John Rhoden, Untitled, n.d., bronze and glass or resin, 38 1/4 x 40 x 11 in. Gift from The John Walter Rhoden and Richanda Phillips Rhoden Collection at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. photo: Sahar Coston-Hardy
The Arcadia University College of Arts and Sciences, in cooperation with University Advancement, is pleased to present “John Rhoden: An American Artist Around the World,” a lecture by Dr. Brittany Webb, on February 13, 2025 at 6:00 PM in the Beaver College Room, Landman Library.
Webb is the Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of 20th Century Art and the John Rhoden Collection at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). In this lecture, Webb will detail how John Rhoden’s ambition inspired him to pursue artistic training and mentorship in and beyond the American South, and how his global travels shaped the life he made and the artwork he produced abroad and at home.
This presentation celebrates the generous gift of two bronze sculptures by Rhoden to Arcadia University by PAFA. At the reception, immediately following the lecture, guests will be able to view these works on display in their permanent home in the Susan Smyth Shenker Grand Reading Room.
ABOUT THE LECTURE
Artist John Rhoden (1916-2001) was born in Birmingham, Alabama and discovered a passion for sculpting that took him around the world before he settled in Brooklyn, New York. After studying at Talladega College and Columbia University, Rhoden became the first Black American visual artist in residence at the American Academy in Rome (1952-1954) and went on to visit more than twenty countries as part of artist delegation cultural diplomacy tours. In this lecture, Brittany Webb will detail how Rhoden’s ambition inspired him to pursue artistic training and mentorship in and beyond the American South, and how his global travels shaped the life he made and the artwork he produced abroad and at home.
Dr. Brittney Webb, Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of 20th Century Art and the John Rhoden Collection at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
ABOUT THE LECTURER
Dr. Brittany Webb is the Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of 20th Century Art and the John Rhoden Collection at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). Her most recent exhibition, Determined to Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden, debuted at PAFA in October 2023 and is currently on view at the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Webb’s curatorial work has been supported by grants from the Henry Luce Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, the Terra Foundation for American Art, the William Penn Foundation, and the Wyeth Foundation for American Art. She earned a PhD from Temple University and a BA from the University of Southern California.
