Penn Celebrates The Arts (PCTA) Overview
Greetings, Penn Class of 2027!
We are delighted to welcome you to campus, and to New Student Orientation. For many of you, this is not only your first immersive experience on campus, but also your first as new residents of Philadelphia.
For the past two decades, Penn’s signature NSO event has been a gala event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Links to an external site.. For most of our students, it is their introduction to one of the world’s great collections—and through it, to the importance of the arts as a defining part of our city’s culture and history.
This year, we are expanding on this introduction through a new program, Penn Celebrates the Arts (PCTA), that focuses on the vital role of the arts in our lives generally, and to the city of Philadelphia. A special emphasis here will be the performing arts—theater, music, dance, spoken word, and more. Individually and together, these exist through a wide-ranging, diverse, energetic community of companies and artists who both reflect and define our urban home.
With PCTA programming, we look to realize a series of related goals:
- Introducing you to cultural institutions whose work enriches and enlivens the city—many of which have connections and partnerships with Penn.
- Promote visits and experiences throughout the city of Philadelphia.
- Encourage you to think of the arts not only in themselves, but as a vital tool in areas including civic engagement, personal growth, community building, wellness, and more.
Through this module, you have a chance to think about these areas even before you come to campus, and to glimpse the richness you’ll find here.
On Friday, August 25, we will present of panel of students, alums and others who create and support the arts in a variety of different ways. Later in NSO week, you’ll have opportunities to engage with Penn faculty and staff on a variety of topics in the arts through Preceptorial short courses. Our PennTracks walking tours offer visits to a variety of Philadelphia highlights including the Art Museum District, Mural Mile, and the Avenue of the Arts—that portion of Broad Street that house many prominent theaters and music halls, including the Kimmel Center, the Wilma Theater, the Academy of Music and more. Beyond NSO and throughout the academic year, Penn Celebrates the Arts will continue to support events and visits to performances, museums, and exhibits.
And of course, the celebration will climax with our reception at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Saturday evening, August 26. PMA will be open exclusively for our Penn community. The evening features tours of the collection, along with dinner and dancing. Please come find us and say hello! We are so glad you’re here.
Best,
Office of New Student Orientation & Academic Initiatives (NSOAI)
www.nso.upenn.edu
provost-NSO-AI@pobox.upenn.edu