Art

From 1976 to 2022, the Esther Klein Gallery (EKG) used the creative arts as a platform to explore the relationships between art, science and technology. The gallery was home to exhibitions, artist talks, panel discussions, performances and special events.

In 1976, then-Science Center President, Dr. Randall Whaley, envisioned a program that explored and promoted the relationship between art and science.

The first “Art in Science” exhibit was a collaborative project involving the Philadelphia Art Alliance and the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science (later known as Philadelphia University and now part of Thomas Jefferson University).

In 1981, R. Buckminster Fuller, a World Fellow in Residence at the Science Center, exhibited at what was then called the University City Science Center Gallery. The show included his early drawings, 4D and dymaxion ideas and his latest invention, the dymaxion bookcase.

After 46 years, the Esther Klein Gallery closed at 3600 Market in 2022 after hosting it's final exhibit, Heather Dewey-Hagborg's 'Closer than your family'.