The Facts
On October 23, 2026, the Philadelphia Museum of Art announced a $20 million gift from Lois G. and Julian A. Brodsky to establish the Lois G. and Julian A. Brodsky Learning and Engagement Center in the museum’s north wing. The commitment is among the largest in the museum’s history and is its first major capital project since Frank Gehry’s Core Project, which reopened in May 2021. Initial plans call for a family learning center, art studios, a visitor orientation area, and a multipurpose community hub; MGA Partners is leading schematic design, with design expected by summer 2027. The museum serves about 36,000 students each year and admits visitors 18 and younger free.
The Signal
The gift signals a strategic shift toward education infrastructure as a core institutional priority, pairing purpose-built studios with the museum’s existing free-admission policy for young visitors. It also strengthens capacity for school and family programming across the Philadelphia region, and builds on the Brodskys’ broader record of support, including earlier gallery naming and curatorial endowment gifts. For donors and trustees, the center positions the museum as a test case for how capital campaigns can be anchored by community-focused spaces rather than new galleries.
- People: Lois G. Brodsky, Julian A. Brodsky, Daniel Weiss, Audrey Hudson, Frank Gehry
- Museums: Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Locations: Philadelphia
- Prices: $20 million
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