Museum exhibits bloom in Philadelphia this summer

This summer’s to-do list just got a lot longer thanks to new exhibits cropping up in museums throughout Philadelphia.

Art all around

More than 80 ensembles by American-born, Paris-based designer Patrick Kelly are on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love” shows how Kelly, who created looks for such celebrities as Grace Jones and Bette Davis, challenged racial and cultural boundaries to become a fashion darling.
ThroughNov. 30,www.philamuseum.org

www.barnesfoundation.org

Proving that sometimes one plus one equals wow, “Spiritual Strivings: A Celebration of African American Works on Paper” brings together two masterful collections of artworks by a who’s who of African-American artists. At the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the first exhibit features more than 70 works by such talents as Henry Ossawa Taylor and Horace Pippin, all on loan from the Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection. Accompanying those works in a nearby gallery is “Eldzier Cortor: Theme and Variations,” a collection of original plates, test proofs and print series.
June 27-Oct. 12, www.pafa.org

Historical happenings

During the bleak days of Jim Crow, black-owned family farms and gardens helped sustain the African-American community. “More Places of Our Own,” an exhibit by sculptor Syd Carpenter at The African American Museum in Philadelphia, evokes the strength and spirit of the farmers who thrived and survived in the segregated South.
ThroughAug. 17, www.aampmuseum.org

“Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello” uncovers the lives of six slave families at Thomas Jefferson’s plantation. More than 280 artifacts at the National Constitution Center tell the stories of these families and the descendants who helped shed light on their ancestors’ lives. The exhibit also features some of Jefferson’s personal items.
ThroughOct. 19,www.constitutioncenter.org