Penn's Vision
Gallery Interactives
A collaboration with Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel & the National Constitution Center
Philadelphia, PA 2025
Benjamin West, Penn’s Treaty With the Indians, 1771-72
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Organized by the Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel University, Penn's Vision is set to open at the National Constitution Center September, 2026 during the 250th celebration of America. Although many festivities will center on the American Revolution and the "birth of the nation", Philadelphia and the greater Pennsylvania had roots far before 1776. This exhibition explores Penn’s ideas about settlement, government, law and liberty, and religious toleration in his colony, informing what became “American” ways.
"There may be room there [in Pennsylvania], though not here [in England], for such a holy experiment."
-William Penn
Unknown Artist (possibly after Peter Lely), Portrait of William Penn, 18th century
Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel, From Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection
Interactives
In the fall of 2025, I joined the Atwater Kent team to design two digital interactives to enrich viewer experience within the exhibition as part of my graduate practicum.
The first interactive will feature overlayed maps that demonstrate the development of the Philadelphia region over time and the subsequent loss of native lands. The second illustrates a timeline of Penn's life, interjected with important dates for the colony and family member influence.
Maps from the exhibition. Photos courtesy of the Atwater Kent Collection.
Research
In-person and online interactive research was the first step in this process. In the content development stage, historians, Native leaders, and the Atwater Kent and NCC teams were consulted to ensure research is thorough, accurate, and synonymous with exhibition goals. Evaluative metrics were also developed to gauge effectiveness.
John Hesselius, Portrait of Hannah Callowhill Penn, c. 1742
Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel
Hannah Penn was the first and only female governor of Pennsylvania, overtaking the position from her husband when he became ill. She governed from 1712-1726.