Philadelphia is known for being a city of "firsts" - the nation’s first public park, art museum, theater, zoo, and botanical garden were established here. Philadelphia Contemporary's future home, a floating gallery located in the heart of emerging developments on the Delaware River Waterfront, will continue this tradition. This exciting cultural destination will be a state of the art, sustainable venue built upon a floating barge alongside Cherry Street Pier. The gallery will be designed to host a series of rotating special exhibitions, performances, lectures, films, concerts, festivals, and much more. It will draw visitors from across the city and from around the world. And importantly, it will be free of charge for everyone.
The vessel will also have the capability to periodically leave its moored location between the Cherry Street and Race Street piers — creating the possibility for art and performances to be seen by neighboring communities.
The floating gallery is designed to be sustainable and resilient, both environmentally and economically. The gallery will be a self-powered, net zero structure, thanks to its canopy of solar panels and thoughtfully engineered active and passive systems, making it one of the greenest cultural facilities in existence. As a floating barge, the gallery will be resilient, with the ability to avoid being flooded by riding out extreme weather events.
