ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Philadelphia Traction Company's Industrial-Scale Art Collective Exhibition at PAFA

exhibition · 2026-04-22

In 2007, graduates from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts established the Philadelphia Traction Company, transforming an old trolley repair facility into their creative space. Their exhibition at PAFA ran from July 2 to October 11, 2015, featuring works originating from their location at 118-128 North Broad Street. Highlights included Modular Studio (2015), Miguel Horn's Obelisks (2015), and a reconstructed roof truss crafted from timber salvaged from a demolished building. Featured pieces encompassed Joshua Koffman's Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time (2015), Connie Ambridge's Joan of Arc (2015), Sedekial Gebremedhin's Dinner at Traction (2015), and Space for Space by Brendan Keen and Leila Bateman (2015). The collective finances itself through external projects and community restoration efforts.

Key facts

  • The Philadelphia Traction Company exhibition ran from July 2 to October 11, 2015 at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
  • The collective formed in 2007 when PAFA graduates moved into a former trolley repair depot at 118-128 North Broad Street in Philadelphia
  • Modular Studio (2015) was a repurposed studio-within-a-studio designed to generate rental income for building maintenance
  • Miguel Horn created Obelisks (2015), upside-down replicas of the building's ornamental gateposts referencing 19th-century Egyptian-style designs
  • The collective recreated one of the building's roof trusses in the gallery using timbers from a demolished nearby structure
  • subTRACTION was a playhouse-sized model of the entire building previously shown at Napoleon artists-coop in 2013
  • Joshua Koffman's Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time (2015) was commissioned by St. Joseph's University
  • The collective sustains itself through outside fabrication projects, community repairs, and initiatives like Billy Dufala's Recycled Artist In Residency (RAIR)

Entities

Artists

  • Billy Dufala
  • Miguel Horn
  • Joshua Koffman
  • Connie Ambridge
  • Sedekial Gebremedhin
  • Brendan Keen
  • Leila Bateman
  • Laura Giannini
  • Marcel Duchamp

Institutions

  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
  • St. Joseph's University
  • The Review Panel Philadelphia
  • Napoleon
  • Recycled Artist In Residency

Locations

  • Philadelphia
  • Pennsylvania
  • United States

Sources