Adult Programs
Be entertained, enlightened, and engaged by experiences that go beyond the limits of gallery viewing. Better understand and appreciate the Museum's collection and exhibitions through programs and events aimed at all adult learners, specialist and non-specialist alike.Performances
5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Explore the cosmos with programs inspired by our new Chinese Galleries.
5:00–7:15 p.m.
Great Stair Hall
This Philly-based DJ draws from indie pop, R&B, and electronic music for a set of dreamy, fresh, and danceable beats. DIY Art: Ink Painting with Deena Gu
5:30–7:30 p.m.
Great Stair Hall Balcony
Find inspiration in the installation Looking Inward: Nature and Self-Cultivation in gallery 234. Then join artist Deena Gu and transform your spirit while making art and sipping a complimentary cup of tea provided by Terra Luna. Detour with Alice Sparkly Kat
5:45 & 6:30 p.m.
Meet in Edwin P. and Rita Rome Gallery 233.
Brooklyn-based artist and astrologer Alice Sparkly Kat presents a fresh look at the stars with a tour of our new Chinese galleries.
Offered in collaboration with Asian Arts Initiative. In-Gallery Reflection: Sound Meditation with Luna Maye
5:45 & 6:30 p.m.
Hollis Baldeck Gallery 239
Sound artist Luna Maye leads a meditation beneath our ceiling from the Hall of Transforming Wisdom, pairing crystal singing bowls with jazz and neo-soul vocal expressions. Seating is limited. In-Gallery Performances: Traditional Chinese Dance
6:00 & 7:00 p.m.
Gallery 226
Watch members of the New York Chinese Cultural Center perform classical music and dance in a reception hall fit for a duke. Seating is limited. Dancers: Grant Zhuang, Wanru Lin, and Yuxi Liu. Musician: Wei Sun. Workshop: Stargazing
6:15–7:15 p.m.
Meet at the West Entrance.
Explore winter constellations and planets outside with The Franklin Institute. After peering through their telescope, warm up inside with a cup of tea and create an art project inspired by the heavens. Dance Performance by Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers
7:15 p.m.
Great Stair Hall
Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers pairs inventive choreography with a modern, global perspective.
5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Willis performs Delta, Piedmont, Texas, and gospel blues on guitar, harmonica, banjo, and cigar box.
5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
This acclaimed Israeli saxophonist performs a special tribute to Hank Mobley’s Soul Station, as well as music from his own recent release, Cliff Hangin’.
5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
An evening celebrating goddess archetypes and women artists in our collection, featuring this local singer-songwriter.
5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
This vocal powerhouse and local favorite returns for a performance in honor of the legendary women of jazz.
5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
A night celebrating the many ways we raise our voices, featuring LADAMA, a multinational ensemble of women.
5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Weaving together mountain folk and neo-soul, this singer-songwriter channels vocalists like Joni Mitchell and Erykah Badu.
Presented in conjunction with Art of PoetryMusicians fill the galleries with sound.
- The Eternal Struggle
- Saturday, March 2, 2019, 1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., and 2:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
The striking imagery of Prometheus Bound by Peter Paul Rubens sets the stage for a dramatic program of music from the early 1900s.
- Saturday, March 2, 2019, 1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., and 2:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Lines/Patterns
- Saturday, April 6, 2019, 1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., and 2:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Form and structure make the link between American visual artist Ellsworth Kelly and German baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Presented in partnership with the Curtis Institute of Music.
- Saturday, April 6, 2019, 1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., and 2:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Witmer’s quiet brand of folk celebrates life’s mysteries, daily epiphanies, happy accidents, and even calamities.
Presented in conjunction with Art of Poetry5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Full of vivid storytelling, classic country themes, and eternal questions, the songwriting of this Nashville artist is as fresh as it is timeless.
Presented in conjunction with Art of Poetry6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Paid tickets requiredMember tickets on sale March 1; public tickets on sale March 8
Presenter Danny Simmons invites some of Philly’s most recognized poets to gather for an epic evening of artistry. Featuring Sonia Sanchez, Ursula Rucker, Black Ice, and more.
Presented in conjunction with Art of Poetry5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
This Dutch pianist returns to Philadelphia to perform world class jazz in a special performance entitled “Gershwin meets the Blues.”
5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
This Philly-native saxophonist performs hard swinging jazz in the tradition of Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, and Larry McKenna.
5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
This vocalist, pianist, and songwriter boasts a powerful sound full of rhythm and soul that pays homage to her Nigerian roots.
5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
This New York–based ensemble are rising stars on the Afropop scene.
Talks & Tours
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Acclaimed art historian Roberta Bernstein discusses her new book, Jasper Johns: Redo an Eye, and a lifetime spent working closely with this significant artist. She will appear in conversation with Carlos Basualdo (The Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art) and Scott Rothkopf (Senior Deputy Director and Nancy and Steve Crown Family Chief Curator, Whitney Museum of American Art).
Following the conversation, view a selection of Jasper Johns prints from the museum’s collection and peruse Bernstein’s five-volume catalogue raisonné of the artist’s painting and sculpture. The author will sign copies of her new book, which will be available for purchase. Supported through the museum’s endowment, through The Daniel W. Dietrich II Fund for Excellence in Contemporary Art
Discover our collection of arms and armor including swords, shields, and equestrian equipment.
- Wednesday, February 20, 2019, 6:15 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. (CANCELED)
- Wednesday, February 27, 2019, 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
An artwork takes center stage during a participatory gallery conversation.
Facilitated by Museum educators and graduate students from Bryn Mawr College, Temple University, the University of Delaware, and the University of Pennsylvania- Pichincha, 1867, by Frederic Edwin Church
- Thursday, February 21, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Friday, February 22, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday, February 23, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Seated Woman with a Letter, 1633, by Dirck Hals
- Thursday, February 28, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Friday, March 1, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday, March 2, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Nymphs Holding Aloft a Platter Charged with Fruit, c. 1785–93 , by Claude Michel, called Clodion
- Thursday, March 7, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Friday, March 8, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday, March 9, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Vase, Kangxi Period (1662–1722), Chinese
- Thursday, March 14, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (CANCELED)
- Friday, March 15, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday, March 16, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- The Doctor's Visit, c. 1660–65, by Jan Steen
- Thursday, March 21, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Friday, March 22, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday, March 23, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- The Counterfeit Note, 1858, by Daniel Huntington
- Thursday, March 28, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Friday, March 29, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday, March 30, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Mountains in Autumn, 1910, by Noguchi Shōhin
- Thursday, April 4, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Friday, April 5, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday, April 6, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus Would Freeze, c. 1600–03, by Hendrick Goltzius
- Thursday, April 11, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Friday, April 12, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday, April 13, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Man in a Café, 1912, by Juan Gris
- Thursday, April 18, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Friday, April 19, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday, April 20, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- The Soothsayer’s Recompense, 1913, by Giorgio de Chirico
- Thursday, April 25, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Friday, April 26, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday, April 27, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Mr. and Mrs. John Naylor with a Keeper and a Dead Stag, 1847, by Richard Ansdell
- Thursday, May 2, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Friday, May 3, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday, May 4, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Peter Barberie (The Brodsky Curator of Photographs, Alfred Stieglitz Center) and Chris Bartlett (William Way Center Executive Director), along with other leaders in the LGBTQ+ community, discuss the early years of the AIDS crisis in Philadelphia as photographed by David Lebe.
Offered in conjunction with Long Light: Photographs by David Lebe6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Space is limited.
Designers and thinkers consider the late Charles Harrison’s 1959 redesign of this popular toy and the ways in which we approach landscapes, people, and design today.
Speakers include David Hartt, Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at Penn Design; Kathleen A. Foster, The Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Senior Curator of American Art; and Alexandria DeCastro of the Design Activist Institute. Moderated by Michelle Millar Fisher, The Louis C. Madeira IV Assistant Curator of European Decorative Arts.2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Paid tickets required$20 (members free), includes museum admission. Space is limited; reservations required.
Who decides what future cities look like? Engineer and policy researcher Danielle Wood, architectural historian Dianne Harris, and photographer Nolan Ryan Trowe consider this question.
Impressionism Around the World: Art and Globalization How did a quintessentially French art movement become an international phenomenon? Leading scholars explore Impressionism’s global reach at the turn of the 20th century.
SymposiumFriday, April 12, 1:30–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 13, 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Keynote Lecture
Friday, April 12, 5:00–7:00 p.m. Closing Lecture: Opposition is True Friendship
Sunday, April 14, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
T.J. Clark, professor emeritus of Art History at University of California, Berkeley, gives a talk revisiting Impressionist artists Pissarro and Cézanne. This program is organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the History of Art Department of the University of Pennsylvania, and has been supported, in part, by the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania and by the Center for American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Presented in conjunction with The Impressionist’s Eye
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Who is America? The filmmaker of Whitman, Alabama explores this question and more in a conversation with WHYY Executive Producer of Audio Content Elisabeth Perez-Luna.
Offered in conjunction with Whitman, Alabama and Whitman at 200: Art and Democracy. Support for this program was provided by the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation Fund for Education.Starts at 7:00 p.m.
Paid tickets requiredMember tickets on sale April 2; public tickets on sale April 9
Iconic singer-songwriter, visual artist, and poet Patti Smith is joined by her daughter Jesse Paris Smith for an evening exploring the legacy of Walt Whitman through word and song.
Presented in conjunction with Whitman at 200: Art and DemocracyCourses & Workshops
6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Search for auspicious symbols in our new Chinese galleries and then make your own pop-up cards with artist Colette Fu.
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Free; museum admission not included
Help expand the story of art history. Join us for a communal updating of Wikipedia entries focusing on Latina and gender-fluid Latinx artists. Bring your laptop, power cord, and ideas for entries that need to be added or updated.
Facilitated by Raquel Salas Rivera, the 2018–19 Poet Laureate of Philadelphia, and Mary Mark Ockerbloom, Wikipedian in residence at the Science History InstituteWednesday Nights
6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Search for auspicious symbols in our new Chinese galleries and then make your own pop-up cards with artist Colette Fu.
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sip while you sketch with Philly artist Loveis Wise. Drawing materials provided, drinks available for purchase at the bar. All levels welcome.
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Join Vicki Miller (Vinocity) for a wine tasting and paired bites from Constellation Culinary Group, and a guided tour of related artwork.
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sip while you sketch with Philly artist Martha Rich. Drawing materials provided, drinks available for purchase at the bar. All levels welcome.
5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Consider this the first stanza. Heralding a full season of poetry-inspired programs, performance poets make our galleries sing with spoken word while artists blend language and art.
- Drink and Draw with Martha Rich
- Poetry tours with The Philly Pigeon
- Gallery takeover with the museum’s Teen Ambassador Group (TAG)
Free tickets requiredFree tickets available Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m at any Visitor Services Desk. First come, first served. Museum admission on Wednesday nights is Pay What You Wish.
Practice your poses with Dhyana Yoga. Class size varies.
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sip while you sketch with artist Lale Westvind. Drawing materials provided, drinks available for purchase at the bar. All levels welcome.
Presented in conjunction with Yoshitoshi: Spirit and Spectacle.For more information, please contact The Division of Education by phone at 215-684-7580, by fax at 215-236-4063, or by e-mail at .
