Local by Loews Hotels

Immerse Yourself in Local Culture with Local by Loews Hotels

Experience the heart of the city without leaving our doorstep. Local by Loews Hotels is your gateway to the vibrant community surrounding our hotels. We connect you with the passionate makers, talented vendors, and inspiring artisans who shape the unique character of the neighborhoods we call home. Connect with the people who bring our community to life through select events and workshops, take advantage of perks through our exclusive partnerships, and explore our curated cultural recommendations.

Morton Contemporary Art Gallery

Loews Philadelphia Hotel has partnered with Morton Contemporary Art Gallery to offer hotel guests and locals alike a taste of the Philadelphia art scene and culture on select days, from 4 - 7pm in the lounge at Bank & Bourbon. Art enthusiasts can meet with local artists and admire their work in a relaxed and comfortable setting.

Morton Contemporary Gallery is a culmination of 15 years of passion for fine contemporary art. Their diverse contemporary art collection ranges from original works on canvas to sculpture, mixed-media, photography, and limited-edition giclées.

Upcoming dates:

Thursday, July 10: Lucy Shaiken
Light and Color

Lucy Shaiken (b.1994) is an American artist living and working in Philadelphia, PA. Her paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries in the US and Canada.

In 2021, Shaiken was awarded an Illuminate the Arts Grant by the City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy. She was an Artist-in-Residence at the Da Vinci Art Alliance in 2023. Shaiken's current body of work documents her life through self-portraiture and personal landscapes. She makes colorful, light-filled paintings that are particular to this moment in time. Shaiken tries to make depictions of mundane moments extraordinary and worthy of attention through the use of light, color, and texture.

Thursday, July 17: Christian Rodriguez
Abstract, Expressionist, and Realistic Portraiture

Christian Rodriguez is a Mexican American artist born in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. He studied Fine Art at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and currently lives in Philadelphia, PA. His work explores various aspects of the human condition, with a strong focus on emotional psychology and sociopolitical themes. Each piece is driven by the concept or emotion he seeks to explore, allowing him the freedom to adapt his visual language and techniques rather than being confined to a single style or process. While incorporating elements of abstraction and expressionism, Christian consistently grounds his work in a realistic representation of the human figure or portrait, serving as a visual anchor. He draws inspiration from classical, modern, and postmodern figurative movements, weaving these influences together in dynamic ways. He finds the human figure and portraiture to be powerful vehicles for expression, offering a depth of emotion and an intimate connection with the viewer. His creative process is one of discovery; he rarely begins with a fixed vision of the final outcome. Instead, he embraces an evolving dialogue between himself and the painting as it develops, allowing the work to unfold organically.

Thursday, July 24: Courtney Barnard
Abstract/Expressionist Color, Movement, and Emotion

Courtney Barnard is an abstract expressionist painter whose work centers on emotional healing, connection, and community. Through her work, she aims to acknowledge your experiences, reflect your emotions, and remind you that you're not alone. After earning her BFA with honors from West Chester University and taking time away to raise a family, Courtney returned to painting during one of the hardest times in her life. What began as a creative outlet became a lifeline-a path to healing through color, movement, and emotion. Now, she creates with purpose: to help others feel seen, understood, and part of a larger healing community.

Thursday, July 31: Padmini Mongia
Image, Texture, and Abstract

Padmini Mongia is a professor of English at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster. "For the last 25 years, though, I have also painted seriously and shown my work both in the US and in India, where I am from. On finishing high school, I decided to pursue English although I flip-flopped between choosing Art and English. The desire to paint remained, and in 2000, I began to pursue my interests seriously. This coincided with my meeting the late abstract painter, William Hutson, who also taught at Franklin & Marshall College. Through him, I was fortunate to receive regular exposure to and critiques from distinguished African American artists in Lancaster, Philadelphia, and New York, artists whose perspectives and approach significantly influenced my work. These artists-the late Richard Mayhew, Ed Clark, Al Loving--have used material as a point of departure for their work. Like them, I begin not so much with a specific objective or idea in mind but an intuitive impulse to examine and explore material (color, surface, scale, light) to create an image. The image has a particular quality because the material I used responded to media (washes, thick paint, varnish/glue, scraping, pouring, sponging, dripping, etc.) in ways I could not have anticipated. As a result, the subject of my paintings emerges as the image develops."

Thursday, September 11: Gail Morrison Hall
Color & Abstract

A native of Philadelphia, I attended Tyler School of Art (Temple University) on a full scholarship, graduating with a BFA and certification in education. Subsequently, I earned an MAed and 60 additional graduate credits from Arcadia University. The first part of my professional career was spent as a teacher of art to young students. In recent years, I have been fully focused on making and exhibiting my own art. Putting into practice the inventive openness and lack of inhibition that I observed in my students, I adopted the mantra "Don't think, just paint!" permitting my heart and my psyche to direct my hand and eye, yielding an unfiltered direct emotional response to ideas in moods ranging from lighthearted and playful to strong and bold. I am, primarily, an abstract painter, although a friend described me as "six artists rolled into one", as I transcribe the many things which fascinate me onto canvas and paper. My recent work has been color-driven, incorporating varied methods of paint application using traditional and non-traditional tools. I invite you, the viewer, to engage in a visual journey with me while getting lost in color-driven moods of the moment

Thursday, September 18: LUSMERLIN
Abstract, Pastel, and Photography

Bold like the streets of Santo Domingo, where she grew up, LUSMERLIN is a nationally exhibiting multidisciplinary artist, practicing in Greater Baltimore and Philadelphia. She has a professional background as a chemical engineer in textile and cement manufacturing. LUSMERLIN's practice explores her own womanhood and identity: the presence of the body in space; the richness and baggage of her complex heritage -African, Arab, Spanish, Taino-; and her metamorphic immigration experience since moving to the U.S. in 2016. Her media include abstracted paintings, pastel, installations, photography, and impromptu performances full of whim and force. LUSMERLIN is a 2024 Philadelphia Mural Arts Fellow, a 2025 Sondheim Prize semifinalist, and a grant recipient from the Baltimore Office for Promotion of the Arts and the Frederick Arts Council. Her literary work has been published in multiple books and magazines in Puerto Rico, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. Beyond art, LUSMERLIN is deeply committed to community engagement, volunteering with organizations that support immigrants, disadvantaged groups, and arts advocacy.

Thursday, September 25: Jill Pearson
Acrylic, Collage, and Media

Jill Pearson (BFA UArts, 2001) is an award-winning artist who began her career as an illustrator and graphic designer. Her abstract work has sold at galleries and art fairs across the Philadelphia region and to online collectors throughout the country. Jill has received multiple awards from the nationally juried Boldbrush Art Contest and won first place in mixed media at the 2024 Lititz Outdoor Fine Art Show in Lancaster. She uses acrylics, collage, and drawing media to create her colorful abstracts, inviting the viewer to contemplate their own connection to her imaginary landscapes.