New museum dedicated to Calder sculpture dynasty coming

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A new art space is coming to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Funding is now in place to create a site dedicated to innovative 20th century sculptor Alexander Calder and his predecessors.

Though it may not be familiar to many Philadelphians, name Calder is all over the city. Alexander Calder is best known for his mobiles. His 1964 mobile, "Ghost," hangs in the Great Stair Hall in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

His father Alexander Stirling Calder, created the Swann Fountain at Logan Circle. His grandfather, Alexander Milne Calder, is responsible for the William Penn statue on top of City Hall, as well as 250 other sculptures that adorn the building.

Now, the city and a group of philanthropists are planning a site and gardens devoted to the work of Calder and his ancestors.

Joseph Neubauer, of the Neubauer Family Foundation, one of the forces behind the project, calls it a "sanctuary."

"He is probably the greatest American sculptor or artist of, one of the greatest, of the 20th century, and I think it's important to have representation of the Calder Family in Philadelphia," Neubauer said. "And we have an opportunity to complete the Parkway with a site which has been empty for a long time."

Frazierita Klasen of the Pew Charitable Trusts, another funder, says the Parkway is the perfect place for a Calder site.

"Some refer to it as our iconic Grand Boulevard, and some refer to it as our museum mile. In some ways it represents a capstone and think will add to the luster of the city," Klasen said.

Kathryn Ott Lovell, head of Philadelphia Parks and Rec, says plans, to be unveiled this summer, include interior and exterior art spaces.

"My understanding is it will be the first of its kind in the world," Lovell said. "Incredibly exciting, not just for Philadelphia, but I think for our country, and certainly for the cultural community nationally and internationally."

Pew and the Neubauer Foundation, along with the Lenfest Foundation and an anonymous donor, are bankrolling the $50 million project. The Calder sanctuary, as yet unnamed, is expected to break ground next year.