You're Invited! Special Exhibition & Performance at the Philadelphia Art Museum February 7, 2026

January 2026

The Philadelphia Art Museum, Moore College of Art & Design, and the Reliance Matrix Foundation Teen Sketch Program have partnered on a collaborative project to create costumes and sculptural headpieces inspired by Philadelphia Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet.

Teen Sketch students have been studying Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as well as exploring the museum’s collection, with a focus on artworks featuring costume and headpiece design. Drawing both inspiration from the literature and the art, students developed original sketches. Philadelphia Ballet Wardrobe Manager Jennifer Tierney recently led a headpiece design workshop for the Teen Sketch students, and met individually with each student to discuss concepts, offering guidance on both design and construction.

Moore students met with the Museum’s Curator of Costume and Textiles, who provided an up-close look at select historical costume pieces from the Museum’s collection. The Moore students are creating original costumes inspired by Romeo and Juliet.

The project will culminate in a public exhibition of the Teen Sketch and Moore student designs in the museum’s Learning and Engagement Center on Saturday February 7, 2026, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Following the exhibition and a panel discussion about the collaboration, the Philadelphia Ballet will perform two pieces in the Museum’s Great Stair Hall at 12:00 p.m. Philadelphia Ballet Artistic Director Angel Corella will select two of the Moore designed costumes that will be worn by the dancers during the performance. The event is FREE with Museum’s admission and will celebrate the dynamic connections among visual art, literature, and dance.

The Reliance Matrix Foundation provides students with broad exposure to cultural institutions and career pathways in the arts. The Foundation often supports collaborative projects among its partners. In addition to workshops with professional visual artists and Ballet’s costume designer, Teen Sketch students will meet with current Moore College students to learn more about pursuing college studies in the arts.

After the exhibition at the Philadelphia Art Museum, the Teen Sketch and Moore student artwork will be featured in an exhibition at Moore College of Art & Design.