Tyler and PAFA continue to collaborate as a new arts center takes root in PAFA’s Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building.
"The Afterlife" features work by 27 recent MFA graduates, some of whom are also a part of a group of 18 fellows at the newly established Tyler Center for Art and Creative Exchange.
Photo by Ryan Brandenberg
Step inside The Afterlife—the first exhibit presented by the new Tyler Center for Art and Creative Exchange (TCAC)—and you’ll experience just one of the many facets of Temple’s new programming in Center City.
You’ll encounter a pedestal made of milk crates supporting life-size sculptures of two young women talking peacefully on the debris of a demolished home. Nearby, another work invites viewers to exhale onto a series of glass petri dishes engraved with a hidden message that becomes visible—for an instant—until the breath evaporates.
The Afterlife launches TCAC, a new initiative by Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture that creates opportunities for artists to develop their work, build connections and engage with Philadelphia’s broader arts community.
The establishment of TCAC represents a significant milestone in the growing partnership between Temple University, its Tyler School of Art and Architecture, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA). Since last fall, Tyler has been leasing and renovating space within PAFA’s Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building at 128 N. Broad St., and The Afterlife is the first in a series of annual public exhibitions featuring work by Tyler alumni and projects organized by graduate students in a curatorial practice program currently in development.
“Our partnership with PAFA is one of the strongest demonstrations of how we are enacting our strategic plan, Forward with Purpose,” said Temple President John Fry. “Through the new Tyler Center for Art and Creative Exchange and post-MFA fellowship program, we provide our recent MFA graduates with quality studio space where they can both showcase their creative works and further hone their craft. The fact that this is all happening within the walls of PAFA, one of the venerable arts organizations in our city, state and nation, further demonstrates the significance of this new center.”
Tyler School of Art and Architecture Dean Susan Cahan speaks with Madison Tubbs, TYL ’26, a post-MFA fellow in the artist’s studio inside the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts’ historic building.
Photo by Ryan Brandenberg
Beyond presenting public exhibitions like The Afterlife, TCAC will serve as a dynamic site for arts programs that advance the school’s broader strategy, expanding opportunities for artists and strengthening connections across Philadelphia’s creative community. Through its studio fellowships, a critic-in-residence program and forthcoming academic opportunities in curatorial studies, the center brings artists, students, curators and the public into dialogue. Located on the 10th floor of the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building at the intersection of North Broad and Cherry streets, the center extends Temple University’s presence and impact in Philadelphia’s cultural landscape.
“The goal is to make Tyler more porous, more accessible and to enrich the cultural life of the city,” said Susan Cahan, dean of the Tyler School of Art and Architecture.
The location places students and artists steps away from City Hall and other cultural and historical landmarks anchoring art at the core of Philadelphia’s identity. The Center also puts into practice Temple’s strategic plan, Forward with Purpose, and its priorities of Place-based Impact and Student Success as well as community engagement, Cahan said.
“Looking out the window from the 10th floor and seeing our city surround us is a constant reminder of our geography, our culture and our role in sustaining the centrality of art in this community,” Cahan said.
The Afterlife, which is on display through Sept. 14, features work by 27 recent graduates of Tyler's master of fine arts programs. A reception for the exhibition will be held Sept. 10.
“A lot of these works contain items that are repurposed,” said Rachel Mijares Fick, the inaugural director of TCAC, which is located in the Fisher Brooks Gallery at PAFA. “The Afterlife is about time and memory and material transformation.”
As the center’s inaugural program director, Fick brings more than 15 years of experience supporting artists and building connections across cultural and professional communities. An art fair founder, her work has focused on creating opportunities for artists at pivotal stages in their careers—experience that will help shape the Center’s programs and its role within Philadelphia’s creative ecosystem.
Lena Ruth Schwartz, TYL ’26, is one of 18 recent Tyler recent graduates who have taken advantage of the post-MFA fellowship program. She is also one of the featured artists for The Afterlife and has described her work, “Behemoth,” as an installation created to explore ecological grief associated with the loss of extinct and endangered species.
Olivia Zita Smith, TYL ’26, works in her studio inside the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts’ historic building. Through Tyler’s post-MFA fellowship, recent graduates gain access to studio space.
Photo by Ryan Brandenberg
“The opportunity to share this work in such a magnificent museum space, and receive such an enthusiastic public response, has been an incredible way to propel my work forward,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz also recognizes the exhibition offers early-career artists the chance to have their work seen at a turning point in their careers.
“This fellowship is so important because it provides space and access at a very crucial point beyond the MFA,” she said. “The opportunity to continue to push my material practice, as well as engage in ongoing collaborative and critical dialogue with my brilliant and influential peers, is an incredible gift.”
“Philadelphia’s challenge has never been producing artists—it has been keeping them here after graduation. The Tyler Center for Art and Creative Exchange answers that directly, and The Afterlife is a fitting first chapter: 27 emerging artists asking what endures and what gets remade,” said Kristen Shepherd, president and CEO of PAFA. “The Afterlife is an exciting exhibition, inviting visitors to consider ‘what comes after.’ The exhibition introduces audiences to Temple’s student work and reflects their creative energy. Philadelphia has an extraordinary concentration of artists. TCAC adds another important partner to that ecosystem. We are delighted to have Tyler in residence at PAFA.”
The idea of creating post-graduate studios was years in the making. It initially emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when MFA students lost valuable studio time after Temple’s campus temporarily closed. After campus reopened and students had graduated, some had asked if they could continue working in their studios.
“That experience showed us the importance of affordable space and maintaining a strong community after graduation,” Cahan said.
The spaces offered through the post-MFA fellowship program are low cost and about 300–500 square feet in size, with many featuring large windows looking out onto the city’s skyline. The fellowship also provides these artists with practical workshops, such as grant writing, helping them develop necessary skills to build their careers and find financial support for their work.
Cahan said the program is also intended to help Tyler graduates establish roots in Philadelphia.
“There are many major cities known for the dynamism of their arts communities; however, Philadelphia is increasingly recognized for both its affordability and influence within the arts,” Cahan said. “Keeping artists in the region means Tyler graduates can continue contributing to the city’s creative community.”
Another major component of the center is its critic-in-residence program, which will bring an established art writer to Philadelphia each year.
The inaugural critic-in-residence is Tim Griffin, who has an extensive record of critical writing and working as an author, editor and curator. He is a former editor-in-chief of Artforum, a leading international monthly magazine that features critical essays on art, reviews and artist projects.
Beginning Sept. 1, Griffin will write about art, artists and exhibitions in Philadelphia and facilitate conversations about contemporary art and the issues shaping the field.
Cahan said the program will help bring greater visibility and critical discussion to Philadelphia’s thriving arts scene.
“Informed writing about what is happening in Philadelphia supports meaningful conversations around important ideas and debates,” she said.
The center will both host public programs and be an extension of the classroom. Tyler’s Art History Department is developing a graduate certificate in curatorial practice that will give students opportunities to work directly with PAFA’s galleries and collections.
Students will gain hands-on experience developing exhibitions, publications and public programs as they prepare for careers in museums and galleries, Cahan said, adding that she views it as another way to connect Tyler more closely with Philadelphia.
“The center is all about creating programs that enhance reciprocity between the university and the community,” she said.
“At a pivotal moment for the arts, the center has the potential to be a place where new ideas, meaningful relationships and real opportunities take root,” said Mijares Fick.
For artists, like Schwartz, the opportunity is about seeing where her work can go next.
“This fellowship is about expanding upon the artistic trajectory I began at Tyler, and seeing where it takes me,” she said.
