Philadelphia's Moore College of Art & Design, 20th Street and The Parkway, is pleased to recognize both Visionary Woman honorees Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell and Meg Saligman with presence in The Galleries’ fall exhibition season. Saligman’s Our Common Ground: Vote for the Good Life is a non-partisan "artistic intervention" that explores how civic engagement and politics contribute to the public good, and runs from September 10 – October 29, 2016.

The exhibition features site-specific works that were presented at the 2016 Republican and Democratic National Conventions held in Cleveland and Philadelphia, respectively. It is a non-partisan, participatory installation using vivid color, sculpture, and light to reserve a peaceful and resplendent space for dialogue and reflection during this tumultuous election cycle. The exhibition is free and open to the public. The Opening Reception will be held on Friday, September 16, 6 pm – 8 pm.  For more information: www.thegalleriesatmoore.org or 215.965.4027.

Saligman and Dr. Campbell will be honored with the Visionary Woman Award October 13, 2016, at Moore College of Art & Design.

Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell
Art historian, advocate and president of Spelman College

In 2015, Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell became the tenth president of Spelman College, a leading liberal arts college for women of African descent located in Atlanta, GA. Before coming to Atlanta, Dr. Campbell was a major force in the cultural life of New York City in a variety of roles. Under her leadership, the Studio Museum in Harlem was transformed into the country’s first accredited black fine arts museum. She served as the city of New York’s cultural affairs commissioner under the late Mayor Edward Koch. She returned to the private sector in 1991 to become dean of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she stayed for more than two decades. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Campbell as vice chair of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, a non-partisan advisory committee. She sits on numerous boards and holds many honorary degrees. A published author and editor who was born in Philadelphia, Dr. Campbell is currently completing a book on Romare Bearden for Oxford University Press.

Meg Saligman
Muralist and social practice artist

A public artist whose work has a worldwide following, Meg Saligman is a master at transforming the two-dimensional surface. She is known for her collaborative process and intricate designs, which bring new life to existing architecture using a variety of media that includes paint, light and glass. Saligman depicts observations of community and the cycle of life in saturated palettes, using groundbreaking techniques that consistently garner critical acclaim. Saligman’s talents have led to numerous commissions resulting in works of art on a massive scale, including both the largest publicly funded mural and the largest single project mural in the United States. In 1997, she painted Philadelphia’s landmark Common Threads mural. Saligman’s national and international work includes a fresco in Mexico City, Millennium Moon in Shreveport, Louisiana, and the recently completed Fertile Ground in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2006, Saligman was named by the Public Art Review as one of ten influential muralists throughout the country. She has received numerous awards, including honors from The National Endowment for the Arts.