Her contract, the brief states, contained “an explicit exception” to the arbitration called for.
Much of the brief repeats the narrative laid out in the initial lawsuit filing, like her struggle to modernize the museum and her friction with former board chair Leslie Anne Miller and current board chair Ellen T. Caplan.
In another broadside against the board of the Philadelphia Art Museum, ousted director and CEO Sasha Suda has once again portrayed her difficulties at the museum as a struggle for modernizing an institution in the face of the status quo. A new court filing from Suda, filed on Thursday night, argues for a trial with jury rather than settling the dispute with the museum through arbitration.
The opposition brief, a response to the museum’s petition last month stating that the matter should be resolved in arbitration, says that Suda’s employment contract contained “an explicit exception” to the arbitration called for by the museum.
“The Court should therefore deny the museum’s motion and retain jurisdiction over this case — as the parties’ agreement and Pennsylvania law require,” states Thursday’s filing in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
Suda, 45, was fired Nov. 4 for what the museum said was cause. Less than a week later, she filed a lawsuit against the museum claiming she was dismissed without a “valid basis.”
Suda’s lawyer, Luke Nikas, did not immediately comment on the matter Friday. The Art Museum had no comment on the new filing, an Art Museum spokesperson said.
Suda was dismissed after an investigation determined that she “misappropriated funds from the museum and lied to cover up her theft,” the museum alleged in a November court filing in response to her lawsuit.
Nikas, of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, at the time called the accusations false. The money in question, $39,000, came in the form of increases to Suda’s compensation, and these increases were “authorized” and “budgeted” cost-of-living increases that were “fully approved” and “disclosed,” a source close to Suda previously stated.
Much of the new filing repeats the narrative laid out in the initial lawsuit filing, detailing Suda’s unhappiness with former board chair Leslie Anne Miller and current board chair Ellen T. Caplan, as well as a recounting of Suda’s accomplishments at the museum.
Suda and Miller experienced ongoing friction, and Miller “told third parties that Suda was untrustworthy, incompetent, a snake, immature, would not last, and that others were ‘drinking the Kool-Aid’ by supporting her,’” the new filing states.
“Those comments from an officer and agent of the Museum violated the Employment Agreement’s Non-Disparagement Clause,” and that violation entitles Suda to “immediate injunctive relief and a temporary order restraining any threatened or further breach, in addition to or in place of the arbitration provisions,” the filing states.
Miller declined to comment on Friday.
Sasha Suda, former director of Philadelphia Art Museum, Jan. 30, 2024.
Suda’s contract stipulates that any changes in her compensation would be determined at the “sole and absolute discretion” of the compensation committee. In its November petition, the museum said that Suda requested, and was denied, a salary increase from the compensation committee on Feb. 8, 2024. She then “awarded herself the salary increase” effective March 1, 2024, followed by a second “unauthorized” increase in July of that year, the petition claims.
In July 2025, according to the museum’s petition, Suda “awarded herself a third unauthorized pay increase, which she once again failed to disclose to the board.”
The new filing includes text messages of praise and encouragement from board member John Alchin. It says that in September 2023, Alchin — identified in the filing as chair of the finance committee — examined a draft report for a compensation subcommittee meeting and requested “schedules of salaries along with proposed/recent salary increases.”
“Suda’s compensation was also reviewed,” the filing states.
“As the board member with the most oversight of Suda’s financials, Alchin expressed no concerns about Suda’s approach to salary schedules or financial governance, which were discussed openly in committee meetings,” the filing states.
It provides a copy of an August 2025 letter from the museum to Suda outlining her annual salary increase, from $749,087 to $771,560. The letter is not signed by a specific person — only the museum’s human resources department — and was cc-ed to “finance.”
The new filing also includes 2023 correspondence from the museum’s CFO, Katherine Harper, to its HR director, Meredith Clayton, “trying to figure out what increase Sasha might be entitled to,” adding that “prior to finalizing, I will check with John Alchin or Leslie to make sure they are comfortable.”
Suda was in the third year of a five-year contract when she was dismissed in the beginning of November.
On Dec. 1, she was succeeded by veteran nonprofit administrator Daniel H. Weiss, former chief of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who had already been engaged by the museum as a consultant prior to being named director and CEO.
Taylor Swift is someone who can chill but will never be a chill person. Also, “All to Well,” the 10-minute version, tops the list of her favorite songs from her catalog.
These were among the many other revelations that Swift dropped during her first interview on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show, Wednesday night.
Philadelphia fans will most appreciate the 2001 flashback photograph of a tween Taylor singing the national anthem at a Sixers game in her very patriotic outfit: a red duster, an American flag top, and white pants.
On “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Taylor Swift talks about her national anthem outfit: a red duster, white pants, and sparkly shirt for a performance of the national anthem at a Sixers game in 2001.
“You know when you are like 11 and you have that one outfit that you just know … goes so hard … when you just put this on and it’s like I’m sorry. I’m unstoppable today,” the Berks County native said on the talk show. She was dressed in a precariously fitting burgundy velvet mini with an off-the-shoulder Bardot neckline with winged sleeves giving early-Christmas-present energy to her fans.
Today, that unstoppable outfit for her is a sparkling Versace bodysuit, one of her many outfit changes on “The Eras Tour.”
“Anytime I put it on … I could be like coughing from a horrible virus. I could be aching,” Swift said. “When I put that on, I’m like, ‘This is popping.’ I’m doing it.”
The interview was light-hearted, fun, and thorough. Swift talked about her friendship with Stevie Nicks — we are jealous! — the excitement of her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, and the thrill of getting the master recordings of her first six albums back in May.
She had no idea of the impact of her tour on her fans until she learned they were passing out from joy.
Literally, passing out from joy.
“When I read articles that medical professionals are diagnosing fans who came to the Eras tour with post concert amnesia and joy blackouts, I was like, ‘Oh man, this is different,’” Swift said “The fans … People connecting to what we created made the Eras Tour what it was.”
The semiquincentennial year in Philadelphia is set to start off with a bang.
The city’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of America will begin on New Year’s Eve with a free concert in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum steps.
The lineup includes LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff, bassist and bandleader Adam Blackstone, and Los Angeles rock band Dorothy. Technician the DJ, who has toured with the likes of the L.O.X. and Ghostface Killah, is also on the bill.
Afterwards — at midnight — there will be fireworks.
“Philadelphia is thrilled to welcome everyone to our vibrant city as we celebrate New Year’s Eve and kick off the 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence,” Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said in a statement.
“This free concert and fireworks showcases the incredible spirit of our community and the cultural legacy that Philadelphia embodies … Join us for Philly’s first ever New Year’s Eve outdoor concert as we kick off 2026 in America’s Birthplace — this is truly the place to start our celebration of this historic anniversary!,” she said.
Jeffrey Allen Townes, better known as DJ Jazzy Jeff, poses for a photo in the recording studio section of his home in Bear, Del. in 2023. He’ll perform on New Year’s Eve on the Ben Franklin Parkway as part of the free concert and fireworks dispaly.
For LL Cool J, the New Year’s Eve concert will be a makeup show.
The “Mama Said Knock You Out” and “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” rapper, actor, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee was scheduled to play on the Parkway along with Jazmine Sullivan as part of the city’s July 4 celebration this year, but canceled in solidarity with striking municipal workers.
“Philly, don’t call it a comeback,” he said in a statement. “We’ve got unfinished business. Shout out to the Mayor for the invitation! Meet me on the Oval this New Year’s Eve as we bring in 2026 — live.”
Blackstone, who won a best musical theater album Grammy last year for his work on Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen, plans to debut “Brotherly Love,” a song he’s written with Curtis Mayfield’s cousin Cedric Mayfield, at the New Year’s Eve show.
Gates for the free concert open at 6 p.m., and the music starts at 8 p.m.
With Christmas two weeks away, I’m sure the last thing you want is a list of events that distract you from your holiday plans. But believe me, there are too many good ones to pass up. And I, being your guide to what’s happening in Philly, am here to offer what I call “welcome distractions.”
I get it. Finalizing Christmas dinner plans and checking off your last-minute shopping list come first. But between a new Scandinavian sauna retreat, a hot chocolate bar crawl, and an adult night at Legoland Discover Center, there are plenty of ways to pass the time this season.
The holidays are all about tradition — and few Philly traditions run deeper than the DiEmedio family dancing The Nutcracker. Three sisters, each at a different stage in the Philadelphia Ballet pipeline, return to the Academy of Music this year as snowflakes, flowers, and even the occasional piece of candy. Their mother, former company dancer and current schoolteacher Charity Eagens, sometimes takes the stage alongside them. Together, they’ve formed a 12-year-long thread through Balanchine’s classic, a living reminder that this ballet isn’t just a seasonal ritual. For some families, it’s a way of life.
Philadelphia Ballet performs “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” Dec. 5—31 at the Academy of Music.
The best things to do this week
🎄 Want the tree without the hassle? Philly and the suburbs have multiple delivery options that’ll drop a fresh-cut fir — and sometimes even set it up — right in your living room.
❄️ Philly’s first measurable snow is likely early Sunday — up to 3 inches — and the deep freeze will stick around all day. If your plans involve the Eagles game or outdoor events, layer up and plan for wind chills in the teens.
☕ A sip of hot cocoa: Sip the finest of specialty and boozy hot chocolate offerings during East Passyunk’s 4th Annual Hot Chocolate Crawl on Saturday. All you have to do is purchase a commemorative mug to join the fun.
🔨 Unleash the holiday stress: Aspart of Pluto TV’s new Holidays are Brutal campaign, the streaming service is offering a free, one-day-only rage room in Northeast Philly this Thursday. Get in on this furious fun.
🧱 Stack ‘em up: The kiddos can’t have all the fun. On Friday, adults are encouraged to break out their inner child at Legoland for the annual Holiday Bricktacular.
📅 My calendar picks this week: Carols & Cocktails in East Market, uCity Square Holiday Fest, Adult Gingerbread House Decorating at Bloomsday
Thing of the Week: FringeArts is back in year-round action
Big things are ahead for FringeArts in 2026. After a record-breaking Philly Fringe Festival, the organization is restoring year-round programming for the first time since 2020. Kicking off with its Winter—Spring 2026 season, FringeArts will bring four productions from local and international artists to its Old City venue, plus a monthly Scratch Night series where creators share works in progress. Tickets go on sale Friday at fringearts.com — and longtime readers will recognize the byline on Rosa Cartagena’s full story.
Christmas Village features a new 30 foot ‘Christmas Pyramid’ at LOVE Park on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025 in Philadelphia. Christmas Village is open until December 24.
Winter fun this week and beyond
🩰 Philly’s Nutcracker season is in full swing: There are four versions to choose from — classic Balanchine, a new one-act for little kids, a tap-dancing trip through Paris, and a vibrant Chocolate Ballerina Company twist.
🇺🇸 Historic walk across the Delaware: Join thousands at Washington Crossing Historic Park to watch the 73rd reenactment of General George Washington’s daring trek across the Delaware River on Sunday. A second reenactment will take place on Christmas Day.
🎁From Center City’s Christmas Village and Dilworth Park’s Made in Philadelphia market to Bucks County’s Peddler’s Village and Bethlehem’s iconic Christkindlmarkt, these holiday markets are worth a look.
🔵 Filled with lights: This Saturday, the historic Boathouse Row will illuminate nearly 6,400 LED lights in blue and white for Hanukkah. Don’t miss it on your routine walk or drive along Kelly Drive.
🧖🏼♂️ Bask in a steamy Scandinavian tradition: The Ebba Sparre Sauna Collective at the American Swedish Historical Museum is opening a pop-up Scandinavian retreat that offers a steamy solo cedar barrel and group sauna experience. The ancient Swedish tradition is available starting Saturday through March 29, 2026.
🎸 Saturday: Philly pop-punk band the Starting Line, which released its first album in 18 years, plays back-to-back nights at the Fillmore Philly.
🎤 Saturday: Inspired and eccentric Detroit rapper Danny Brown plays the Theatre of Living Arts on South Street on Saturday. He’s touring behind his new album Stardust.
🎤 Sunday: Rapper-turned-rocker MGK is touring behind his new album, Lost Americana, which was accompanied by a trailer narrated by the iconic Bob Dylan. He takes the stage for the “Lost Americana” tour at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday.
🎤 Monday: This year’s Q102’s Jingle Ball, featuring a lineup of musical stars such as Alex Warren, BigXthaPlug, Laufey, Monsta X, Miles Smith, Raven Lenae, and others, will take center stage at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Monday.
The original Fresh Prince, Will Smith, makes a cameo in the final scene ofBel-Air, Peacock’s reimagining of the 1990s hit The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
The older, fictional Will has a heartfelt talk with his younger, fictional self (West Philly-born Jabari Banks) on a mountaintop overlooking Los Angeles.
After a tumultuous four seasons in Bel-Air, Will is returning to Philadelphia to attend the University of Pennsylvania. He’s worried he will forget the life lessons he learned with the Banks family.
Peacock dropped the season finale on Monday.
“You know I used to worry this city would make me forget who I was and where I came from,” the younger Will tells OG Will. “Now that I’m going back home I’m afraid I’ll forget who I became.”
“That’s good,” OG Will replies. “That means you’ve become something worth holding on to.”
OG Will goes on to tell young boul Will not to worry, that no one has all the answers, especially the people who pretend they do. He tells him that he will make mistakes. Then, he conspiratorially leans in as if he’s dropping knowledge forbidden by the Universe that the younger Smith will be OK.
In that moment, you wonder if Smith, the Academy Award-winning actor, is speaking to the 1990s version of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star.
“You are going to mess things up,” the older Smith continues. “You will learn, you will grow. Live. Laugh and cry.”
Then he adds a little levity.
“Eat a cheesesteak,” the older Smith says laughing. “Not every day, because cholesterol is real.”
Show us the lie.
Peacock debuted Bel-Air in 2022, after Kansas City writer Morgan Cooper posted a trailer titled, “What would happen if Will Smith was in ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ today?” positioning the classic sitcom as a serious drama with 2020 technology and a modern soundtrack.
The viral video caught Will Smith’s attention, and after swearing he’d never return to the fictional world of Bel-Air, he signed on as one of the show’s executive producers. Shortly after it debuted, Bel-Air became Peacock’s most streamed original series ever, reaching 8 million subscribers.
“I almost played the father,” Smith said, of the role of Lou played by Marlon Wayans. “It just felt like it might be a little too meta, a little too weird.”
Smith’s cameo was a perfect ending to a series that was as emotional as it was nostalgic.
“Life goes by fast, man,” says the older Smith as he closes the series. “Try to enjoy the ride. I’ll let you in on a little secret. We’re going to be all right.”
Douglas Dulgarian sat in Woodlands Cemetery on a sunny West Philly afternoon, talking about why he loves Philadelphia, and Philadelphia music.
“People move here and slowly their music changes,” he said, wearing a throwback Sixers Allen Iverson jersey. “And I was just drawn to how palpable and powerful that was.”
His band They Are Gutting a Body of Water, known as Tagabow to fans — more on that name in a minute — is the most acclaimed Philly act of 2025.
Both the New York Times and the New Yorker have called the band’s Lotto one of the best albums of the year. Rolling Stone called it “heavier than heaven, hotter than hell, bold as love.”
The Tagabow sound is often categorized as shoegaze, the evolving subgenre invented to describe the ethereal sonic schmear conjured by 1990s bands like My Bloody Valentine and Lush. (Musicians appeared to stare at their own feet on stage, hence the name.)
Dulgarian’s music tends to be more rugged and fast-paced, with roots in punk and the guitarist and bandleader’s affection for 1990s bands like Nirvana and Sonic Youth. But more than any genre, Dulgarian says, Tagabow belongs in a geographically specific category.
“Are we shoegaze? Are we a punk band?” he asks. “What we are is Philadelphia music. There is a long lineage of Philly music that is very strictly this place.”
From left: They Are Gutting a Body of Water are Ben Opatut, PJ Carroll, Douglas Dulgarian, and Emily Lofing. The Philly band’s new album is “Lotto.” They have shows at First Unitarian Church on Dec. 12, 13, and 19.
Along with prominent indie acts like Alex G and Spirit of the Beehive, Dulgarian names Blue Smiley, Cooking, Horsecops, and Gunk as bands that inhabit the Philly underground scene of house shows and DIY venues that Tagabow is emerging from.
Dulgarian has put out music by many of those artists — as well as breakout artists MJ Lenderman and Wednesday — on his own label Julia’s War, which releases music digitally and on cassette.
Dulgarian, 35, grew up splitting time with his father, a dirt track race car driver, in New York’s Hudson Valley and his mother, who did secretarial work, in North Jersey, “which has a similar kind of brashness” as Philadelphia, he said.
He first started playing guitar when he was 13or 14; skateboarding led him to start to get serious about music, and develop a fascination with Philadelphia.
“The first time I heard punk rock was in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater I,” he recalls, about the video game which, in its second iteration, featured a re-creation of former Philly street skating mecca LOVE Park.
He got serious about making music at 19 during a 13-month stay in a drug rehab facility in Albany, N.Y. “I always say that I don’t want this stuff to define me,” Dulgarian says, speaking of his struggles with addiction. “But it’s so much a part of my story.”
They Are Gutting a Body of Water play facing each other on a stage set up in the middle of the dance floor with their backs to the audience. The Philly band has three upcoming shows at the First Unitarian Church.
Lotto begins with “The Chase,” about a harrowing bout of fentanyl withdrawal this past New Year’s Day. (He’s been clean since then and calls himself “an inactive addict.”) It’s also a love letter to Dulgarian’s girlfriend, Emily Lofing, the band’s bassist. (Her name is tattooed on Dulgarian’s right bicep.)
“She gazes at me lovingly,” Dulgarian talk/sings, recounting waking up to 2025 with Lofing by his side in their West Philly apartment. “The me she remembers, the promising mirage of water in this cruel desert.”
In 2016, while still in New York state, Dulgarian put out an album called topiary with the band Jouska. Playing shows at underground venues like Pharmacy in South Philly, he felt the pull of the tight-knit Philly music community.
He moved here and started performing as They Are Gutting a Body of Water with drummer Ben Opatut, who’s still a member of the band, along with guitarist PJ Carroll.
The band name was the result of a misheard song lyric from Grouper, the California ambient musician Elizabeth Harris.
“All these bands were calling themselves Football Dad or Soccer Mommy,” Dulgarian said. “And I was going to name this band the most psychotic thing I possibly could,” because Tagabow’s music on early releases like 2018’s Gestures Been and 2019’s Destiny XL, “felt incendiary.”
Singer and bandleader Douglas Dulgarian at the railroad tracks adjacent to Woodlands Cemetery, in Philadelphia on Oct. 6, 2025.
Grouper makes “really calming music,” Dulgarian said, but Harris’ lyrics are difficult to hear. “I was singing this song called “Heavy Water / I’d Rather Be Sleeping” incorrectly. I was singing ‘They are gutting a body of water.’”
As a band name, it stuck. “Now it’s my cross to bear,” he said with a laugh.
“Then people started calling us Tagabow, which is an acronym that phonetically makes sense. So we lucked out, I guess.”
Dulgarian loves what he calls the “strangeness” of his adopted city.
“There are places you can go in Philadelphia and you’re like, ‘How can this possibly exist? This can’t be real. It’s like Eraserhead, and how David Lynch was so inspired by Philly.
“It feels so otherworldly in comparison to other places. And the music feels otherworldly sometimes. But it also feels jovial in light of clear anger and dissatisfaction. Every time we go on tour, I come back to this filthy place and I just feel so at home.”
Lotto eschews electronic seasoning, aiming to capture four musicians playing live in the same room. It delivers an emphatic rush from a band poised to find a wider audience that’s now on the same label as Alabama Shakes, My Morning Jacket, and Phish.
The cover image to They Are Gutting a Body of Water’s album “Lotto.”
“I sent it to my mom. She was like, ‘What?! Oh my God!’ I always joke about this, but I set the bar so low with my parents, because I was a drug addict and I tortured them for a long time.
“So for me to be able to point at something and say: ‘Look, it’s happening!’ is great. And I think that really clicked for my mom. She was like: ‘You’re doing pretty well. You’re good at this thing.’”
The band is set to play three shows at the First Unitarian Church to wrap up a U.S. tour for the album, the fourth by the band Dulgarian formed after moving to Philly from upstate New York in 2016.
The church shows on Dec. 12, 13, and 19 will be performed Tagabow-style, with Dulgarian and bandmates facing each other on a custom-made stage in the middle of the dance floor, with the musicians encircled by the crowd.
Lotto consists of 10 tightly disciplined songs that rage on and resolve themselves in just 27 minutes. It kicks up a righteous racket and conjures moments of real beauty as Dulgarian reaches out for human connections in a relentlessly commodified world.
The albummixes self-reflection while reaching for something pure and true, hoping to find peaceful sanctuary in the eye of a hurricane of noise.
It’s the band’s first album to be released on prominent label ATO Records.
“I was thinking about how I seek out brief, artificial reprieves from existence,” said Dulgarian. “And what I was really trying to get at is the American dream, and how hollow it is. That the thing I will remember is not whatever commercial success my band has, but the guy at the corner store I connect with.
“That’s where the title comes from: this whole idea of the lottery and ‘I can change my life if I buy this ticket.’ That the American Dream of convenience — it’s not real. I think the things in life that are worth it are hard to earn.”
They Are Gutting a Body of Water at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., at 8 p.m. Dec. 12, 13, and 19. r5productions.com.
When Philly artist Amir Bey Richardson first uploaded his rap songs online in 2010, he was told his music was “too corny” to garner an audience.
“I definitely had friends who encouraged me, but I had other friends who used to call it ‘bus driver rap,’” Richardson said. “Or they said, ‘Too many people rap. Get out of here.’”
Today, Richardson is a go-to musician-for-hire for major network shows, including for the Emmy-winning, Philly-set comedy series Abbott Elementary.
Philly artist Amir Bey Richardson in his home studio on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.
Richardson, who goes by Bul Bey, knows his music doesn’t have the same musical edge that has long defined Philadelphia’s hip-hop sound. But he makes up for it with his more soulful and personal hip-hop records that speak to his West Philly roots and connect with a wider range of rap fans.
“Philadelphia is one of those cities where rapping is held to a higher standard, so I had to listen to my heart,” he said. “I was an artist whether I wanted to be one or not.”
While his sound didn’t match that of his contemporaries, he believes it sets him apart from other Philly artists.
On the Oct. 22 episode of Abbott Elementary, Richardson’s 2024 track “Elbow Deep” can be heard in the background as characters Gregory and Janine (played by Tyler James Williams and show creator Quinta Brunson), set the vibe for a friendly hangout.
“I lost my mind when I heard it,” Richardson said. “There are some explicit moments in the song, but when I saw the scene, it all made total sense.”
This was the second time Richardson’s music was placed in the hit series.
Back in February 2022, Richardson sent an “awkward” introductory message on LinkedIn to Abbott Elementary music supervisor Kier Lehman. Among the tens of tracks Richardson pulled from his catalog to include in that message, the 2014 single “Where I’m From” struck a chord with Lehman.
Philly artist Amir Bey Richardson at his home studio Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.
In early 2023, the Grammy-nominated music supervisor reached out to Richardson to request the use of “Where I’m From” for season two, episode 19, of the show.
Richardson said he’s still processing the achievement. “Sometimes I go back to the episode just to make sure it wasn’t changed,” he said.
That song placement, Richardson said, arrived at a “time of desperation.”
After a decade of making music, Richardson was at a creative crossroads. He was confident in his musical talents, but it felt like there were limited avenues to showcase them. “I felt very lost and desperate,” he said.
He stumbled onto Abbott Elementary like everyone else. Only he paused the TV to find Lehman’s name in the credits and reached out to him months later on the networking platform.
While he’s now “embarrassed” by his direct message to Lehman, the eventual song placement was the first time Richardson was ever paid for his music.
“That was definitely me crossing a threshold,” he said. “And in my mind, I was like, ‘I have to do that again.’”
It would be two years until that would happen. Earlier this year, Lehman reached out to Richardson to use “Elbow Deep.” Richardson approved immediately.
Philly artist Amir Bey Richardson at his home studio Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. He is seen doing the voice-over for a Joel Embiid Skechers commercial.
In the meantime, that first placement opened several creative doors.
Between his role as an event coordinator for the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, Richardson dropped a pair of collaborative EPs with producers Sam Live and Patrick Feliciano. He also contributed music to WHYY programs, such as Albie’s Elevator and The Infinite Art Hunt, and served as host of the Franklin Institute’s So Curious podcast.
He was even tapped to narrate a Skechers ad featuring Sixers star Joel Embiid, showcasing his abilities as a voice-over talent.
It’s all been a surprising path, Richardson said. One that has inspired him to pursue avenues that meld his love of music and Philadelphia.
“It let me know I had a narrower view of what I could do as an artist,” Richardson said. “I wouldn’t say I’m doing unconventional things, but it’s more of a wider range.”
Philly artist Amir Bey Richardson in his home studio Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. He did the voice-over in a new Joel Embiid Skechers commercial, seen on screen.
His goal is to be a more notable name for big-budget shows and eventually land a placement on a blockbuster film. He currently has his sights on Sony’s animated Spider-Man multiverse saga, which Lehman served as the music supervisor for in 2018.
For someone who started out making songs from his college radio station at Pittsburgh’s La Roche University, and now sees his name on TV screens, Richardson has learned to avoid limiting his art and musical reach. And to the friends who previously doubted his abilities, he’s proving his music can take him places he’s never been, including prime-time television.
And, in perhaps bigger news to supporters, if the plan goes through, the screen-used statue that sits at the bottom of the Art Museum steps would be moved to the top thanks to what appears to be a change of heart from the Italian Stallion himself, Sylvester Stallone. Initially, the city planned to give the original statue back to Stallone, who gifted it to Philadelphia decades ago, and keep the other casting that now sits at the top of the Art Museum steps.
“In response to the strong and heartfelt feedback from the public, Mr. Stallone has graciously decided that we will no longer move forward with the proposed statue swap,” chief cultural officer Valerie V. Gay said at Wednesday’s meeting. “This outcome reflects our shared commitment to listening deeply to the community and doing what is best for both the art and the people who cherish it.”
Now, the city would keep the original, commissioned by Stallone for 1982’s Rocky III, while the second casting — reportedly purchased for about $403,000 at an auction in 2017 — would go back into the actor’s private collection. The second casting has been on (supposedly temporary) display at the top of the Art Museum’s iconic steps since last December, when Stallone lent it to the city for the inaugural RockyFest, which celebrates the Rocky franchise.
What will happen, however, remained up in the air following Wednesday’s meeting. Commission members largely cited concerns over accessibility and feasibility with moving the Rocky statue to the top of the Art Museum steps, but ultimately approved the concept on the condition that Creative Philadelphia present further information before a future vote for final approval. The art commission is next slated to meet Jan. 14, members said Wednesday.
The goal, Gay said, is to have only one Rocky statue at the Art Museum, and install another, as-yet-unannounced, city-owned statue at the bottom of the building’s steps where the original Rocky statue now stands.
If approved, the plan would get underway next year. As part of “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments,” an Art Museum exhibit slated to run from April to August, the original Rocky statue would be displayed inside the museum for the first time, while the loaner remains outside. At the conclusion of that exhibit, the original would be moved outside to the top of the Art Museum’s steps for its permanent installation, and the loaner would go back to Stallone, officials said Wednesday.
Years of moves and debate
Wednesday’s meeting marked yet another chapter in the Rocky statue’s controversial history in town. It arrived for the filming of Rocky III, but when the shoot wrapped in 1981, a permanent location had not been approved, causing it to be shipped back to Los Angeles. It ultimately came back and was temporarily exhibited again at the top of the Art Museum steps before being moved back and forth several times between that location and the Spectrum at the stadium complex in South Philly.
Over the years, the statue has ignited public debate about whether it should be displayed at the Art Museum, and whether it is art in the first place. Still, it has been on display at the foot of the museum’s steps since 2006, where it has served as a draw for tourists and residents alike, attracting an estimated 4 million visitors per year, Creative Philadelphia officials said.
Inquirer readers largely said in September that the statue temporarily installed at the top has overstayed its welcome, with about 46% of respondents to one poll saying no Rocky statue belongs at the top of the steps, but the one at the bottom should stay. Roughly 20% said the city should not have a Rocky statue at all.
Gay, however, said Wednesday that the proposed permanent Rocky statue installation offers a chance to “allow art to bring our community together” and encourage visitors to the statue to take in the art on display inside the museum.
“This is absolutely an amazing opportunity to expand our connection, our community’s connection, with art,” she said.
Quakertown-raised pop star Sabrina Carpenter will be part of the upcoming Met Gala 2026 celebration, Vogue announced on Wednesday.
The Grammy-winning singer will join the Met Gala host committee along with 15 other celebrities, including trailblazing ballerina Misty Copeland, K-pop icon Lisa, model Paloma Elsesser, vocalist Sam Smith, and Wednesday actor Gwendoline Christie.
Cochairs for the illustrious fashion event are Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and, as usual, Anna Wintour, the chief content officer of Condé Nast and global editorial director of American Vogue.
The gala will honor the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute’s spring 2026 exhibit, “Costume Art,” which will pair the Institute’s clothing with museum artwork to explore “depictions of the dressed body across the Met’s vast collection” and “reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body.” It will be organized with themes like “the Pregnant Body,” “the Aging Body,” and “the Naked Body.”
The host committee has its own cochairs as well: Caught Stealing actor Zoë Kravitz and Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello.
Sabrina Carpenter attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Last month, she wrapped up her “Short n’ Sweet” tour, which stopped in Philadelphia last year. She’s up for six Grammy Awards in 2026, including album of the year, song and record of the year, and best video for “Manchild.”
The “Espresso” singer is known for sporting glittery strapless bodysuits onstage with blond bombshell hair that embraces an aesthetic of old Hollywood glamour. This week, she appeared on Late Night with Seth Myers wearing a vintage black and white Chantal Thomas minidress.
She’s made headlines lately for condemning President Donald Trump’s administration for using her music in a video promoting violent ICE raids that target undocumented immigrants. “This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” she wrote on X last week.
The Bucks County star is the latest celebrity from the Philadelphia region to be part of the Met Gala festivities. Earlier this year, West Philly-raised actor Colman Domingo (who also appeared in Carpenter’s “Tears” music video) served as cochair of the Met Gala 2025, which centered Black dandyism.
