Fall/Winter Philadelphia Art Guide 2025
As we close out 2025, now is the time to catch up on some of the top art and culture things to do in Philadelphia. From theatre shows and art exhibitions, the city of brotherly love has everything you need to satisfy your art viewing cravings. Fall always creates such an excitement in the city, as it's the last hurrah before everyone cuddles inside for the winter into the new year. So make sure you have your walking shoes on for your adventure because it's gonna be busy end of the year for art lovers alike.
This city has so much to offer, and in creating this guide, I realize you don’t have to travel far to see amazing art or witness thrilling theatre shows and performances. Our city has everything you need and more. Be sure to pick out your favorites and explore everything that Philadelphia has to offer.
This guide will be updated with more exhibitions, theatre experiences, and cinema showing throughout November / December.
Must-See Exhibitions
Slideshow featuring Clay as Care, Mavis Pusey and Shikeith: People Who Die Bad Don’t Stay in the GroundClay as Care
The Clay Studio, 1425 N American St, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Through December 31st, 2025
“The relationship between ceramic art and health is examined through an exhibition, scientific research, a publication, and public programs. The project considers ways in which care manifests in ceramic art and how viewing art and working with clay can promote personal and communal health. The exhibition features artists whose practices address healing, rest, and resilience, including Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Pew Fellow Adebunmi Gbadebo, Ehren Tool, and Maia Chao.”
Shikeith: People Who Die Bad Don’t Stay in the Ground
TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image, 1400 N American St, UNIT 103, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Through November 22nd, 2025
“Inspired by a resonant line from Toni Morrison’s seminal novel Beloved, People Who Die Bad Don’t Stay in the Ground, delves deeply into visual artist Shikeith’s ongoing investigation of the hauntological encounters and lived realities of Black men and boys. Through a rich and varied multidisciplinary practice encompassing photography, video, and installation, the exhibition chronicles the enduring legacy of historical traumas and their persistent reverberations across successive generations, actively resisting attempts at erasure and historical amnesia. Shikeith’s otherworldly aesthetic intricately situates the experiences of Black men and boys within a disquieting temporal collapse, where the weight of the past does not merely inform the present but relentlessly intrudes upon it, perpetually reshaping contemporary existence.”
Mavis Pusey: Mobile Images
The Institute of Contemporary Art, 118 S 36th St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Through December 7th, 2025
“This exhibition marks the first major museum survey dedicated to the work and life of Jamaican-born artist Mavis Pusey (1928-2019), featuring over 60 artworks from her prolific 50-year career. An important figure in geometric abstraction, Pusey created rich abstract paintings and works on paper that reflect her wide-ranging engagement with fashion, printmaking, and the urban environment of cities in which she lived. Despite her international presence in the art world, Pusey’s work has largely remained overlooked. This comprehensive retrospective is the culmination of over a decade of research and collaboration and offers an expansive reexamination of Pusey’s impact on abstraction and beyond”.
The Source of Self-Regard
InLiquid Gallery, 1400 N American St, Gallery 108, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Through November 29th, 2025
“Beginning with the radical act of seeing oneself—and one’s community—with reverence, The Source of Self Regard asserts that self-regard is neither a luxury nor ego. It is a necessity. Curated by cultural worker and entrepreneur Tayyib Smith, the exhibition brings together six Black artists with roots in Philadelphia to examine the Black self in a powerful celebration and affirmation of belonging.”
Jerrell Gibbs: No Solace in the Shade
The Brandywine Museum of Art, 1 Hoffmans Mill Rd, Chadds Ford, PA 19317
Through March 1st, 2026
“Jerrell Gibbs: No Solace in the Shade" surveys the first decade of contemporary Baltimore artist Jerrell Gibbs’s (b. 1988) career and marks his first one-person Museum exhibition. A painter with astonishing creativity, Gibbs’s dynamic, large-scale figurative paintings explore facets of Black life, including family, friends, and community. His highly personal approach creates a narrative that centers everyday moments in Black life, representations of which have been excluded from art history until recent decades. Throughout his body of work, Gibbs transforms scenes of ordinary life into monumental moments while exploring themes of identity, reflection, and belonging.”
PYRAMID CLUB: 1937–2035
Temple Contemporary, 2001 N 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Through December 19th, 2025
“The immersive exhibition features 34 paintings by artists associated with the Pyramid Club from the William A. Dodd Collection, 35 photographs by renowned photographer John W. Mosley (1907-1969), and new work by North Philadelphia artist Shawn Theodore, represented by Paradigm Gallery + Studio. The exhibition reimagines the Pyramid Club as a site of speculative liberation, exploring what curator Dr. Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta calls "Philadelphia's extension of the Harlem Renaissance."
Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design
African-American Museum of Philadelphia, 701 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Now on View
“This touring costume exhibition showcases the story of Ruth E. Carter’s journey as an artist and storyteller, who found a home and passion in Costume Design as she adventured from her humble beginnings in Springfield, Massachusetts, to the legendary Dolby Stage in Hollywood, California, to becoming a two-time Oscar® Winning Costume Designer.”
Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100
The Philadelphia Art Museum, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Through February 16th, 2026
“In his Manifesto of Surrealism of 1924, André Breton celebrated the unbridled imagination as the key to freedom in all aspects of life. Artists responded by inventing a wide variety of new expressive forms designed to stir up the human capacity for wonder and amazement. Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100 will feature approximately two hundred works by more than seventy artists associated with the international Surrealist movement.”
Materiality
Bridgette Mayer Gallery,709 Walnut St, 1st Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Through February 16th, 2026
Make You Feel That Way
NoName Gallery, 8127 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19118
Through December 28th, 2025
“Make You Feel That Way” is an exhibition about those fleeting, perfect seconds — the ordinary and the divine, the spiritual in the simple. Inspired by the lyrics of Blackalicious, this show explores the art of appreciation: gratitude, nostalgia, and connection through everyday life.”
Must-See Theatre & Performance
Slideshow featuring: Growing Flowers on the Moon, Wishing to Grow Up Brightly and Snow QueenGrowing Flowers on the Moon
TheatreXPPhiladelphia, 200 W Tulpehocken St, Philadelphia, PA 19144
Through November 15th, 2025
World Premiere by R.T. Bowersox: An elderly woman grieving her fiancé’s 50th death anniversary is confronted by a young man claiming to be his reincarnation.
Wishing to Grow Up Brightly
Theatre Horizon
Through November 23rd, 2025
“After the death of her father, Amanda Newton—a Korean-American adoptee—returns to her childhood home to help her mother pack up. There, she discovers a trove of his preserved memories, created by a tech company called reMemorex, and is pulled into a surreal and intimate journey through loss, identity, and the questions that have quietly shaped her life. As Amanda searches for a connection in the fragments he left behind, she begins to confront a deeper longing: how do you create a sense of home when it was taken from you before you even knew what it was?”
Snow Queen
The Wilma Theatre
Through November 23rd, 2025
“Snow Queen is the timeless tale reimagined through a lens of delightful whimsy and profound truth. A young girl named Gerda embarks on an adventure through icy landscapes and mystical forces to confront the complexities of love, loss, and the human spirit, and ultimately to save her brother.”
Detroit
Villanova Theatre
Through November 23rd, 2025
“Born out of the Great Recession, Detroit is a dark comedy that peels back the layers of suburban life. When Ben and Mary befriend their new neighbors, Sharon and Kenny, over casual backyard barbecues, what starts as light socializing quickly unravels. As drinks flow and boundaries blur, hidden struggles with addiction, unemployment, and disillusionment surface. With biting humor and emotional depth, Detroit explores the fragility of modern stability, the craving for connection, and the quiet desperation beneath the surface. “
The Mountaintop
Arden Theatre Company
Through December 14th, 2025
“After delivering his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. retires to his motel room, when an unexpected visit from a mysterious maid sparks a night of conversation. As the evening unfolds, King is gradually revealed in all his complexity: a man grappling with doubt, destiny, and the weight of what’s to come.”
Ordinary People
Theatre in the X & Theatre Exile,
Dec 12 - 21 2025
"Ordinary People" is a heartfelt, family-oriented play set in 1950s North Philadelphia. Amy, a young girl captivated by Christmas, discovers a stranger in the snow outside her apartment. As suspicions give way to curiosity, the stranger, named J.C., reveals himself to be Jesus. While skepticism initially prevails, the family warms up to him after experiencing what seem like minor miracles. The play explores the concept of Jesus returning in humble form, prompting the characters to confront their beliefs and question the nature of miracles in everyday life.”
Sunset Baby
Playhouse West Philadelphia
Dec 5 - 14 2025
”East New York, Brooklyn. Nina’s estranged father Kenyatta, a former Black revolutionary and political prisoner, reappears to obtain a coveted piece of her late Mother’s legacy. While Kenyatta had visions of changing the world, his daughter became everything he feared. Now he’s at her mercy for his own redemption. This is a story about love, political action, and one woman’s journey from a brutal existence to her own liberation.”
Must-See Cinema & Media Experiences
Slideshow featuring: African Spiritualities, Looking for an Angel and Philly Animation Festivalaura of after progress
Vox Populi, 319 N 11th St #3, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 6:30 pm
Join us at Vox Populi for a screening of artist Yolanda Yang’s newly produced video, which explores the intersection of dust, labor, and consumption behind the scenes at RAIR (Recycled Artist in Residence). The program features a post-screening conversation with Joyce Chung, Connie Yu, and Ricky Yanas, reflecting on how artists and thinkers engage with urban ruins and waste during moments of structural crisis.
Through discussing readings, performance, and time-based practices, the participants will consider the ongoing nature of ruin and the material unconscious embedded in our built environments.
Scribe Video Center Producers’ Forum: African Spiritualities
Scribe Video Center — 3908 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Thursday, November 20 and Friday, November 21, 2025 at 7 PM
“Attend this Producers’ Forum entitled Third World Newsreel: African Spiritualities. Night one features AI: African Intelligence by Manthia Diawara, a 2022 essay film that explores the contact zones between African rituals of possession among traditional fishing villages of the Atlantic coast of Senegal and the emergence of new technology frontiers known as artificial intelligence. Night two features Voices of the Gods by Al Santana, a 1985 documentary that captures the rich legacy of ancient African religions practiced in the United States.”
Philly Animation Festival
Moore College of Art and Design — 1916 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Friday, November 21 – Sunday, November 23, 2025
“Attend the inaugural Philly Animation Festival to celebrate the expansive art of animation and how it can be used as a form of creative expression. There will be screenings, workshops, and panel discussions. This festival was founded by members of the Philly Animation Ensemble. Stay tuned for the full schedule on the festival website. cinéSPEAK is a producing partner for this event.”
Diamond Screen Presents: DiamondQ Festival
Howard Gittis Student Center, 1755 N 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Thursday, November 20th, 2025 at 5pm
“The DiamondQ Festival’s 6th year will feature a juried selection of films created by and/or highlighting topics that surround LGBTQ+ artists. In cooperation with the Queer Film Collective, a panel will curate the festival evening, which will feature discussions with directors after the screening.”
Looking for an Angel
Bok Auditorium, 800 Mifflin St, Philadelphia, PA 19148, USA
Wednesday, Nov 19, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Mostly seen on the gay pink circuit and recently restored by its director to its rightful place in the Japanese arthouse canon, Akihiro Suzuki's debut takes the death of a young gay porn performer named Takachi as its starting point. Looking for an Angel follows Shinpei and Reiko as they process their friend’s disappearance, their memories coalescing into a bold exploration of grief set against the backdrop of a nostalgic, blue-hued city shot in a variety of filmic formats. As the viewer begins to piece together Takachi’s story, laden with desire for another boy named Sorao, between the cities of Tokyo and Kochi (“where the boys look like angels”), a powerful free-associative beauty emerges from a unique work described by Suzuki himself as “neither straight, gay, queer, bisexual, asexual or pornographic, but [rather] anti-heterosexist” — a film completely free of dogma and convention.
