual Student Exhibition: Greater Philadelphia Area public school classes and youth organizations regularly visit the Klein Gallery throughout the year as part of the gallery's Art Outreach Program. School students of all ages take part in gallery tours and hands-on art projects. The Student Exhibition celebrates the accumulated, creative efforts of all students involved in the Outreach Program art workshops. Student artwork is displayed in the gallery for a month long exhibit each year and an opening reception is held for the young artists, their teachers, and their families.


OUTREACH PROGRAMS
The Klein Art Gallery realizes its vision through several unique and innovative outreach programs:

Art Outreach Program: A completely accessible and FREE art and educational workshop offered to Philadelphia school classes, youth groups and community organizations. The Klein Art Gallery provided round-trip bus transportation, gallery tours, creative art workshops facilitated by local practicing artists and a pizza and juice lunch. Repeat visits are encouraged and all participating individuals have the opportunity to exhibit their artwork in the annual Art Outreach Exhibit.

Intergenerational Program: This program pairs school students and seniors living in the same neighborhood and invites them to participate as a group in a year-long series of creative art workshops and gallery tours. The aim is to build intergenerational relationships in a structured creative arts program that will carry over into the community with positive, long term, sustainable results. The Klein Art Gallery works closely with community leaders and school administrators to insure that intergenerational activities continue to be facilitated at a neighborhood level once the program is complete.

Artist in the Community Series: The Klein Gallery invites local artists to work with Philadelphia communities in an organized and concentrated creative art project. The Klein Gallery then hosts a special public exhibit that features the participating artist's individual artwork and the artwork completed by the community during the Artist in Community project.

Internship Program: The Klein Gallery works with local art schools and universities to set up valuable experiences for students interested in pursuing careers in art, art administration, and art education.

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