As the calendar turns to September, Woodmere is preparing for a busy fall. The art museum — temporarily closed for facility improvements through Sept. 3 — has plenty of events, exhibitions, and changes planned for the coming months.
According to William Valerio, director and CEO of Woodmere, the summer has mostly been spent focused on preparing Frances M. Maguire Hall for its opening on Nov. 1. However, despite the work on the new extension, the museum continues to provide guests with a unique visiting experience and offers free admission through Oct. 3.
‘The Photo Review: Best in Show 2025’
Starting on Sept. 4, Woodmere will host “The Photo Review: Best in Show 2025.” This exhibition showcases the winners of the 2025 International Photography Competition organized by Photo Review, a critical photography journal that has been published since 1976.
This annual competition was first held in 1985 and continues to attract established and emerging photographers from around the world. Past winners have had their work displayed at institutions such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
This exhibition will be brought to Woodmere through a partnership between the museum and The Photo Review.
“It really brings the international world of photography to Philadelphia and creates a real sense of community for photographers in Philadelphia and helps build connections,” Valerio said. “It’s always interesting and it’s cutting-edge photography, looking at what people are exploring today in the world of photography.”
This year, the competition was judged by Peter Fetterman, whose Santa Monica-based gallery holds one of the largest inventories of classic 20th-century photography in the country. Fetterman also wrote several books about photography, and his daily blog, “The Power of Photography,” is seen by thousands of people worldwide.
Visitors to Woodmere can expect to see a variety of stunning images, according to Stephen Perloff, editor of The Photo Review.
“From a striking portrait of a Native American to images made across the country and in Guatemala, Norway, Japan, and elsewhere by photographers from 12 different states and Canada and the U.K., ‘The Photo Review: Best of Show 2025’ showcases a dynamic range of both traditional and experimental approaches to the medium,” Perloff said in a written statement.
There will be a free opening reception for this exhibition on Sept. 4, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Registration is required at woodmereartmuseum.org.
Straw Maze
An annual tradition returns to Woodmere this fall: the straw maze. Built with massive bales of straw and designed by architects Peter Everett Brown and Barbara Ann Sprague, of the firm BrownSprague, this year’s maze provides fun for children ages 4-11.
Since a ticket to the straw maze comes with free entry to the museum, Valerio said exploring the attraction creates lasting memories for many young visitors.
“We’ve been doing it for 15 years, and I know young adults who say to me, ‘I came to love museums because my parents brought me to the straw maze and I realized that museums can be fun,’” Valerio said. “It’s something we’re very much committed to and we’re excited.”
A free opening reception for the straw maze will be Sept. 5, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The straw maze is open for exploration Saturdays and Sundays from Sept. 6 through Nov. 30 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free for visitors with family-level memberships, $5 per child for non-members, free for adults and children ages 3 and under. A guardian is required to supervise children.
‘It’s Hip to be a Square’
Consider a familiar shape in an entirely new way with Woodmere’s newest exhibition, “It’s Hip to be a Square,” in the Schnader Gallery at Charles Knox Smith Hall.
In the exhibition, learn the myriad ways in which artists have used squares to convey a range of profound ideas. For example, in medieval culture, squares expressed divine harmony, while Renaissance-era artists used the shape to assert a worldview grounded in balance and rationality.
In “It’s Hip to be a Square,” viewers can examine Edna Andrade’s grids exploring the geometry of nature or Larry Day’s Neo-Renaissance tableaux of the streets of Philadelphia. Other artists in the exhibit include Moe Brooker and Warren Rohrer.
“It’s Hip to be a Square” opens on Sept. 4 and runs through Jan. 4, 2026.
‘All We Have is Each Other: Black Artists and Collective Visions’
Dr. Bridget R. Cooks, a professor of African American studies and art history at the University of California Irvine, will be at Woodmere on Sept. 6 for a free presentation.
This lecture, entitled “All We Have is Each Other: Black Artists and Collective Visions,” will describe works by Black artists made to inspire and explore how museums can envision Black futures in their exhibitions. Cooks will draw on upcoming exhibitions at Woodmere, including “Soul, Sound, and Voice: The Art of Jerry Pinkney.”
Cooks is known for her book, “Exhibiting Blackness: African Americans and the American Art Museum,” which explores the historical representation — and exclusion — of African American artists within museum spaces.
This free presentation will be Sept. 6 from 2-4 p.m. Register online at woodmereartmuseum.org.
Maggie Dougherty can be reached at Margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com.
