Philly’s Arts Scene Runs on “Temple Made” Talent

Philadelphia is home to world-class museums, a nationally recognized public art collection, a celebrated orchestra, renowned dance companies, and a thriving film and theater scene. It is a global arts destination. Many of the people who power this cultural engine share the distinction of being “Temple Made.” They are the artists, storytellers, and cultural leaders who keep the city’s creative life moving forward.

Across generations, alumni from the Tyler School of Art & Architecture, the Boyer College of Music and Dance, and the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts (TFMA) have shaped Philadelphia’s artistic identity. Now, more than 15,000 Temple arts alumni call the region home. They lead cultural institutions, curate cutting-edge exhibitions, and produce prize-winning performances. They work at every level of the creative sector as cultural influencers, independent artists, teachers, clinicians, and community innovators. Together, they are creating new spaces that keep the arts vibrant and accessible. And by fueling the arts in Philly, these Owls are moving Philadelphia forward.

“The way in which art builds community is critical,” Susan E. Cahan, the dean of Tyler School of Art & Architecture, said. “Art expands what we can imagine, and everything else flows from that: empathy, mutual understanding, and our ability to envision shared futures.”

Temple’s roots in arts education stretch back more than a century. Today, Tyler, Boyer, and TFMA collectively present hundreds of exhibitions, performances, and productions each year on Temple’s Main Campus. Recently, the university announced a new partnership with the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. That collaboration, along with the acquisition of Terra Hall in Center City and the construction of the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication (scheduled to open in fall of 2027 on Broad Street on Temple’s Main Campus) positions the university as a vital anchor at multiple points along the Avenue of the Arts. Together, these developments are greatly expanding Temple’s creative influence and furthering its mission to combine artistic excellence with public purpose.

“Philadelphia has a reputation as an arts powerhouse that we’ve had the privilege to build upon, and we take our responsibility to sustain it seriously,” Robert T. Stroker, the Joslyn G. Ewart Dean of Temple’s Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts, said.

Here’s how three Temple alumni are stewarding Philadelphia’s cultural infrastructure in order to keep the arts alive, evolving, and rooted in community.

Chief Cultural Officer, City of Philadelphia

Executive Director, Creative Philadelphia

“Philadelphia doesn’t just power the arts. The arts power Philadelphia.”

Valerie Gay, who goes by Val, oversees one of the nation’s largest and oldest public art collections, which comprises more than 1,000 works including A Quest for Parity: The Octavius V. Catto Memorial and the forthcoming Harriet Tubman monument, by Alvin Pettit at City Hall. In her role with the City of Philadelphia, she also guides citywide cultural programming; exhibitions in City Hall; and major initiatives such as Healing Verse Germantown, a poetry and public art installation; Mural Arts Philadelphia, a nonprofit that supports the creation of public murals; and the city’s first Arts & Culture Master Plan, an initiative by Creative Philadelphia to imagine the city’s cultural future.

Gay earned her master’s in voice performance from Temple’s Boyer College of Music and Dance while working full-time. That experience shaped her disciplined, systems-based leadership style. “Temple taught me that structure brings freedom,” she said.

For Gay, sustaining Philadelphia’s cultural landscape is both a responsibility and a joy. “Philadelphia doesn’t just power the arts,” she said. “The arts power Philadelphia.”

Co-Artistic Director, Wilma Theater

“Even when the work is abstract, it shouldn’t feel inaccessible.”

For Lindsay Smiling, theater has always been a way to explore identity and connection. At the Wilma Theater, one of Philadelphia’s most influential theater companies, he leads with a vision that elevates bold storytelling while ensuring audiences feel invited into the performance.

“Even when the work is abstract, it shouldn’t feel inaccessible,” he said. After earning his MFA at Temple, Smiling built a wide-ranging acting career before joining the Wilma’s HotHouse Company, known for its collaborative, actor-driven approach. When he later stepped into a leadership role, he was determined to keep artists at the center of the process.

Now, as part of Temple’s faculty, he’s inspired by the students shaping the future of the field. “I learn from them every day,” he said. For Smiling, seeing Temple alumni across the city reinforces a shared foundation. “We’re coming from something special,” he said.

Curator and Director of Artistic Programs, The Clay Studio

“Art isn’t just something to look at. It’s something people deserve to experience and make.”

Jennifer Zwilling’s work at The Clay Studio helped lay the foundation for Philadelphia’s rise as a national destination for contemporary ceramics. In her role, she leads exhibitions, residencies, and hands-on learning programs that welcome thousands of people, from schoolchildren to working artists, into the studio each year. She has helped to strengthen The Clay Studio’s role as a citywide resource for creativity, connection, and craft.

A Tyler alum, Zwilling earned her master’s in art history while soaking up the school’s studio culture. Her education shaped her belief that artists and scholars should work side by side. After 14 years at the Philadelphia Museum of Art as an assistant curator of American Decorative Arts and Contemporary Craft, she joined The Clay Studio in 2014 and helped guide its 2022 relocation to a new 34,000-square-foot home in Kensington.

“Art isn’t just something to look at,” she said. “It’s something people deserve to experience and make. That belief drives everything we do here.”

Temple alumni play major roles at these Philadelphia arts organizations and more:

Read more about how Temple powers the arts in Philly.