Featuring works from the Museum’s vast permanent collection and incorporating themes from constantly changing special exhibitions, the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Division of Education produces dozens of programs each season. The Education department encourages adults and children of all ages to engage and interact with the visual arts through family celebrations of international cultures, lectures by noted artists and scholars (including artist Jeff Wall and NPR host Susan Stamberg), and a slew of music, dance, and theatrical performances in the galleries. Other highlights include the Film@Perelman series, pairing short films in quirky and unexpected ways, a new contemporary-music series, and various lectures and programs highlighting the Armenian artist Arshile Gorky. The Education department will also continue to offer ongoing favorites, such as the 45-minute “Spotlight Talks” and twice-monthly family-friendly “Drawing Together” in the galleries, as well as many diverse options for guided and self-guided tours.

• FAMILY & CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS/EVENTS
  
  
  Age-appropriate performances, gallery tours and art projects help children engage with the Museum’s permanent collections, while age-appropriate performances and projects spotlight special exhibitions with themed activities and tours.
  All family events are free after Museum admission, which is “pay what you wish” the first Sunday of the month.

  Korean Heritage Festival, Saturday, October 3
  Featuring Korean musical ensemble w.H.O.O.L., the Philadelphia Museum of Art celebrates the art and culture of Korea with authentic music and dance performances. Inspired by the Museum’s collection of Korean art and demonstrations of traditional art making, children are invited to create their own artworks in a Make-and-Take workshop, while three Early Bird Read and Look sessions use picture books to teach younger children about Korean culture in the United States.

  Hispanic Heritage and Day of the Dead Celebration, Friday, October 30 and Sunday, November 1
  Featuring dancing, art, and music from Central and South America, this two-day event incorporates several aspects of family programs, Art After 5 and programs at the Fleisher Art Memorial. The celebration begins Friday evening with an all-ages Day of the Dead-themed dance party at Art After 5. A Day of the Dead altar made at Fleisher Art Memorial by participants in the new Teen Workshop program will serve as a backdrop to the festivities and entertainment provided by dancers and musicians in traditional Aztec costume. Students from Dancing Classrooms Philly, live music by Johnny Cruz Latin Jazz Ensemble, and dance lessons for all ages enhance families’ immersion in the culture of the Americas and Mexico.

  Discover Armenian Art, Sunday, December 6
  An interactive guided tour of Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective allows families to learn about abstraction and the life of Armenian-born artist Arshile Gorky, and then to create an Armenian-influenced masterpiece in the Make-and-Take Workshop. Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective is on view through January 10, 2010.

  Sunday Family Programs
  The Museum offers gallery programs and audio tours for children every Sunday, incorporating themes from the Museum’s permanent collection into workshops and other art-themed activities.

  • Drawing Together (all ages): Sketch, doodle, or create a masterpiece in the Museum galleries, where an artist will be on hand to provide materials and encouragement to artists of all ages. Held twice per month, 12 – 3 p.m.
  • Early Bird Read and Look (ages 3-5): Preschoolers and their families enjoy picture books and art projects presented in the Museum galleries. Free tickets required. 10:15 a.m. – 11 a.m.
  • Tours for Tots (ages 3-5): Movement, play, and hands-on activities engage young visitors on this fun tour designed especially for preschoolers and their families. 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
  • Family Gallery Tour (ages 6 – 10): Children and their families are led on a gallery tour to explore themes and discover works of art. 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

  For a complete schedule, please visit www.philamuseum.org/education
• LECTURES AND CONVERSATIONS
  
  
  Distinguished lecturers from the Museum staff and the local, national, and international academic communities help visitors explore topics related to the Museum’s collections and current exhibitions.
  Free after Museum admission unless otherwise noted.

  Marcel Duchamp: Étant donnés: The Genesis, Construction, Installation and Legacy of a Secret Masterwork, Friday, August 28, 6 p.m.
  Exhibition curator Michael R. Taylor will present a lecture in conjunction with the special exhibition Marcel Duchamp: Étant donnés (August 15-November 29, Galleries 181–183) on the fascinating history and ongoing legacy of Marcel Duchamp’s enigmatic final masterpiece, “Étant donnés: 1˚ la chute d’eau, 2˚ le gaz d’éclairage (Given: 1. The Waterfall, 2. The Illuminating Gas),” of 1946-66, which the Philadelphia Museum of Art acquired and permanently installed in 1969. The French-born artist (1887-1968) created his complex tableau construction in complete secrecy in a studio on West 14th Street in New York, and it was not until after his death on October 2, 1968 that the art world learned of its existence. Since then, “Étant donnés,” which Jasper Johns has described as “the strangest work of art that any museum has ever had in it,” has exerted a powerful influence on contemporary artists and has long been considered one of the most important (and provocative) art works of the 20th century.

  ‘Arshile Gorky: His Life and Work,’ with Author Hayden Herrera, Friday, September 25, 6:30 p.m.
  Author Hayden Herrera reveals the profound effect Arshile Gorky’s life had on his art, presenting a discussion exploring the connections between Gorky’s artistic development, his memories of his boyhood in Turkish Armenia, his struggles in Manhattan during the Depression, his marriage, and his relationship with nature during the 1940s.

  Michael Taylor on Arshile Gorky, Friday, October 23, 7 p.m.
  Michael Taylor, The Muriel and Philip Berman Curator of Modern Art and curator of Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective, examines Gorky’s historical placement in a lecture repositioning the artist and his work within the context and history of modern art.
  Tickets $20 ($16 members; $14 students)

  Arshile Gorky and the Armenian Genocide with Author Peter Balakian, Friday, October 30, 6:30 p.m.
  Colgate University professor Peter Balakian advocates for an understanding of Gorky’s work taking into account the ethnic cleansings of the minority Armenians that Gorky witnessed as a teenager, and the profound impact the Armenian Genocide had on his art and life.
  Tickets $20 ($16 members; $14 students)

  Café Night at Perelman: Philly Photographers, Thursday, October 22; happy hour from 5 – 6 p.m.; readings from 6 – 7 p.m.
  Noted poet and professor Thomas Devaney highlights exceptional passages by Philadelphia writers of the 1960s and 1970s in the context of the exhibition Common Ground: Eight Philadelphia Photographers in the 1960s and 1970s. Tickets $7 ($5 members; includes admission to Common Ground)

  Photography Conversation: The Art of Frederick Sommer, Sunday, November 8, 2 p.m.
  American photographer Frederick Sommer led an extraordinary personal and professional life, reflected in the Surrealist-influenced body of work he created. Curator Peter Barberie, of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Sheryl Conkelton, director of the Art Gallery at Temple University, and noted photographers Emmet Gowin and Douglas Mellor lead a discussion on Sommer’s work and life.
  Tickets $20 ($16 members; $14 students)

  Susan Stamberg Speaks: “Why Museums Matter or Why the Arts are Important,” Friday, December 4, 6:30 p.m.
  National Public Radio correspondent and host Susan Stamberg explores the important role art plays in reaching our psyches through the work of two artists who responded to the encroachments of modern life at very different periods—the 19th-century French painter Gustave Caillebotte and 20th-century American painter Edward Hopper.
  Tickets $20 ($16 members; $14 students)
• SYMPOSIA
  
  
  Leading art historians and conservators introduce themes in selected works of art through papers and texts. Two programs will be presented at the First Annual Anne d’Harnoncourt Memorial Symposium in conjunction with the exhibition Marcel Duchamp: Étant donnés.

  Artist Talk with Jeff Wall, Friday, September 11, 6:30 p.m.
  Artist Jeff Wall discusses the influence of Marcel Duchamp’s enigmatic final masterpiece “Étant donnés,” the focus of the exhibition Marcel Duchamp: Étant donnés, celebrating 40 years since the work first went on public display.
  Tickets $20 ($16 members; $5 students)

  Marcel Duchamp: Étant donnés, Saturday, September 12, 10 a.m. Respected Duchamp scholars present papers during this day-long event offering new viewpoints on Duchamp’s provocative installation and its place within the artist’s iconoclastic oeuvre 40 years after the Museum’s late director, Anne d’Harnoncourt, helped to install the work in 1969.
  Tickets $50 ($40 members; $15 students; tickets include Museum admission and box lunch)
• CONCERTS AND PERFORMANCES
  
  
  The Museum frequently unites the visual and performing arts with collaborations between some of the area’s most distinguished musicians for concerts and performances inspired by the Museum’s permanent collections and current exhibitions. A new contemporary music series begins this season, featuring musicians from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance.
  Tickets $10 ($5 students).To purchase tickets, please call (215) 235-SHOW, or stop by any Visitor Services desk in the Museum. Concert and performance ticket prices do not include Museum admission.
  

  Contemporary Music Series: Music from the Closing Decades of the Twentieth Century, Sunday, October 11 and October 25, 2:30 p.m.
  Exploring the diverse ways in which composers and artists responded to the global, social, political, and cultural events of the tumultuous 20th-century, musicians from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance perform chamber music works in the galleries. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Notations: The Closing Decade, this series is accompanied by illuminating commentary by composer Richard Brodhead, executive director of the New School Institute.

  The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society
  Tickets are available through The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society only. Museum members receive a 20% discount on tickets. Call (215) 569-8080.

  • Imani Winds, Friday, November 6, 8 p.m.
    Fusing jazz with mixed-media to push the boundaries of classical music, this Grammy-nominated quintet brings color, vivacity, and intimacy to every concert with a vastly expanding classical repertoire.
    
  • Jason Vieaux, Friday, November 20, 8 p.m.
    One of America’s leading guitarists, Jason Vieaux plays with a vivacity that carries him from solo performances to collaborations with the string and vocal ensemble he performs with at the Museum.

  Music in the Galleries: The Curtis Institute of Music
  Free after Museum admission
  Accomplished musicians from the Curtis Institute of Music present informal, intimate concerts in designated Museum galleries one Saturday each month. Concerts are at 1:30 p.m., 2:15 p.m. and 3 p.m.

  String Duo, Saturday, October 10, Rodin Museum
  String Trio, Saturday, November 14, Gallery 152
  Solo Piano, Saturday, December 5, Great Stair Hall
  

  The Philadelphia Orchestra Connection
  Members of the Philadelphia Orchestra create a dialogue between the visual arts and music with intimate concerts which include commentary by the musicians and are typically inspired by the Museum’s collections or by a special exhibition.
  Tickets $20 ($16 members; $5 students)
  

  • Dolce Suono Ensemble, Sunday, November 15, 2:30 p.m.
    Featuring flutist and founder Mimi Stillman, Coline-Marie Orliac, harp, and Philadelphia Orchestra string players Paul Arnold, Burchard Tang and Yumi Kendall, this program explores the “Birth of the Modern,” highlighting works by Debussy, Andrew Jolivet, Arnold Bax, and a Dolce Suono-commissioned work by local composer Andrea Clearfield.
  • Wister Quartet with Marcantonio Barone, Sunday, January 24, 2:30 p.m.
    Philadelphia-based Wister Quartet presents a program of works by Barber, Dohnányi, and a world premiere by the quartet’s own Lloyd Smith.
• FILM
  
  
  Highlighting sometimes unexpected connections between art and film, the Museum presents special screenings of films and documentaries focusing on important artists, movements, themes or historical moments.
  Tickets $8 ($5 members and students)

  • Blow Out (1981), Sunday, October 4, 2 p.m.
    John Travolta stars as a Philadelphia movie sound-effects technician who inadvertently records audio evidence of a possible assassination in this suspense thriller written and directed by Brian DePalma. Blow Out is presented in conjunction with two exhibitions on view in Philadelphia: Common Ground: Eight Philadelphia Photographers in the 1960s and 1970s, on view at the Perelman Building, and the Print Center’s Streets of Philadelphia: Photography 1970-1985.
  • Ararat and a Portrait of Arshile (1995), Sunday, October 25, 2 p.m.
    This film-within-a-film by Atom Egoyan is one of the first full-length feature films to deal with the topic of the Armenian Genocide, depicting the events from the fictionalized point of view of a teenaged Gorky, then fighting with his fellow Armenians against the Turkish army as it besieged the city of Van.

  FILM@PERELMAN
  The Perelman film series pairs two short films in quirky and unexpected ways, exploring the intersections between life and art by highlighting films by and about artists. An informal discussion will follow the film, guided by a member of the Education staff.
  Series ticket $35 (members $24); single ticket $8 (members and students $5), includes Perelman Building admission.

  • Marcel Duchamp in His Own Words (1982) and Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase (1992), September 13, 2 p.m.
    
  • Drawing the Line: Portrait of Keith Haring (1989) and Rabbit’s Moon and Eaux d’Artifice (1950-72), Sunday, October 11, 2 p.m.
    
  • Arshile Gorky (1982 ) and Romare Bearden: Visual Jazz (1995), Sunday, November 8, 2 p.m.
    
  • The Order: Film Version of Cremaster 3 (2003), I Want to See How You See and Interview with Artist (2003), and Harry Ossawa Tanner (1991), Sunday, December 13, 2 p.m.
    
  • Alfred Stieglitz, Photographer (1982), Dorothea Lange (1988) and Calatrava in London (1992), Sunday, January 10, 2 p.m.
    
• SPOTLIGHT TALKS
  
  
  Temple University and University of Pennsylvania graduate students and members of the Philadelphia Museum of Art staff offer a series of 45-minute gallery lectures focusing on the Museum’s rich resources. This program gives visitors an in-depth look at individual masterpieces and an opportunity for discussion. Spotlight Talks are held Thursdays and Fridays at 11 a.m., and begin at Diego Rivera's mural Liberation of the Peon, first floor.
  Free after Museum admission

  • Portrait of a Gentleman, by Dosso Dossi, October 1 and 2
    
  • Black Kites, by Gabriel Orozco, October 8 and 9
    
  • Fairy Tales, Stockholm, by Francis Alÿs, October 15 and 16
    
  • Portraits of Hiram Charles Montier and Elizabeth Brown Montier, by Franklin R. Street, October 22 and 23
    
  • Portrait of the Artist’s Mother, by Henry Ossawa Tanner, October 29 and 30
    
  • Spring Sale at Bendel’s, by Florine Stettheimer, November 5 and 6
    
  • Orchids in a Jungle, by Martin Johnson Heade, November 12 and 13
    
  • Apolinère Enameled, by Marcel Duchamp, November 19 and 20
    
  • Storage Jar, by David Drake, December 3 and 4
    
  • Tiffany glassware, December 10 and 11
    
  • Curator’s Choice (to be announced), December 17 and 18
    
  • Fish, by Constantin Brâncuşi, January 7 and 8
    
• WORKSHOPS
  
  
  From antique clothing to cataloguing, writing about and identifying art, the Museum offers an array of workshops designed to allow non-specialists to immerse themselves in the art world.

  How to Love Your Stuff: Caring for Antique and Vintage Clothing, Saturday, October 17, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
  Museum conservators will demonstrate how to care for, store, and preserve your great-aunt’s flapper dress, your mom’s hippie dress and other various items of vintage clothing, whether found in an attic, or discovered in a second-hand shop. Following the workshop, plan to view the exhibition Shopping in Paris: French Fashion 1850 – 1925 to see other examples of historic costume.
  Tickets $60 ($48 members); includes Perelman Building admission

  How to Research Your Stuff: Finding Information, Thursday, November 5, 6 – 8 p.m. or Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
  Learn how to use print and electronic resources to conduct research about all manner of fine art, decorative art, or even “low art” in order to answer common questions of “what is this? Who created it? When was it made?” The first half of the workshop will be a demonstration; during the second half, Museum research librarians will take participants to the library for hands-on research.
  Tickets $30 ($24 members)

  Writing About Art—Book Discussion and Writing Workshop, Thursday, November 12, 19 and December 3, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
  The act of writing about art can often provide a deeper insight into works; in this three-part workshop, instructors lead discussions of selected art essays, then participants are joined by guest art critics such as Edith Newhall. The workshop concludes with each participant writing a three-page essay focusing on a work from the Museum’s permanent collection.
  Tickets $100 ($80 members).
• COURSES ON AND ABOUT ART
  
  
  Place favorite artworks in historical context through lively discussion and the study of art periods and techniques with a multi-session art history courses held throughout the fall.

  Art Conversations
  Held in the Museum galleries, Art Conversations provides an opportunity for close-up viewing and informal conversations about one work of art, allowing time for conversation and questions and enriching visitors’ experience of the Museum through an interactive discussion.
  Fridays: October 23 and 20 and November 6 and 13, 6 – 7:30 p.m. $60 ($48 members); includes Museum admission
  

  Looking for Answers: Decoding Abstract Sculpture
  Connect with masterworks of 20th-century abstract sculpture from Brâncuşi to Flavin in relation to contemporaneous paintings and architecture.
  Thursday afternoons: October 8, 15, 22 and 29, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. or Saturdays: October 24 and 31, 10 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
  Tickets $100 ($80 members)
  

  Art in the Age of Faith: An Introduction to the Middle Ages in Europe
  By investigating some of the major monuments of the Middle Ages in Western Europe, this course explores the influence of the Saxons, Franks, Vikings, Greeks, and Arabs, all of whom contributed elements of their own cultures to medieval language, institutions, laws, literature, and art.
  Thursday afternoons: October 8, 15, 22 and 29, 3 – 4 p.m. or Saturdays: October 24 and 31, 1:30 – 3:45 p.m.
  Tickets $100 ($80 members)
  

  There Have Been Great Women Artists
  Continuing the discussion started in 1971 by author Linda Nochlin in her seminal essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” this course examines the role of gender in art, focusing on the careers of 13 20th- and 21st-century artists whose work tackles difficult questions.
  Thursday afternoons: November 5, 12, 19, and December 3, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. or Saturdays: November 14 and December 5, 10 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
  Tickets $100 ($80 members)

  Art of the Silk Road
  Travel the Silk Road from the origins of Buddhism in fifth-century India to the height of China’s golden age in the cosmopolitan capital of Chang’an, studying the people, religions, and visual cultures that flourished along the way.
  Thursdays: November 5, 12, 19 and December 3, 3 – 4 p.m. or Saturdays: November 14 and December 5, 1:30 – 3:45 p.m.
  Tickets $100 ($80 members)
  
  
• FAIRMOUNT PARK HOUSE PROGRAMS
  
  
  The Philadelphia Museum of Art administers two of Philadelphia’s historic Fairmount Park Houses: Mount Pleasant, built between the years 1762 and 1765 and owned by Captain John Macpherson, and Cedar Grove, built for wealthy widow Elizabeth Coates Paschall in 1748-50.
  Tickets $5 adults; $3 seniors; $2 children aged 6-12; members free. For directions and more information, call 215 684-7926 or visit www.fairmountparkhouses.org

  Conservation in Action, Friday, October 23 and November 13, 1 – 4 p.m.
  Watch Christopher Storb, Museum Conservator for Furniture and Woodwork as he investigates and restores ornate woodcarving in the elegant drawing room at Mount Pleasant.

  Tour Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove, Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  Guided and self-guided tours are available to tour Cedar Grove’s unpretentious Quaker-style living and Mount Pleasant’s elegant classical architecture.

  Holidays at the Fairmount Park Houses, December 2 – 13, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  Experience an authentic 18th-century Yuletide at Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove, each decorated to resemble a Quaker wedding celebration, reflecting the agrarian tradition of holiday marriages.
• MUSEUM TOURS
  
  
  A number of guided and self-guided tours enable visitors to delve deeper into various aspects of the Museum’s collections, or to receive a general overview of the Museum’s vast offerings.

  Guided Tours
  The Museum offers several guided tours every day, which are free after paid general admission. All tours last approximately one hour and start at the West Entrance Information Desk unless otherwise noted.

  Self-Guided Tours
  The Museum offers several self-guided audio tours for visitors to enjoy the collections at a leisurely pace. A $5 rental charge includes equipment and six audio tours. Additional tours may also be available throughout the year as part of selected Museum exhibitions.

  Cell Phone Tours
  Artwork included in the self-guided audio tours is also available via cell phone by calling 215-525-1673.

  Podcasts
  The Museum offers self-guided audio tours as well as lectures and exhibition minutes for free download via podcast at www.philamuseum.org/podcast.
• A NOTE TO EDITORS
  
  
  --Readers interested in the Museum’s ADULT programs can register by phone at 215-235-SHOW (7469) or visit the museum website at www.philamuseum.org.
  

  --Readers interested in the Museum’s FAMILY & CHILDREN’S programs can obtain more information by contacting the Division of Education at 215-684-7580 or educate@philamuseum.org.

  --Readers seeking more information on guided or self-guided TOURS should contact Museum Visitor Services at 215-763-8100 or visitorservices@philamuseum.org.

  --Members of the PRESS who need additional information and assistance or would like to schedule interviews should contact Press Officer Lindsay Warner at 215-684-7864 or lwarner@philamuseum.org. Photos for many public programs are available on request.