My art program featured at the American Swedish History Museum
Community Art at ASHM!
Indivisible: Stories of Strength
January 23, 2026 to March 8, 2026Philadelphia, PA- Beginning in January, SEAMAAC and the American Swedish Historical Museum (ASHM) invite the Philadelphia community to join us for the exhibition Indivisible: Stories of Strength, an exhibition exploring identity and culture among native and immigrant Philadelphians. This exhibition will feature a video series, collaborative art pieces, and new artwork in collage, ceramics, and photography created by artists from SEAMAAC’s art resiliency workshops led by artists Shira Walinsky, Marguerita Hagan, Eugenio Salas, and Donna Backues. This is the second exhibition collaboration between ASHM and SEAMAAC, building on the Spring 2025 exhibition Through the Eyes of Philadelphia’s New Americans: Art, Resilience, and Community.
SEAMAAC’s video series for this exhibition will incorporate clips of interviews with new immigrants and descendants of immigrants who chose Philadelphia as their home. As attendees move through the exhibition and explore the artwork, they can listen and watch the interviews to deepen the artwork’s impact and significance. The interviewees, who may or may not be one of the artists themselves, are fellow Philadelphians who will share their stories of their identity, culture, and lived experiences in Philadelphia, whether they are recent immigrants or 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation descendants of immigrants. The full-length interviews will also be available online.
In addition to the video series, the exhibition will feature collaborative art pieces and new artwork created by artists from SEAMAAC’s art resiliency workshops. Creating art within a community is a powerful act. It allows us to collectively envision a better future, build connections across diverse backgrounds, and cultivate empathy and understanding. SEAMAAC’s resiliency art programming brings together people from around the world, offering them a space to learn new skills, create art, and connect on a personal level. Through this shared creative process, participants not only enjoy the act of making but also build meaningful relationships. Creativity becomes a bridge between cultures and experiences, ultimately fostering resilience and strengthening community bonds.
Indivisible: Stories of Strength will be on view at ASHM from January 23, 2026 to March 8, 2026. Admission is included with ASHM general admission tickets. ASHM is open Tuesday through Thursday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and Friday through Sunday 10:00 - 6:00 pm.
Group Exhibit at the Awbury Arboretum
Up Against A Wall
36 Artists at Awbury ArboretumAwbury Arboretum is hosting its first curated art exhibit, including thirty-six artists from Philadelphia and surrounding areas. Awbury has had an ongoing initiative giving artists the opportunity to hang and facilitate their own shows in the lovely Cope House parlor.
Curator and artist Susan Breitsch relocated to Philadelphia from New York City four years ago. She had this to say about her first curatorial opportunity: “It was interesting, humbling, and exciting to visit studios and meet new people, and it was especially fun to choose the work for the show. I had no theme in mind, but it seemed that the more work I chose,
the more it seemed to be leaning heavily towards abstraction, although
without prior intention. This was particularly surprising, since my own
work is primarily figurative.”The artists are at varying stages of their careers, including self-taught
artists, MFA students, and artist/educators. The curator contacted artists mainly through the InLiquid and CFEVA websites. One exception was Dawn Merritt, an elementary-school teacher and self-taught artist. Breitsch met her at a local art sale and was attracted to many of her paintings, which she makes in her home in Roxborough.Andrea Wohl Keefe is an artist, art teacher, and former gallery
director. Breitsch remembered seeing her intriguing and sometimes
whimsical paintings and drawings at POST open studios, and asked
Keefe to be in the show.The exhibit includes painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, fresco,
and collage.
Artists:
Rebecca Aidlin, Jasmine Alleger, Donna Backues, Philippa Beardsley, Matthew Bender, Sandra Benhaim, Priscilla Bohlen, Matthew Borgen, Susan Breitsch, Sarah Butler, Jorge Caligiuri, Nancy Cohen, Andrew Christman, Andrew Conti, Chris Curchin, Sally K. Eisenberg, Linnie Greenberg, Louis Gribaudo, Alex Griffin, Debra Jenks, Andrea Wohl Keefe, Sam Koren, Penelope Tsaltas Lisk, Stephanie Manzi, Norma Markley, KellianneMcCarthy, Dawn Merritt, John Mitchell, Samantha Mitchell, Heidi Nam, Chau Nguyen, Haigen G. Pearson, Eung Ho Park, John Howell White, Natasha Zeta, Robert ZurerUp Against A Wall will be on view from July 6–August 26
Awbury Arboretum, COPE HOUSE in Germantown, Philadelphia 19138.
The gallery will be open to the public Monday–Thursday from 10-4.
A Reception will be held on July 11, from 1-5.
1 Awbury Road Germantown, Philadelphia 19138Solo Exhibit at Marriot at the Navy Yard
Group show at Hot Bed Gallery
My work, "Volcano by the Sea" was included in the 2020 Pafa Fellowship show at Hot Bed Gallery on view till November 28th, 2020 (by appointment only). Check out the video and hear a description of my piece.
Group Show at Pafa Alumni Gallery
See Donna's work in "Camden: Past, Present, and Future," on view now at the Stedman Gallery
"Camden: Past, Present, and Future," on view now at the Stedman Gallery, shows the creative process behind a mural that spans nearly 700 feet of construction fencing along the Camden waterfront. See selections from the mural's original artwork, created by Camden schoolchildren, as well as work by the professional teaching artists who mentored them: Donna Backues Artist, Doris Nogueira-Rogers, and Cesar Viveros.
The mural was created through a partnership with the Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts and Liberty Property Trust.
➡️ See the exhibition through April 19:go.rutgers.edu/ibwmx1e2
Special thanks to the participating schools:
▪️ Dr. Charles E. Brimm Medical Arts HS
▪️ Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy
▪️ Thomas H. Dudley Family School
▪️ Holy Name School, Catholic Partnership SchoolsVideo of Donna at the Pennsylvania Convention Center
Donna wrote and illustrated a new book!
Check it out. Click on the link below:
www.blurb.com/b/8649928-lily-and-the-ba…SOLO EXHIBIT
Donna Backues
Solo Exhibit – Mix Media
Jan. 22, 2017 – Mar. 19, 2017Opening Reception:
Sunday, Jan 22, 3-5 pm
Artist Talk 2-3 pmPennswood Art Gallery
1382 Newtown Langhorne Rd.
Newtown, PA 18940
215-968-9110
Open Daily from 9am-7pm
Donna's Art Camp in the News!
Donna's 5-day workshop in a West Java village madrasah (Islamic Religious School) was on national television! Check it out.
Listen to Donna's interview on Voice of America (in Indonesian)
Donna Backues in National Geographic Indonesia (In Indonesian)
Article about Murals in South Philly Review
Winner of Leeway Foundation Art & Change Grant 2014
Mural Show in the News
Opening at the Galleries at the Chambers on June 17th! Register for Free. Space is limited!
Spotlight Interview by Inliquid
Donna Backues wins a national design competition!
