Mary Cassatt at Work

FAIN: GI-297199-24

Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia, PA 19101-7646)
Jennifer Thompson (Project Director: August 2023 to present)

Implementation of a traveling exhibition about the life and work of Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt.  

The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) respectfully requests a $400,000 implementation grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support the development of Mary Cassatt at Work (working title). Co-curated by Dr. Jennifer Thompson, The Gloria and Jack Drosdick Curator of European Painting and Sculpture and Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection, and Dr. Laurel Garber, The Park Family Assistant Curator of Prints and Drawings, the exhibition will examine what “work” meant to Mary Cassatt (1844–1926)—from the role work played in crafting her identity as an artist to her depictions of women’s activity and feminine labor in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is anticipated to bring together approximately 115 paintings, pastels, drawings, and prints by Cassatt from museums across North America and Europe, with select private loans, and will be accompanied by a print catalogue, digital publication, and educational and public programs.