Blog / 2026 / The Risk Taker
May 19, 2026
If you’re curious about how I defend art’s honor to all those who fail to value this quintessentially human activity, this video is one of my arguments.
You can see First Steamboat for Passengers and Freight at the Independence Seaport Museum right now! It’s installed just inside the lobby. There’s no ticket purchase required to see it.
Independence Seaport Museum
211 S Columbus Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Open: every day from 10a to 5p, except Wednesdays
Firstival: Saturday May 30th from 11a to 1p
Besides the first steamboat, I also painted the first zoo and the First Continental Congress. Learn about all three #1 sculptures that I painted for 52 Weeks of Firsts here.
Plan your art-and-history tour of Philadelphia and see all the firsts in the 52 Weeks of Firsts public art exhibit using this interactive map.
First Steamboat for Passengers and Freight
2025
acrylic on all four sides of a foam sculpture in the shape of a #1
44 x 29 x 18 inches
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
This is a portrait of the inventor John Fitch, a person who had many false starts in life. For example, early on he was apprenticed to a clockmaker, but, fearing competition, his master refused to train him. Though Fitch eventually taught himself clockmaking and then went on to much adventure and invention, he never managed to make any of his endeavors a real success.
His story is thoroughly relatable. Working as a full-time artist for over twenty years feels like constantly starting over. In every new context and with each new client, I not only work to prove the value of my own work, but also the value of art. Imagining Fitch’s struggles makes me feel less alone.
His portrait is on one of the #1 sculptures I painted for 52 Weeks of Firsts, which is a year’s worth of free events and public art organized by the National Constitution Center, Historic Philadelphia, and Mural Arts Philadelphia to celebrate the many ways that the US’s first capital was first in the nation. In this case, the piece is all about the first steamboat for passengers and freight, which John Fitch invented.
Maybe this post made you think of something you want to tell me? Or perhaps you have a question about my art? I’d love to hear from you!
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