News
The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) on October 23 announced that it was the recipient of a $20 million gift earmarked for the development of a new education center. The donation from longtime PMA supporters Julian Brodsky, a cofounder of media giant Comcast, and his wife, Lois G. Brodsky, is one of the largest in the museum’s history.
The forthcoming Brodsky Center, as the new space will be known, will occupy more than triple the roughly 6,000 square feet currently set aside for art education. As well, the museum will increase its number of full- and part-time educators. Currently, sixteen employees occupy educational roles, serving 36,000 students annually.
The new center constitutes the first major capital project undertaken by the PMA since the Frank Gehry–designed Core Project, a renovation and expansion of the institution’s galleries and outdoor spaces, was completed in 2021. Philadelphia architecture firm MGA Partners has been contracted to design the center, which will occupy the museum’s north wing. Among the features currently planned are a family learning center, art studios, a visitor orientation area, and a multipurpose community hub. The design is expected to be finished by summer 2027, with construction completed a few years later.
“The new Brodsky Center will be an intentionally designed, purpose-built space that inspires limitless educational experiences grounded in the PMA’s collection,” said Audrey Hudson, the institution’s deputy director for learning and engagement, in a statement. “It will address the museum’s need for expanded capacity to host school groups, while providing dedicated spaces for programming and studios for hands-on learning.”