In the News

In the News: Tributes to Grumman Greenhouse

Several news organizations have helped us bid farewell to Grumman Greenhouse (2011).  PAFA has been proud to host the popular, monumental piece created by alum Jordan Griska (PAFA-Penn Coordinated BFA '08) for an extended run. Although originally intended to be up for one year, it has remained for over a decade.

"...the sight of the twisty plane with a garden growing out of its cockpit became a curious and engaging fixture for students, neighborhood children, Convention Center tourists, and anyone who found themselves cutting through the plaza for a shortcut...

'It’s been such a positive experience,” [Griska] said. 'I feel lucky lucky to have exhibited there, in such a prominent space for 11 years, and I’m looking forward to the next journey for the plane.'"

—Mike Newall in The Philadelphia Inquirer's "Beloved ‘Grumman Greenhouse’ plane sculpture is leaving Lenfest Plaza"

Visit additional coverage from NBC10, WHYY, and CBS News.

In keeping with site's purpose for rotating public art in conversation with Claes Oldenburg's Paint Torch, John Rhoden's Safari (1958) will be installed in the west end of Lenfest Plaza this fall.

Last Updated
August 22, 2022 - 2:44 PM

About PAFA

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 undergraduate and graduate programs in the fine arts, innovative exhibitions of historic and contemporary American art, and a world-class collection of American art. PAFA’s esteemed alumni include Mary Cassatt, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, William Glackens, Barkley L. Hendricks, Violet Oakley, Louis Kahn, David Lynch, and Henry Ossawa Tanner.