(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) has launched a new digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app created by Bloomberg Philanthropies. PAFA is the first cultural organization in Philadelphia, and one of hundreds around the world, to utilize this digital resource. The Bloomberg Connects app is available for free from Google Play or the App Store.

The Bloomberg Connects app acts as a passport to the PAFA museum, using photos, audio and video to showcase its history, current exhibitions, and the permanent collection, in addition to past exhibitions and educational programs. It can be used offsite, anytime or anywhere, to explore and plan a visit to the museum or onsite as a hands-free audio or visual guide while in the galleries.

Featured exhibitions currently on view include:  Artists as Cultivators, three centuries of artists fostering and sustaining critical social dialogues through nature as a subject, theme, and material, through 120 drawings, paintings, prints, sculpture, and digital installations from PAFA’s permanent collection.

* Determined to Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden, the first major retrospective of 20^th century African American sculptor John Rhoden, featuring 70 sculptures crafted in bronze, wood, and stone.

* Cultivators: The Curatorial and Artistic Practice of Ruth Fine in Context, included within Artists as Cultivators, spotlights Ruth Fine's artistic and curatorial contributions, and is part of (re)FOCUS 2024, a Philadelphia-wide festival recognizing women artists.

For a full listing of current and upcoming exhibitions visit www.pafa.org/museum/exhibitions.

“We’re proud that PAFA is now a partner on Bloomberg Connects, making our historic institution available to people far and wide,” said PAFA President Eric Pryor. “This major step forward grows our commitment to broadening accessibility and casts a wider light on the diverse stories of American art. We invite our visitors, virtual and in person, to join us and be part of telling these ongoing stories.”

Additional Philadelphia cultural organizations will be joining Bloomberg Connects in the coming months, making it possible for future offsite users of the app to utilize the experience as a helpful planning tool to visit Philadelphia.

Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is America’s first school and museum of fine arts. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, PAFA offers a world-class collection of American art, innovative exhibitions of historic and contemporary American art, and undergraduate and graduate programs in the fine arts. The PAFA Museum aims to tell the sweeping story of American art, expanding who has been included in the canon of art history through its collections, exhibitions, and public programs, while the College and extended classes of the School of Fine Arts educate artists with a deep understanding of traditions and the ability to challenge conventions. PAFA’s esteemed alumni include Mary Cassatt, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Maxfield Parrish, William Glackens, Barkley L. Hendricks, Violet Oakley, Louis Kahn, David Lynch and Henry Ossawa Tanner.

Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change in five key areas: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2023, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $3 billion.