Overview
Ministry of Awe, a mysterious entity that has existed since the beginning of time to collect, protect, and value huamnity, opens the doors to its Philadelphia headquarters on Saturday, March 14, 2026, with the debut of an immersive, interactive, and multisensory art experience unlike any other.
Brought to life by globally renowned public artist and newly minted bank president Meg Saligman, in collaboration with a clever and industrious team of 100 artists, makers, and performers, Ministry of Awe transforms an abandoned 19th-century bank into a fantastical, seemingly impossible institution that trades in the many enigmatic facets of humanity. The result is an artistic expression that breaks into your brain and seizes your senses.
With six stories of interactive space, Ministry of Awe is an elaborately designed world which comes to life through towering art, live performance, and intricate soundscape. It is a question mark that leaves you confounded, curious and above all, awe-stricken. It is a bank with no money, and its visitors are all bank customers who are invited to access preexisting accounts. Our creation is not just a place, but a collective spark, a shared breath, and a reminder of what it feels like to be truly moved in a world where humans are more connected to screens and machines than to each other.
At Ministry of Awe, your account is already open. Be one of the first to access yours when timed-entry tickets go on sale in January 2026.
Our Mission
Our Vision
We transform spaces into living canvases for world-class art, inspiring discovery and connection through beauty and awe.
We envision a world where beauty, communion, and humanity are valued above all.
Our Values
Ministry of Awe values the ability of everyone to express themself, to generate action, and to enact change. It's about using our unique voice, and choosing inclusivity over division, collaboration over isolation, participation over abstention. It means hearing and embracing disparate voices, and creating art with and in service of those ideas and contributions. Ministry of Awe is about us—ALL of us. Join in, plan, create, question, take up space, make art, make messes, and make your dreams a sur-reality.
Build Welcoming, Playful Interaction for All Ages
Promote Equity and Inclusion
Grow the Creative Economy
Present world-class art through full immersion, more accessible than the museum or gallery
Encourage guests to engage with each other through art
Cultivate non-screen based entertainment and creation in an inviting, vibrant space*
* Since the onset of the COVID pandemic, there has been a rise in habitual isolation. Urban centers are more vacant, and the average American spends 7.4 hours (9 for millennials) per day in front of a screen.
Ensure visitor access to the arts through sliding scale ticket pricing
Partner with local schools and community organizations
Design accessible experiences for the differently abled; art of every medium means there’s something for everyone
Create artistic and whimsical counterpoint to Old City’s existing historical attractions
Enhance tourism while boosting creative economy for local community
Develop a royalty system for collaborating artists
How We Make an Impact
As real estate vacancies soared post-pandemic, muralist Meg Saligman saw unlikely potential in an abandoned bank in her Old City neighborhood. Saligman founded Ministry of Awe, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to transform the forgotten bank into an artistic hub.
A visionary of community-driven art, Saligman has produced celebrated public artworks around the world, weaving participatory exchange with exquisite art at unprecedented scales. Her oeuvre includes the largest and most iconic murals across Philly and the U.S.