Ministry of Awe Is Opening in Old City, Featuring Six Stories of Immersive Art, Hidden Rooms, Live Performances, and ‘Dreamlike Environments’
Ministry of Awe Is Opening in Old City, Featuring Six Stories of Immersive Art, Hidden Rooms, Live Performances, and ‘Dreamlike Environments’
A long-vacant 19th-century bank in Philly’s Old City is about to be transformed into something entirely unexpected. Ministry of Awe, a six-story immersive art experience created by renowned muralist and visionary artist Meg Saligman, will officially open to the public on Saturday, March 14.
Located at 27 N. 3rd Street, Ministry of Awe invites visitors to step inside what appears to be a traditional financial institution—only to quickly realize this is a bank with no money. Here, the only currency is imagination, curiosity, and the human spirit.
Upon entering the former banking hall, guests begin a vertical journey through six interconnected floors filled with large-scale installations, hidden rooms, performance spaces, and dreamlike environments. There is no prescribed path, no single storyline, and no “right” way to experience the building. Visitors are encouraged to wander freely, allowing instinct and curiosity to guide them from one discovery to the next.
Vaults become portals. Teller stations turn into interactive art sites. Identity verification devices and confession booths take on playful, reflective new meanings. Labyrinthine corridors may lead to a live performance unfolding in real time—or to a quiet, intimate installation tucked behind an unexpected door.
The experience blends sculptural installations embedded into the building’s historic architecture with immersive environments powered by artificial intelligence. Handcrafted works made from wood, fiber, metal, paper, and mechanical elements coexist with digital and performance-based art.
Sound, light, scent, and tactile elements are woven throughout, creating a deeply sensory environment that feels different each time someone enters. Live performances appear and disappear throughout the day, further ensuring that no two visits are exactly alike.
At the heart of the experience is a celestial environment where visitors are invited to contribute their own words, gestures, and voices. These personal offerings are transformed into light and sound within the space and ultimately become part of an evolving mural—an ever-growing archive shaped collectively by everyone who passes through.
Ministry of Awe is deeply rooted in Philadelphia’s creative community. Conceived as a site-specific project, the experience was built in collaboration with more than 100 Philadelphia-based artists, engineers, designers, and performers working across disciplines.
Founded as a nonprofit in 2022, Ministry of Awe emerged from a mission to reclaim the long-abandoned bank and turn it into a living hub for art, community, and imagination. Rather than serving as a static exhibition, the project is designed to grow and evolve over time as new contributions reshape the space.
“At this bank, we trade in curiosity, imagination, and awe,” said Saligman. “Our bank is about exploring the true meaning of currency and value, and completely redefining it. Whatever you bring, we will welcome and value it.”
Tickets for Ministry of Awe are now on sale now at moaphilly.org, with timed entry beginning March 14. Prices start at $24.99.
