Archive

For those of you who have missed our bi-monthly newsletter, Friends, please be patient. Our newly redesigned, quarterly publication, Museum Road is soon on it's way! The debut issue will "hit the streets" in April, and will be published on a quarterly basis.

We've noticed that a small number of our e-mail newsletters are being "bounced." If you think are on our mailing list, and are not receiving e-mail announcements, please take the time to adjust your Spam or Junk Mail filters, as well as your e-mail address book, to allow mail from Reading Public Museum and/or rpm@rpm.pmailus.com. And, we encourage you to update your profile by clicking on the envelope icon to the left, "Stay Informed."

You have been placed on that special e-mailing list either because you've "opted in" via the web, or have become a new member. At any time, if you no longer wish to receive these notices, there is an "opt out" option on each mailing.

Thanks, and sorry for any inconveniences!

In order to provide a better, safer environment for our art collection storage, we have temporarily closed certain Galleries during renovations. Those areas affected are: 20th Century Gallery (2nd Floor); Pennsylvania German Gallery (2nd Floor); and approximately 2/3 of the Pacific Islands Gallery (First Floor).

April 27-May 3, 2009 - Help celebrate the Philadelphia region's wide and rich selection of museums, gardens and historic sites by participating in Museum Week! Starting April 27, dozens of local and regional museums and attractions will offer special discounts and incentives for visitors. Check our Museum's special Adult Admission discount offer info at  www.phillyfunguide.com/MuseumWeek

The tradition continues! Bring your family and enjoy a stroll in the Arboretum, an egg hunt (with prizes) for the kids, photos with the Easter Bunny, and more! Click here for more details on this FREE day at the Museum.

Invitations for this year's Annual Gala, Octopus Garden, held on Saturday, April 25 from 6 p.m. until midnight, have been mailed out. If you haven't received yours, click here for info including a list of auction items. There's still time to get tickets, so don't miss the event of the season, inspired by the exhibition Dinosaurs of the Deep: Savage Ancient Seas.

The Reading Public Museum has been awarded accredited status by the American Association of Museums. In December, 2007, the Accreditation Committee had decided to table its decision to renew the Museum's accredited status, and listed their concerns in a detailed letter. These concerns were successfully addressed by a task force of Museum Staff and Board members within the required one-year period.

Ronald C. Roth, Director and CEO of the Reading Public Museum said, "This represents an outstanding achievement for the Museum staff and members of our Foundation Board, the Governor, members of our Berks legislation delegation, and the Friends of the Reading Museum, all of whom played key roles in the hard work necessary to address AAM concerns."

In his letter to the Museum, James Welu, Chair of the Accreditation Commission stated, "In granting accreditation, we applaud the Museum's outstanding response to our concerns. We are pleased to see how you really took advantage of the tabling period to improve operations."
 
Founded in 1906, the American Association of Museums (AAM) is dedicated to promoting excellence within the museum community. Through advocacy, professional education, accreditation and guidance on how to achieve current professional standards of performance, AAM helps museum staffs, boards and volunteers across the country serve the public. The Accreditation Committee is an independent and autonomous body, responsible for the ongoing administration of the association’s accreditation program and for rendering all decisions regarding accredited status.

In June, 1971, 16 museums became the first institutions to be granted accreditation by the AAM. The Reading Public Museum was one of the earliest to be accredited, and has continued to maintain that status, even as criteria became more stringent, reflecting the evolving nature of the museum field. Accredited museums are reviewed at least every ten years, and participation is entirely voluntary.

Today, just over 750 museums are accredited. For these museums, accredited status:
    • indicates the museum meets the program eligibility criteria and the Characteristics of and Accreditable Museum as set forth by the Accreditation Commission
    • demonstrates the museum has undergone a rigorous process of self-assessment and review by its peers
    • signifies that the museum fulfills its obligations to the public as set forth in its mission
    • recognizes the museum's commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement

Two core questions guide every accreditation review: 1) How well does the museum achieve its stated mission and goals?  2) How well does the museum's performance meet standards and best practices as they are generally understood in the field, as appropriate to its circumstances? A museum is evaluated against its own mission and the goals it has established in its institutional plan. This evaluation takes into account the museum’s resources for achieving its mission and goals.

Roth summed up the process and results by stating, "As a result of this process, we are a better Museum today than we were a year ago."

To see an article that appeared in the April 7, 2009 edition of the Reading Eagle, click here.

The weather was beautiful (if a bit chilly), the Arboretum was in full bloom and over 1,300 people of all ages experienced Easter at the Museum. Families enjoyed egg hunts with prizes, a visit with the Easter Bunny, free admission to the Galleries, hand-on activities for kids, a special gallery talk by Ron Roth, refreshments and more!

If you had your children's photos taken with the Easter Bunny by local photographer James Cucinotta, and would like to see/purchase the results, please log onto http://www.collages.net/store/guest_login.asp?eventcode=440891 . This link is valid for 90 days from 4/13/09.

We'd like to thank the following for all their help in continuing this wonderful tradition:
Our volunteers, the Museum Staff and security personnel, Rock Hits Y-102 (a gallant last-minute rescue), Cucinotta Images, Wolverton's Bike Shop, Boscov's, R. M. Palmer Confectionary, Reading Express, R/C Reading Movies 11 and IMAX, The Museum Shop, Stewart's Root Beer, and The Easter Bunny, himself!

And many thanks to this year's winner of our "Easter Memories at the Museum" photo contest, Linda A. Laumeister, of Wernersville, PA. You can see her winning entries by clicking here.

The lucky winner of the raffle prize of a week at the Museum Discovery Camp 2009 will be announced shortly.

Thanks to everyone for coming and making this a family tradition worth continuing!

The Reading Garden Club is thinking spring and well into the planning for their third biennial garden tour. This year “Gardens on Parade” will be held on June 13, 2009.

The gardens open at 10:00 AM and close at 3:00 PM. All proceeds from the tour and open air market sale are used amongst other endeavors, to maintain the Reading Museum Perennial Garden, make an annual contribution to Habitat for Humanity, the Berks Encore-Reading Windowsill Gardeners, which is a monthly program for senior citizens to keep them active and involved in the garden. As well, we contribute to other charities that are concerned with education and conservation issues such as Pennsylvania Resources Council, Berks County Conservancy and the Schuylkill River Greenway Association. The Reading Garden Club is an active participant in Wyomissing Earth Day.

The tour offers a great diversity of gardens ranging from a sumptuous, artisans perennial paradise to a fairyland designed for a very special little girl. In between you’ll loose yourself in a country French hideaway on the banks of the Tulpehocken and again in a simple, snug garden set amidst open meadows and a beautiful creek in the Wyomissing park lands that will leave you in awe. And who says you can’t garden in a retirement community. The residents of The Highlands at Wyomissing would say “come and see what we’ve done”. Several of the residents at The Highlands have their own vegetable and flower gardens that are truly delightful. While at The Highlands, enjoy refreshments that they will provide for their guests.

The gardens maintained by the Reading Garden Club at the Reading Public Museum will be highlighted as well. At the Museum, we will again have an open-air market, where you’ll find plants and other surprises for your home gardens. Also at the Museum, scheduled tours will be conducted through the beautiful Arboretum by the chairperson of the Landscape Committee, Gerry Gobright.

The Reading Public Museum Arboretum Assistants will be selling high-quality gardening books at discount prices at the Open Air Market. Proceeds from the books will be used by them to further enhance the Arboretum.

All home garden tours will be self-guided and tickets will be available at the homes where the gardens are located as well as in the museum open-air market. Advance tickets will be available at The Highlands of Wyomissing, the Wyomissing Library, and The Riverview Nursery. Tickets will be $12.00 each and children under 12 are free. Advance tickets will be available early in May or can also be purchased by contacting Jill Bertolet via e-mail at jbertolet@tapestrypressinc.com. You are cordially invited and we can only say “COME”!!!! and think Spring... it is just around the corner.

The Reading Public Museum is! On Wednesday, April 22, 2009 the Reading Public Museum received Berks County’s People’s Choice Award in the Art Gallery or Museum category.

2009 marks the county’s 12th annual People’s Choice Awards and the first year for the Art Gallery or Museum category. Berks County Living magazine and the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce & Industry head the event. Polk-Lepson Research Group collected the data for the awards through phone surveys with Berks County residents.

In conjunction with the Reading Musical Foundation, this year's concert features talented local vocalist, Maria Damore. The concert starts at 3 p.m. and is FREE!

Join us at noon this Tuesday, May 5, for Every Day Beauty: Pleasures of the Still Life Painting. Bring your lunch and feed your imagination!

The Museum's special exhibition Old Works in a New Light: Favorites from the Permanent Collection will reacquaint visitors with some of the gems of the Reading Public Museum's collection. Still life is one of the most interesting genres in the exhibition. Join Museum Director and CEO Ronald C. Roth for a Gallery Talk through the exhibition with a special emphasis on still life works.

Cost: Free with Museum admission.

Join us and you friends on Friday, May 15, 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. for a fun after-work gathering celebrating the sea and our current exhibition, Dinosaurs of the Deep: Savage Ancient Seas.

Enjoy drinks, hors d'oeuvres, the Caribbean rhythms of Lime Time (featuring steel drums, rhythm guitar, trumpet and vocals), a treasure hunt and more!

Admission to "Jive After Five" is $25 for Non-members and $15 for Members, and includes admission to the galleries in the Museum, light hors d' oeuvres and refreshments.

Special $5 discount to GRYP, G-Clef Generation, and Leadership Berks members -- show your I.D at the front desk!

Title Sponsor: CTCE Federal Credit Union; Food Sponsor: Third & Spruce Café; Series Promotional Sponsor: Y-102 Rock Hits.

For more information, click here.

On Friday, May 29 at 6:00 p.m., investigate the real detective story behind one of the Museum's most popular and controversial paintings. This lecture, by Museum Director and CEO Ronald C. Roth, is in conjunction with the exhibition Old Works in a New Light: Favorites from the Permanent Collection.

A special section of the exhibition explores the mystery surrounding the authenticity of one of the Museum's most important paintings, Cotopaxi – until recent years attributed to America's great 19th century landscape artist, Frederic Edwin Church.

Despite Cotopaxi’s original attribution to artist Frederic Edwin Church, the painting’s authenticity was questioned in the 1990s when the Museum’s collection was assessed. Concerned with the painting's demotion, the Museum asked Gerald Carr, a Church scholar, to assess the painting. Carr determined that Cotopaxi was not painted by Frederic Church, but rather by De Witt Clinton Boutelle, a painter from eastern Pennsylvania. Find out the full story!

Cost: $10 - Members/$15 - Non-members
(registration recommended - call 610-371-5850 x227)

Got vino? On Friday, June 5, join Guest Lecturer: Chadds Ford Wine Educator, Frank Patterson, PhD., for a fascinating discussion on the tradition of wine making during the Roman era and taste samples of wines from the Campagna region in Italy.

Event Time: 6 p.m. Cost: $15 Members/$20 Non-members

Registration Required. Sorry, we are full for this evening's presentation. Thanks for your interest!

It's soon time for this annual two-day event, Tuesday, June 2 and Wednesday, June 3 (rain date Thursday, June 4) held for the third year on the Museum grounds. Click here for more information!

Note: Our parking lot will be unavailable starting Sunday May 31 through that week until June 5.  Museum visitors will please find street parking.

In cooperation with Reading Movies 11 and IMAX, we're celebrating the run of Night at the Museum - Battle of the Smithsonian (opening May 22) by making available $3.00 Off discount coupons for this movie during its IMAX engagement. Stop by The Museum Shop and pick them up, and, while you're here, why not spend a day at the Museum!

Plus, there are a limited number of discount coupons for Museum admission available at the IMAX box office (valid through July 17,2009), so be sure to ask when you're there to enjoy the movie. A great movie, a great Museum, and a great deal!!!!

Leesport, PA firm, Artige Design LLC/Bright Sign & Maintenance Co. Inc., recently took first place honors in the "AWNINGS & BANNER - Channel" category of Sign Of The Times magazine's annual International Sign Design Contest. Congratulations!

Their uniquely designed banner frame (17' x 9') allows Museum personnel to easily raise and lower new 12 ft. 10 in. x 7 ft. 9 in. vinyl banners which highlight current exhibitions. Designed by John Thies, this aluminum superstructure utilizes an internal multi-pulley system.

For a photo of the sign and more info, check out  http://signweb.com/index.php/channel/3/id/3785

The Arboretum Assistants will be selling a large selection of GARDEN BOOKS at their new stand at the Reading Hospital Garden Party on Tuesday, June 2nd and Wednesday, June 3rd.

Receive one free canna with each book purchased! Prices range from $12.95 to $59.95.

Friday, June 12 - A Family Evening at the Museum and Planetarium includes special viewing of the Planetarium Show The Enchanted Reef, a tour of the Museum's exhibition Dinosaurs of the Deep: Savage Ancient Seas, a pizza dinner, music by Miss Maggie Sings and hands-on art project.

Cost for Members: $10 per adult/$5 per child/$30 for a family of five; Non-Members: $15 per adult/$10 per child/$50 for a family of five.

Event Time: 5-8 p.m. (4:45 check-in)

Saturday, June 27 - FREE! - Bring the family for an "underwater" adventure in conjunction with the current exhibition Savage Ancient Seas: Dinosaurs of the Deep.

See the distant relatives of the ancient sea creatures in our live reptile demonstration (3 p.m., Auditorium); let the kids participate in a "dino dig"; make your own "sea monster diorama"; enjoy story readings and family tours throughout the day; catch a special performance by the Institute of the Arts theater students (11:30 a.m. & 12:15 p.m., Family Learning Center); and listen to the live music of Hesse's Nasty Nine (1 p.m., outdoors).

Free admission to the Museum on this day!

On Thursday, June 18, join us and your friends on a bus trip to the Allentown Art Museum for the exhibition Fashion in Film: Period Costumes for the Screen and to Muhlenberg College for a visit with their Theatre Department's Costume Designer.

Bus departs Sears Auto parking lot at 8 a.m. and returns at 5:00 p.m.

To register, call our Department of Lifelong Learning at 610-371-5850, ext. 227 or ext. 230. The cost is $65 Members/$75 Non-Members.

Join us this Sunday, June 21 at 3 p.m. "under the Linden Tree" for the annual Father's Day Concert featuring the Reading Pops. It's part of the Museum Concert Series, co-presented by the Reading Musical Foundation, and it's FREE! Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy the music.

In case of inclement weather, the concert will be held at Alvernia College.

On Friday, July 10, at 6:30 p.m., join the Reading Public Museum for a talk by one of the leading experts on astronomy, Dr. Lucy McFadden.

Dr. McFadden will talk about her trip to Antarctica searching for meteorites, and how it relates to NASA’s current “Dawn” mission to asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres.

Dr. McFadden’s current scientific research involves learning as much about Vesta and Ceres as possible to prepare for the Dawn mission’s orbiting of Vesta (2011-2012) and Ceres (2015). To that end, she has acquired multi-color images of Vesta with Hubble Space Telescope to map its surface and to explore what constraints can be placed on its composition. In addition to conducting research, Lucy McFadden has been the Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) Director for NASA missions: EPOXI, Deep Impact, and Dawn. Dr. McFadden is a member of the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland and was the founding Faculty Director for College Park Scholars Program: Science, Discovery & the Universe. Dr. McFadden is also an editor of the Encyclopedia of the Solar System.

Cost: $15 Non-Members/$5 for Members of Reading Public Museum and Berks County Amateur Astronomical Society.

Pre-registration is recommended: 610-371-5850 ext. 227.

This lecture is generously sponsored by David and Barbara Thun and is offered
in partnership with the Berks County Amateur Astronomical Society.

There are only a few openings left (August 10-14 sessions, for 10 &11 year olds)! Hurry, call 610-371-5850 x227 for more information

This Saturday and Sunday, the Museum will be open noon-4 p.m.

The exhibition opens this Sunday, July 12 at noon. The Opening Reception is from 4-6 p.m., with awards and sponsor purchases announced at 5 p.m. There will be refreshments and music will be provided by Jack Keller, classical pianist (free with regular Museum admission fee).

For details about Berks County's largest juried art exhibition, click here.

Our Annual Gala is our largest single-event fundraiser and we'd like your advice on ways to make it better! Please click here and take a few minutes to fill out the handy online survey.

This Friday, July 24, actors from Genesius Theatre will perform selections from their upcoming (August 14, 15 and 16) Museum concert performances of the musical "Chess." It's in our Atrium from 6:00 - 6:30 p.m., and it's free! Come and hear some of the best voices in Berks.

Regular Museum admission fees apply, if you'd like to visit the rest of our exhibitions, including our newest, From Raw to Refined (Members free). For more info on the August full Concert Performances (plus wine/hors d' oeuvres), and for tickets, visit www.genesiustheatre.org.

Join us on Friday, August 7, as we travel to the newest family destination in the region. The newly expanded museum at Memorial Hall includes such interactive exhibits as City Capers, Flight Fantasy, River Adventures, Wonderland and more. The day’s visit will include an orientation, 90-minute visit through Museum galleries, a ride on the Museum’s carousel and time for lunch. Participants may bring lunch or purchase in the Please Taste Café.

Children must be 4 years of age. Bus departs from Sears Auto at 7:30 a.m.               

Cost: $65 Adult member/$55 Child Member; $70 Adult Non-Member/$60 Child Non-member. Call 610-371-5850 x227 for details.

On August 14, 15 and 16, enjoy a unique experience at the Museum as Genesius Theatre presents special performances of the musical Chess. Check out some of the best voices in Berks as they present this exciting production with lyrics by Tm Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita) and music by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, formerly of ABBA.

Performances will be held in the Atrium on each of these three days. The $50 ticket includes food, a complimentary glass of wine and the performance.

For tickets, times and more information about the show (including special "performance-only" tickets), visit www.genesiustheatre.org or call 610-371-8151.

On Saturday, August 15, Noon-5 p.m., bring your "best friend" and enjoy the festivities at this annual event.

Details are available at www.wrfy.com/pages/dogdays.html.

Tickets go on sale on Monday, August 17, for Alegria from Cirque du Soleil — coming to the Sovereign Center in Reading from October 20-25.



Please visit the link below to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public. (August 12-16 only) This will give you the opportunity to choose any show date and time you desire before the prime seats become unavailable. 

Plus, you save $10 per ticket for Level 1 and 2 seats!

Presale access and information on Alegria is available at the link below:
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/special/alegria/reading.htm

After accessing the link, simply click the Cirque Club Member Exclusive link.

Thank you for your interest in Alegria by Cirque du Soleil and enjoy the show!

On Sunday, September 13, join us for an afternoon outdoors on the beautiful grounds of the Reading Public Museum with musical guests, the Jazz Katz. Meet up with old friends or make new ones while eating, drinking, and networking. Food will not be served so we invite you to bring your own blanket and picnic feast or snack. Become a part of history as John Pankratz photographs attendees for the Faces of Reading project.

The mission of Culture Soup is to work together to develop unique arts programming designed for young professionals in our Greater Reading community. Culture Soup is a collaborative effort between the Reading Public Museum, the Reading Symphony Orchestra, the Berks Arts Council, GoggleWorks, Leadership Berks at Alvernia University, and Greater Reading Young Professionals.

Admission: $7 for adults/Free for children 12 and under. Admission includes two drink vouchers for our wine and beer tasting. Free non-alcoholic beverages will be available.

For more information please call Lauren McCarroll at 610-371-5850 x230 or e-mail her at lauren.mccarroll@readingpublicmuseum.org

On Sunday, September 20, from noon to 4 p.m., the First Annual Berks County Recovery Walk will be held to promote positive awareness of the benefits of recovery from all addictions in the local community and to celebrate National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.

Beginning with a walk from Reading Area Community College to the Reading Public Museum, the day continues with food, drinks, music and activities in the Arboretum at the Museum.

Sponsors for the event include Easy Does It, Inc., the Council on Chemical Abuse, and Caron Treatment Centers. All are welcome and the cost is free!

For details, click here.

Tune in WEEU on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 8:07 a.m. to hear Gene London, live in the studio, chatting with Charlie Adams about our current exhibition and... who knows what else? Two of this area's greatest story tellers are guaranteed to brighten your morning!

This Wednesday, September 16, 9:30 - 11 p.m., Gene London will appear live during pledge breaks as WHYY, TV12 in Philadelphia, airs the nostalgic program, "Philly's Favorite Kids Show Hosts."

Don't miss it! Gene will be in the studio adding his own personal comments about those wonderful early days of live television, as well as talking about his upcoming exhibition here at the Museum. And don't forget to call and make your pledge.

Click here for more info.

Sorry, but due to popular demand, the added "Evening with Gene London" show, scheduled for this Friday evening, October 9, has just been sold out!

Thanks for your interest, and keep your eye on our Web site to see if we are able to add other shows.

Join us this Thursday evening, October 1, at 6 p.m. for October for a lecture by George H. Edmonds, author of Dream Gardener: Pioneer Nurseryman Bertrand H. Farr and Wyomissing - An American Dream: Enterprise Shaping Community. He will present a slide show using Farr's historic tinted-glass slides and a talk about Farr's amazing transformation from music-man to world-famous nurseryman; his contributions to American horticulture; the mysteries surrounding his life in Iowa, Boston, and Wyomissing; and his legacy at the Arboretum of the Reading Public Museum.

Sponsored by the Penn State Master Gardeners of Berks County

Cost: $10 Non-Members/$5 Members. Light refreshments will be served. Pre-registration is recommended. For more information, call 610-371-5850 x230.

Friday, Oct 2 from 5:30-8 p.m, make your starring appearance at a special "Red Carpet" Opening Night Reception and Fundraiser, in honor of the dazzling new exhibition, The Magic of Hollywood: The Gene London Costume Collection.

Celebrate the glamour of Hollywood at this exciting sneak preview! Wear your favorite Red Carpet attire and be sure smile for the paparazzi! Meet and greet special guest Gene London; enjoy music, complimentary wine, beer, soft soft drinks and hors d'oeuvres in the Atrium; check out the cigar tent and cash martini bar, and be prepared for a few surprises!

Admission is $50 for Members, $65 for Non-Members. For more information and to R.S.V.P., contact Lauren McCarroll at 610-371-5850 x230 or lauren.mccarroll@readingpublicmuseum.org.

Event sponsored by Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.

In-Kind Support provided by:
The Food Muse (www.thefoodmuse.com)
Reading Rentals (www.readingrentals.com)
Kensington Tobacconist (610-373-5001)

Note: The Museum's regular hours will end at 5 p.m. on this day, because of this event.

WOW! What a night, and what a turnout! The "red carpet premiere" and fundraiser on Friday night, October 2, was a great success with hundreds of wonderful fans attending.

Here's a link where you can see and order official paparazzi photos from the event: If you had you your pic taken by the photographer (Richard Entzminger) at our "official premeire backdrop," check www.photosbylightart.com to view and order.

We're working on a way for you to see all of the other shots taken by our staff and members of the Berks Photographic Society! Too many great shots to post here!

Guests included actress Kelly McGillis, actress Lisa Eichhorn (who flew in from London to be here!); Natalie Bubnis, Associate Producer/Talent on "The View," Albert Boscov and, of course Gene London! Many thanks to all of our gracious supporters, sponsors, in-kind donators, Board members and staff for making this truly a night to remember.

Find out this Friday at 6 p.m.! Join Berks County Amateur Astronomical Society Member Ron Kunkel for a discussion on the re-classification of Pluto. He'll discuss the announced discovery of 2005 UB313, aka Planet X, which caused scientists to reevaluate what constitutes a planet. The talk will briefly explore the four inner Solar System planets, the Asteroids in the Asteroid Belt, and our outer Solar System. Find out why Pluto is not like any of the other eight planets, nor are any of the 1100 other rocks out beyond Neptune!

In the Auditorium. Cost: Free for Museum and BCAAS Members; $10 for Non-Members.

Join us on Friday, November 6 at 6 p.m. for the third of this fascinating three-part lecture series.

Coco Chanel once commented that "fashion is architecture." It is true that fashion reflects many of the same cultural forces seen in painting, sculpture and architecture, and can be used as a marker for understanding the psyche of a society. This series will integrate fashion and the other visual arts to give a clearer picture of various aspects of Western civilization.

Final lecture in this series:
"Fashion as the Universal Language"

Cost per lecture: $5 Members/$10 Non-Members. For registration/flier, click here.

Bring the kids this Friday, October 30, 4:45-7 p.m., for a fun-filled night including a Halloween themed Planetarium show, tour of the Museum's spookiest artifacts, dinner, and Halloween craft. Prizes will be given for kids' costumes.

Sorry! As of 10/27/09, we are filled with reservations! Be on the lookout for our next family event on December 5!

Members: $10 per adult, $5 per child or $30 for a family of five/ Non-Members: $15 per adult, $10 per child or $50 for a family of five.

For more info (pdf flier), click here.

On Sunday, November 8, celebrate the collaboration between the Museum and the Berks Arts Council's Greater Reading Film Festival and join us for a fun-filled afternoon and evening of silver screen magic.

View one of Hitchcock's classics, Rear Window (3 p.m. at the Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences main Auditorium) and then move on to the Museum for the festival's official Closing Reception in the Atrium (5:30-8 p.m.).

See our dazzling exhibition (including one of the dresses worn by Grace Kelly in the film), and meet and greet Gene London himself! Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

For more information on tickets and pricing, visit www.fandango.com or call Berks Arts Council at 610-898-1930.

Saturday. October 31 is your last day to see our exhibition, From Raw to Refined. For details, click here. Don't miss it!

We're looking for members of the community to join in the camaraderie of their annual Arboretum Fall Clean-Up Day. This event, organized by the Arboretum Committee, will be held this Saturday, November 14, 2009, from 9 a.m. until noon. (Rain date: Sunday, November 15).

Last year's event brought dozens of energetic volunteers together to help put the Museum's award-winning grounds "to bed for the winter." The Museum hopes the community will once again pitch-in to assist in this enormous undertaking.Volunteers help groom the grounds (i.e. raking leaves, sweeping, picking up debris, etc.). Individuals, neighborhood and family groups, student groups, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, garden clubs, and church groups are encouraged to participate. No experience is necessary.

For more info, call 610-371-5850 ext. 239, and leaving your name and phone number. Or, e-mail Karin W. at arborasst@readingpublicmuseum.org.

On Sunday, November 15, at 1 p.m., Ron Roth, Director and CEO of the Reading Public Museum will give a presentation about the Museum, its holdings, and events titled From the Mummy to the Mayans: Rediscovering the Reading Public Museum.

The lecture is at Studio B, a home for art in the historic heart of Boyertown, PA.
It is a community-run art center built in conjunction with the Arts & Activities Alliance of Building A Better Boyertown. The gallery and art studio is located at 39A East Philadelphia Avenue, Boyertown, PA 19512. (coffee and conversation from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. on the day of the program)

For more info, check www.studiobbb.org

"Jack Frost & the Skies of Winter," a presentation by Planetarium Director Mark Mazurkiewicz, will be the topic of Noontime Knowledge on Tuesday, December 1, in The Planetarium.

Jack Frost teaches the two about the stars of the winter Hexagon, constellation lore, facts about star color and temperature, unique techniques for finding the winter constellations, as well as an open-minded and imaginative approach to better understanding star pictures. Be the first to preview this new Planetarium offering.

Free to Members, cost of admission for Non-Members.

We hope you get a chance to visit the Museum and The Planetarium during the upcoming holiday season. Our regular hours apply, with the following exceptions:

Thursday, December 24, 2009 - Museum open 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.; offices close at 4 p.m.
Friday, December 25, 2009 - Museum and offices closed
Thursday, December 31, 2009 - Museum open 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.; offices close at 4 p.m.
Friday, January 1, 2010 - Museum and offices closed

On December 3, join the First Thursday festivities at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, 201 Washington Street in Reading from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. And it's all free!

Listen as GoggleWorks artists talk about their artwork in the 5th Annual GoggleWorks Studio Artist Exhibition; come early to catch a glassblowing demonstration beginning at 5 p.m. and running through 7 p.m.; stay to enjoy live poetry readings by Berks Bards from 6-8 p.m. with featured poet Glenn McLaughlin and open mic to follow; enter a raffle to attend a GoggleWorks Holiday Workshop; explore the five GoggleWorks galleries while sipping on wine and enjoying light hors d'oeuvres.


Culture Soup is a collaborative effort between the Reading Public Museum, the Reading Symphony Orchestra, Greater Reading Young Professionals, Leadership Berks at Alvernia University, GoggleWorks and Berks Arts Council. Its mission is to work together to develop unique arts programming designed to engage young professionals in our Greater Reading Community.

For a flier on this event, click here to download a PDF file.

On Dec. 5, bring the family for a free day of Winter Wonderland fun! Celebrate the winter season with arts, crafts, story readings and performances by the Institute of the Arts Theater students at 12:30 p.m. and Berks Classical Children's Chorus at 2 p.m. (courtesy Reading Musical Foundation). Free, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.!

In case of snow or other weather-related issues, we will post the status of the Museum and its offices right here in this "News" section, as soon as the decision is made.

Information will also be available on WEEU (830 AM in Reading, PA) and through the 69 News Stormcenter on the following media outlets:
• WFMZ  (www.wfmz.com)
• WFMZ-TV Channel 69 (crawl on bottom of screen)
• WRFY-FM 102.5
• WLEV-FM 100.7
• WBYN-FM 107.5
• WODE-FM 99.9
• WWYY-FM 107.1
• Reading Eagle (www.readingeagle.com)
• Express Times (www.lehighvalleylive.com)
• WCTO-FM (96.1)
• WBYN-AM 1160
• WRAW-AM 1340

Ronald C. Roth has elected to step down as Director and CEO of the Reading Public Museum effective December 31, 2009. He has served in these positions since joining the Museum in 2002.

The Foundation for the Reading Public Museum Board of Directors will begin a search for a new director after spending an appropriate amount of time to more fully understand the current and future strategic needs of the Museum, and to accurately define what role the director should play.

To assure a smooth transition for the Museum staff during this period, the Board has appointed Donald C. Bristol to serve as Interim Administrative Director.

During Roth’s tenure, in addition to the many family-oriented science, art and cultural exhibitions and programming offered, the Museum has hosted a variety of outstanding exhibitions, including DINOSAURS!, Dale Chihuly: A Celebration of Glass, Keith Haring: Journey of the Radiant Baby, Degas and the Art of Japan, Born to be Wild: Adventures in the Art of Motorcycle Design  and the very popular The Magic of Hollywood: The Gene London Costume Collection, currently on display.

In an effort to expand the Museum’s presence in the community, Roth actively sought collaborations with local organizations, most recently helping to organize “Culture Soup,” a partnership with the Reading Symphony Orchestra, Berks Arts Council, GoggleWorks, Greater Reading Young Professionals and Leadership Berks at Alvernia University. He also established several unique offerings at the Museum such as “Bagels & Bach” and “Jive After Five.” Also, he spearheaded the establishment of the new Works on Paper Gallery, the Family Learning Gallery and the renovation of the Latin American Gallery.

Under Roth’s guidance, the Museum regained accreditation in 2009 by the American Association of Museums. The renovation of The Planetarium at the Reading Public Museum was accomplished during his tenure, as well as the revitalization of the Museum’s noteworthy Arboretum.

We're sorry, but as of 1/11/10, our unveiling of the forensic sculpture of our resident mummy, Nefrina, this Friday evening, January 15, is full, and we are no longer taking reservations.

Please stop by during regular Museum hours beginning January 15, and check out this special focus exhibition, Nefrina's World, and find out what she looked like during her lifetime!

On Friday, January 22, at 6 p.m., artist Steven Siegel will present a free lecture at the Reading Public Museum as part of the exhibition, Wonderful Life.

This collaborative multi-venue exhibition, opening January 18 and continuing through February 26, 2010, will be at the Freyberger Gallery, Penn State Berks; the Freedman Gallery, Albright College; and the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Reading, PA. The lecture at the Museum will be preceded by a reception at the GoggleWorks from 4-5 p.m. Other opening receptions include one on January 21 from 5-7 p.m. at the Freedman Gallery, and from 6-8 p.m. at the Freyberger Gallery.

Wonderful Life is a collection of 52 sculptural wall pieces made of everyday objects found in hardware or art supply stores. The work reflects the artist's interest in biology and the progression of cellular or biomorphic growth and its cumulative changes over time if left with no forces that intercept or influence it. The exhibition was created over a six-year period, and, according to Siegel, "is about the simple, cumulative changes that generate form, from generation to generation."

Steven Siegel, currently living in upstate New York, has received numerous grants and awards, and has completed site sculptures and installations in the United States and abroad. Marilyn J. Fox, director of the Freyberger Gallery, has coordinated this exhibition to produce a county-wide opportunity for a broader audience to experience its grand scope.

The Penn State Berks campus is currently displaying a recently completed monumental outdoor sculpture, Two of 'em, created by Siegel with the help of campus and community volunteers.

Coming Friday, February 5 to the Schaeffer Auditorium, a "Roaring 20's" dinner with the Mark of Zorro and more!

America's only year-round, professional silent film orchestra, re-creating "America's Original Music" will perform Mortimer Wilson's Spanish-influenced original score with the 1920's movie by Douglas Fairbanks that defined the swashbuckling genre and was the first film version of the legendary character.



For the Reading Public Museum visitors, just bring your recent Museum admissions receipt for a $5 discount.

For more information, click on the link to their Web site http://www.kutztown.edu/activities/kupas/

On Sunday, Valentine's Day, what a great way to start the day — live music and light breakfast in the Museum's beautiful Atrium! For details, click here.

Be sure to check out the new exhibition, "Desolate Places, Crowded Spaces: The Photography of Anne Heimann," opening February 19 and continuing through April 18, 2010. It features a collection of twenty images connecting nature with artificial worlds.

For more info, click here.

Join us this Thursday, March 18, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. for "Star Light, Star Bright."

Meet under the stars at The Planetarium! Gaze at our latest music and light show under the dome and take in live music in the lobby. This event is in conjunction with the GRYP Third Thursday Museum Event. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and cash bar.

$5 Members/$10 Non-Members

Promotional Sponsor: Y102     Food Sponsor: 3rd & Spruce Café

This Sunday from 10 a.m. - noon, join us for light breakfast and live music in our beautiful Atrium and enjoy "Genesius Theatre Presents the Music of Hollywood."

In celebration of the current exhibition, The Magic of Hollywood: The Gene London Costume Collection, Genesius Theatre presents a revue featuring music from top movie musicals and Academy Award winning songs! From the early classics to recent favorites, you'll enjoy an entertaining show complete with singers, band and narrator.

Admission to Bagels & Bach is $25 for Non-Members and $15 for Members and includes light breakfast, the concert and admission to the Museum after the show. Reservations suggested (for food count). Call 610-3711-5850 x264.

A Potter's Easter hops back to the Museum this Saturday, March 20 from noon-4p.m. in the Atrium.

Lester Breininger will be on hand to show and sell his newest Easter Egg designs, bunnies and redware pottery. A portion of all sales will benefit The Reading Public Museum. 

Admission is free. Don't miss it!

The current exhibition, "The Magic of Hollywood: The Gene London Costume Collection," will close early due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts. There was concern that the costumes might suffer damage from environmental exposure due to the exhibit's originally planned length of eight months.

This collection of over 130 dazzling costumes from Hollywood's golden era will be on view now through the end of Museum hours on Sunday, April 4, 2010.

Don't miss this dazzling show before it's too late! For more info, click here.

Join your friends at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 25, at Gerald Veasley's Jazz Base at the Crowne Plaza Reading and be a part of the world-renowned VF Outlet Berks Jazz Fest for a night of music and fun. Saxophonist Mike Eben and his band, "From the HIP," will deliver their own spin on classic and modern jazz, soul, funk and fusion.

Tickets are $10 at the door or available by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3300. GRYP and Leadership Berks Core Class Members and Alumni can stop by the Culture Soup table inside the Jazz Base to pick up a voucher for a free glass of Barefoot wine or beer donated by Eagle Distributing. (Must have valid show ticket for a voucher. One voucher per person. Limited number of vouchers; first come, first served.) Also, while at the Culture Soup table, enter to win a "Basket of Goodies" from participating Culture Soup Organizations.

For a promotional flier, click here.

Culture Soup is a collaborative effort between the Reading Public Museum, the Reading Symphony Orchestra, Greater Reading Young Professionals, Leadership Berks at Alvernia University and Berks Arts Council. The mission of Culture Soup is to work together to develop unique arts programming designed to engage young professionals in our Greater Reading Community.

The 2009 version of our Report to the Community is available now as a PDF file download by clicking www.readingpublicmuseum.org/pdf/rpm_com-rep09_web.pdf. In it, you'll find photos, information about this past year's programs and events, financial and Membership statistics, and more.

A list of our 2009 donors is also available at www.readingpublicmuseum.org/support/donor_list.php. If you are unable to download or view the Report, please contact Megan Kintzer at 610-371-5850 x232 or by e-mail at megan.kintzer@readingpublicmuseum.org.

There will be no mass mailing or distribution of a printed Report this year.

Kids, bring your parents and enjoy a story reading, mini-tour and hands-on activity for ages 4 and 5. – 1 p.m.

This week's story: Yonie Wondernose by Marguerite de Angeli

$5/Participating Child, chaperone free

If you had your photo taken with the Easter Bunny on Easter Sunday at the Museum by photographer Roxanne Richardson, and would like to view/order online, please visit www.collages.net

Enter user name: Easter Bunny Photos and password: 21828

Thanks for helping to make "Easter at the Museum" a fun tradition!

Congratulations to this year's winner, Oriana Brenneman from Bowmansville, Pa. She brought in a photo of her family celebrating Easter at the Museum in 1974. To check out here winning entry and comments, click here.

Many thanks to all who participated. See them all on display next year!

"Architecture: The Art That Surrounds Us" is a series of three lectures by Marlisa Mizerak focusing on architecture as a cultural reflector and a hallmark of humanity's achievements -- from the breathtaking poetry of the Gothic cathedrals to the clean lines of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Style homes to the twisting forms of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

The third of the series is "Looking East, Looking West"

The West's ongoing fascination with the East has been an important part of the history of Western art, and Frank Lloyd Wright was not immune to this phenomenon. We will look at some of the important moments in this dialog, not only in Wright's work, but also in the work of modern architects Tadao Ando and I.M. Pei.

Cost is $5 per Member/$10 per Non-Member. For more information and to register, click here or call 610-371-5850 x227.

To those of you who made our annual Gala a success, a huge thanks! Photos taken by our roving photographer are now available for viewing/downloading/ordering prints through our Flickr® account. For a slide show of available photos, log onto http://www.flickr.com/photos/readingpublicmuseum/sets/72157623962082232/show/ or to download/order, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/readingpublicmuseum/sets/72157623962082232/

For a free download, click on the desired photo, then click on the "all sizes" icon above the photo. You'll be able to choose from a variety of file sizes to download.

If you open a free Flickr account, you'll also have an option to order prints via their Snapfish service. The "order prints" icon will then appear above your selected photo.

Join your friends after work (5:30-7:30 p.m.) and celebrate spring! Listen to live music by local favorite Maggie Spike. Watch as "Best of Berks" winner Petals on Penn designer creates a whimsical floral arrangement based on a favorite artwork in the Museum's collection. Enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.  $5 Members/$10 Non-Members

Feed your imagination! "Here's to the Ladies" by Selby M. Doughty.  Free with Museum admission (Members free). Noon.

Kids, bring your parents and enjoy a story reading, mini-tour and hands-on activity for ages 4 and 5. Now at both 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. This week's story: Imogene's Antlers by David Small

$5/Participating Child, chaperone free. 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

This Sunday at 3 p.m., enjoy the sounds of "Bob Kreitz & Friends" for the annual Mother's Day concert in our Auditorium. Presented by the Reading Musical Foundation, this concert is free to the public (with limited seating).

Taught by Penn State Master Gardeners, a four-part series of Sunday afternoon classes. (meet at 2 p.m. on the steps of the Museum). Each session includes a presentation of the topic and a stroll to appropriate areas of the Arboretum.

May 16 - Design Concepts - Learn how the application of design elements and principles can provide visual continuity throughout any garden.

MAY 23 - Right Plant, Right Place - Join our experts as we walk the grounds to observe and discuss the successes (and failures) of plantings. Learn why the siting of plants with regard to soil, sun or shade, moisture and hardiness zone is critical to gardening success.

JUNE 6 - Foliage and Texture - How does textural diversity contribute to the visual quality of your garden? Join our presenters in the Arboretum to explore the textures, colors and forms that combine to create an appealing landscape.

June 13 - A Garden for All Seasons - Spring enchantment - Summer bounty - Fall color - Winter interest

Cost: $8 Museum Members/$12 Non-Members per class or $25 Museum Members/$40 Non-Members for class package (all 4 classes). Space is limited.

For more info and a registration flier, click here.

Join us this Saturday, May 22nd, at 10 a.m., as the Arboretum Assistants, with the help of Daisy Troop #189 of Wyomissing, create a Sunflower Tunnel by planting approximately seventy feet of Sunflower seeds. Scarlet Runner Bean and Hyacinth Bean seeds will be interspersed with the sun flowers in two parallel rows. Smaller varieties of sunflowers will be planted alongside the tunnel to provide examples of more suitably sized garden worthy plants.  

This project consisting of all annual plants will be located on the north side of the creek.  

As the sun flowers grow tall, the vines will climb the stalks and eventually cross over on supportive strings to form the "roof" of the tunnel.

Feed your imagination! "Quilts, Samplers and Coverlets, Oh My! PA Dutch Textiles in Daily Life" with speaker Candice Perry, Curator of the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center.

Begins at noon. Free with Museum admission (Members free).

Kids, bring your parents and enjoy a story reading, mini-tour and hands-on activity for ages 4 and 5. Now at both 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Today's story: Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens

$5/Participating Child, chaperone free

Kids, bring your parents and enjoy a story reading, mini-tour and hands-on activity for ages 4 and 5.  –  1:00 p.m..

This week's story: The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack

$5/Participating Child, chaperone free

Summer's here, and so is the fun and educational Museum Discovery Camp, starting June 28 for ages four and five. Each week, a separate age group (4 & 5, 6 & 7, 8 & 9, 10 & 11) will enjoy exciting programs in an unmatched environment.

There are still openings in some of the sessions, so check out http://www.readingpublicmuseum.org/education/summer_camp.php for details!

Thanks to all who attended last Friday evening's (June 25) Gallery Talk by Candace Perry, subbing for Louisa Bartlett, and Opening Receptions (for both the Jun Kaneko and Cultural Celebration exhibitions).

The turnout was great, and lecture very informative. be sure to stop in over the summer to check out these exhibitions and more!

For a long while, interest has been brewing in the reopening of our Pennsylvania German Gallery. Now it's crunch time!

In our main parking lot, you'll now see signs saying "PARKING FOR MUSEUM, PLANETARIUM AND ARBORETUM PATRONS ONLY." (see photo) These were installed and will be enforced by the City of Reading Police Department. Please be courteous to our visitors and save yourself a hefty parking fine by heeding these signs. Thanks!

As of August 1, 2010, the Museum is longer open until 8 p.m.on Fridays, except for special events as noted on our Web site. Regular Friday hours will be 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. -- the same as they are for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Sundays, we'll continue to be open Noon - 5 p.m.

Laser/Music Shows at The Planetarium will continue on Friday evenings beginning in October.

On Sunday, August 7, West Reading Main Street and Merchants host the "Taste of West Reading," a farm-to-table inspired culinary experience from 4-8 p.m. on the grounds of the Museum. This event will showcase two crown jewels of West Reading; the chefs of West Reading restaurants and the bounty of West Reading Farmer’s Market vendors.

The Farmer’s Market vast array of fruits, vegetables, herbs and meats will give West Reading chefs an opportunity to create their signature dishes using all local food. Guests will dine on several courses, sip local wines and savor the beauty of the Museum’s Arboretum while enjoying live music. A silent and live auction will showcase items from West Reading shops and stores. Enjoy dessert in The Planetarium, under the stars!

The annual fundraiser supports the West Reading Main Street non-profit program as they look to expand their community activities and events and economic development of Penn Avenue. For more information, www.westreadingmainstreet.org and click on events calendar.

Join us and the Berks County Amateur Astronomical Society for a fun-filled family night of astronomy. The evening's activities include a Planetarium show and hands-on activities. Learn why we have telescopes in space and how astronomers find planets around other stars.Weather permitting, we will go outside and look through club member's telescopes. For children 5 and up.

For more information and to register (required), call 610-371-5850 x227

Members: $6/adult, $3 child; Non-Members: $10 adult, $5/child

We're happy to announce, that, after being closed for several months, our Oceanic Gallery on the second floor is now open to the public. It had been temporarily closed to help facilitate temporary storage while we renovated other areas to provide better, safer environment for our art collection.

Thanks for your patience! Our 20th Century Gallery is next on the list!

September is "Bring a Friend" month! Do you have a friend or family member who loves to garden, who enjoys making new friends, who would enjoy improving the communitiy? If so, invite him or her to come with you to one or more work sessions in September – Wednesday mornings, 9-noon.

We hope to alert the wider community to the Arboretum Assistants Program here at the Museum, and perhaps attract new volunteers for the 2011 season.

Outstanding works including drawings, watercolors, lithographs, etchings, and engravings by more than twenty women artists from the seventeenth through twentieth century will be the feature of Women Artists on view from Saturday, September 4, 2010 through Sunday, January 29, 2011 in the Museum’s Works on Paper Gallery.

For more information, click here.

The Foundation for the Reading Public Museum Board of Directors has named John Graydon Smith as the new Director and CEO of the Museum, with a starting date in Fall of 2010. In this role, Smith is responsible for the overall direction and management of the Museum including planning, organizing, staffing, funding, financial management, exhibitions, programming, marketing, facilities and governance, and serves as a liaison between the staff, the Board of Directors, and the community at large.
 
Smith currently lives in the Albany, New York area with his wife and daughter, where since 2006 has served as President and CEO of The Children’s Museum of Science and Technology (CMOST), recently named by Parents Magazine as one of the nation’s top 20 science centers. Prior to that, Smith had held several high-level positions at the American Lung Association in both Indianapolis, IN and Albany, NY. He earned an MBA (Marketing Concentration) from Butler University in Indianapolis, IN, and Bachelor of Science degrees in Marketing and Political Science from University of Indianapolis.
 
Smith stated, “The opportunity to lead the Reading Public Museum as it continues to grow into the leading informal education institution in the area is tremendously exciting for me professionally. On a personal level, my family and I look forward to becoming engaged and active participants in the Reading community and celebrating the many successes ahead for the Museum with those who have been supporters of it throughout the years.”
 
Kathleen Kleppinger, chair of the search committee commented, “We are very pleased to welcome John to the Museum and to our community. The search and selection process was thoughtful and skillfully conducted, and the result is a candidate with experience and a leadership skill set that more than meets our requirements. This is an exciting time for the Museum.”
 
Donald C. Bristol has been serving as Interim Administrative Director of the Museum since January of 2010, after Ronald C. Roth stepped down as Director and CEO.

On Sunday, September 19, bring your lawn chair and enjoy a FREE outdoor concert by the Ringgold Band, for another of the Reading Musical Foundation's popular Museum Concert Series performances.

Ringgold Band will close its summer concert series with a concert featuring student soloist Andrew Mohler, a saxophone player and freshman at Temple University. The Ringgold Band preserves the performance fine concert band music through the efforts of its dedicated members and director Jim Seidel. The band performs concerts in the “Sousa” tradition featuring a wide variety of marches, classical transcriptions, Broadway tunes and new concert band music.

Experience a special "environmental performance" outdoors at the Museum of "Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead" by Genesius Theatre on Sunday, September 19 at 6 p.m. (Rain date: Sunday, September 26 at 6 p.m.). Warning: some material may be unsuitable for children.

For information about the regular performances at Genesius Theatre, 153 N. 10th Street in Reading, September 16 – 26, visit www.genesiustheatre.org  or call 610-373-9500. (Museum Members: Use code RPM10 at checkout for a  special discount! Offer subject to availability and may not be combined  with any other offer. Must show Membership card to pick up tickets.)

Join us Saturday, September 25, at the Museum for a day of family fun! Grandparents and kids will enjoy a family-friendly Planetarium Show, tour of the Museum, snacks, story readings and a keepsake art project. One of the popular toys from The Museum Shop will be a raffle prize.

Ticket prices:
Members - $5 per adult; $3 per child; or $15 for a family of five
Non-Members - $7 per adult; $5 per child; or $25 for a family of five

Pre-registration is recommended. Families check in at the Museum at 10:45 a.m. (Children must be accompanied by a grandparent). For more information, contact Anne Corso in the Department of Education at 610-371-5850 x227 or e-mail: anne.corso@readingpublicmuseum.org

Sponsored by the Berks Coalition for Organ and Tissue Donation.

Join us on Sunday, October 3, as we raise awareness for the 100,000+ Americans waiting for a life saving organ transplant. Help honor all living donors and the donor families for giving the most precious gift of all – a second chance at life.

Threads of Love Donor Memorial Quilts will be on display for those who wish to pay tribute to the loved ones of those who died and gave the gift of life.

Attend the ceremony in Trudy's Garden before the walk. Registration is from Noon - 1 p.m., Ceremony at 1 p.m. and the Walk begins at 1:15 p.m.

For a flier, click here. For more info, call 1-800-438-5093 ext .1506 or visit www.berkscoalition.org

Join us this Friday, October 15 at 6 p.m., as The Berks County Amateur Astronomical Society presents a program, "A Stroll Through the Universe," by Dr. Ruth Daly, Penn State Berks, in the Museum Auditorium.

Free to Members of the Museum and BCAAS, regular Museum admission for Non-Members.

Join us for one (or all three) of this enlightening series of lectures on the art of Louis Comfort Tiffany in conjunction with our current exhibition, Tiffany Lamps: Articles of Utility, Objects of Art.

This Saturday, October 16 at  2 p.m.  enjoy  "Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls"
by Martin Eidelberg, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University & Tiffany scholar

While Louis C. Tiffany was the artistic genius behind the creative endeavors of Tiffany Studios, the discovery of a cache of correspondence written by Clara Driscoll, head of the Women’s Glass Cutting Department, has revealed the substantial role of the women who labored anonymously to create Tiffany’s masterpieces.

Lecture cost: $10 per Member/$15 Non-Member
Series cost: $25 Member/ $35 Non-Member (Admission included in cost of lecture)

For a flier and registration form, click here.

A new exhibiiton, "Eadweard Muybridge & Harold Edgerton: Photographing Motion" opened on Saturday, October 16, 2010 and continues through January 16, 2011

The combination of these two important American photographers will show how motion photography was invented by Muybridge, and expanded upon with new techniques by Edgerton. This exhibition premiers previously undisplayed works from the Museum's growing collection of photographs.

For more info, click here.

Join us for one or more shows featuring classic rock music combined with exciting visuals -- all in our digitally enhanced state-of-the-art Planetarium!

This Friday's lineup includes:

7 p.m. - Laser Beatles
8 p.m. - SonicVision
9 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
10 p.m. - SonicVision

Prices are $5 for Members and $7 for Non-Members (each show). Tickets available at THe Planetarium at 6 p.m. the night of the shows.

Bagels, Bach & Beyond opens a new season this Sunday, October 31, from 10 a.m. until noon, with a very special program! Join us for light breakfast and live music in our beautiful Atrium.

For this concert, complementary to our current exhibition, Tiffany Lamps: Articles of Utility, Objects of Art, our special artists will be the Paragon Palm Court Ensemble,  presenting elegant musical gems from the Art Nouveau era.

For more information, click here.

Check out this video featuring Nancy Chapple, the manager of The Museum Shop, being interviewed by Comcast Tonight's host, Jill Horner. They're discussing the upcoming 8th annual Art of the Craft, held here on Saturday, November 220 and Sunday, November 21. Click here to watch!

During recent changes to our Web server, we discovered that our video clips were not linking properly, and we had to explore other posting options. The result was our very own YouTube channel, which is now relinked to our Web site. You can check it out, and even subscribe, by clicking www.youtube.com/readingpublicmuseum. Or, click on the little icon on the bottom of each page. Change is good!

Don't miss this 8th annual show and sale featuring select contemporary and traditional artisans.

For details including hours, artists and more, please click here.

Join us for one or more shows featuring classic rock music combined with exciting visuals -- all in our digitally enhanced state-of-the-art Planetarium!

This winter, the Friday night lineup includes:

7 p.m. - Laser Beatles
8 p.m. - SonicVision
9 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
10 p.m. - SonicVision

Prices are $5 for Members and $7 for Non-Members (each show).Event Time: 7, 8, 9 & 10 p.m. --  Learn more...

Join us this Saturday, December 4 at 2 p.m. for the final lecture in the series on the art of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

"An Illuminating Look at Tiffany Lamps"
by Lindsy Parrott, Director/Curator of The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass

This lecture examines the themes of design inspiration, lampshade fabrication, original pricing and marketing, and changing lighting technologies in greater detail. Illustrations include archival photographs of Tiffany's studios and craftsmen, rare period advertisements and promotional brochures. This lecture goes beyond the general appreciation of the beauty of Tiffany lamps by examining the artistry and historical context of these iconic objects.

Lecture cost: $10 per Member/$15 Non-Member (Admission included in cost of lecture)

Join us for a family friendly evening of story readings, dinner, craft projects and winter-themed Planetarium Show.

Sorry... filled as of 12/10/10!

Cost: Members: $10 per adult, $5 per child or $30 for a family of five; Non-Members: $15 per adult, $10 per child or $50 for a family of five.

For details and registration form, please click here.

In an effort to bring highlights of The Museum's extensive permanent collection to light, we've announced plans to display examples of art and civilization in our Atrium. Titled "Art in the Atrium," this exhibition will change periodically throughout the year.

Designed by internationally recognized architect Der Scutt, The Museum's Atrium was opened in October, 1988 as part of a one-year capital improvements project. Der Scutt's design portfolio includes Madison Avenue's Trump Tower, the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York ,and numerous other landmark skyscrapers. Born and raised in the Reading area, Scutt shared his dream to renew the Museum of his youth.

Scott Schweigert, our Curator of Art and Civilization commented, "The Atrium displays will take advantage of that great architectural setting, featuring works from the collection that would not ordinarily be on view. It's a great way to welcome visitors to our entry space and remind them -- as soon as they set foot in the building -- that our collections are vast, engaging and full of hidden treasures."

The first exhibition is now open and focuses on Art Nouveau Pottery & Glass -- eleven pieces including a large Rookwood Pottery vase, Grueby Faience Company pictorial tiles, and artifacts by Amphora and Tiffany. Some of these decorative art objects entered The Museum's collection as early as 1914, shortly after they were created, and complement the current Tiffany Lamp exhibition in the Second Floor Galleries.

Check out the latest edition of "What's Happening at the Reading Public Museum," first aired live on BCTV on Friday, December 10, 2010 at noon. To watch the show via a direct link to BCTV archives, click here. Other editions are available on our "Media" Web page.

The Reading Public Museum now has two trees listed on The Pennsylvania Forestry Association’s Web site, www.pabigtrees.com, thanks to the efforts of Master Gardener Jim Smoker of The Museum’s Arboretum Committee. The trees are honored as a part of the Association’s “Champion Tree Program.” Smoker completed the necessary paperwork and provided photos of these majestic trees — White Poplar (Populus, alba) and Maidenhair Tree (Ginko, biloba), indicating the trees’ circumference, height, spread, points, and GPS coordinates. The trees are a part of The Museum’s beautiful 25-acre Arboretum.

Some of the largest of each species are recorded on this Web site — from Abies to Ziziphus. Presently, there are 1,059 different trees listed here. Specific details about The Museum’s entries can be found by visiting the site and searching either by County or by genus (Latin or common).

Peter Poncheri, The Museum’s Director of Buildings and Grounds said, “We are very proud to have two of our trees qualify for this program. The Reading Public Museum is fortunate to have an Arboretum as part of the Museum campus, and thanks to the efforts of Arboretum volunteers like Jim Smoker and others, it has been recognized as a special location in PA.”

The Pennsylvania Forestry Association is a broad-based citizens organization that provides leadership and education in sound, science-based forest management and promotes stewardship to ensure the sustainability of all forest resources. The “Champion Tree Program” is one of the many resources they provide. A champion tree represents the largest of each species of tree found in the state.

The Museum will be closed Saturday, January 1 for the New Year holiday. We will be open 11-4 on Friday, December 31 (Administrative Offices will be closed). We wish you a happy and prosperous New Year, and hope that you make The Museum a part of your plans for 2011.

In addition to our Sunday schedule, our popular Star Shows will be presented weekdays at 4:00 p.m., with a different Show each day of the week (Tuesday through Friday)! Enjoy exciting visuals and sound in The Planetarium — experience our state-of-the-art SciDome full-immersion digital video system, offering realtime 3D sky simulation, full-dome shows and multimedia presentations. The lineup includes:

Tuesday - “Our Place in Space”
Wednesday - “Daughter of the Stars
Thursday - "Astronaut"
Friday - "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity"

Admission costs (per Show): $7.00 Adults (18-60); $5.00 Seniors/Children/Students (w/id); FREE Children 3 and under and Members.

Kids! Bring your parents at 1 p.m. and enjoy a story reading, mini-tour and hands-on activity. For ages 4 & 5. Cost: $5 per participating child, chaperone free.

This week's story: "My Abuelita" by Tony Johnston

Sprinkled with Spanish and infused with love, this story is a celebration of family, imagination, and the power of story –– a perfect introduction to our Latin American Gallery.

The new series, held the third Tuesday of every month (Feb. 15, Mar. 15 – 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.) got off to a snowy start this week! A few hearty souls didn't let the slushy morning roadways stop them from enjoying a light breakfast and presentation about the Museum's 20th Century Gallery and unique networking environment.

Join us for breakfast before work in one of our unique gallery spaces. Chat with John Graydon Smith, Director and CEO, network with other business professionals and learn about the Museum's collection all while enjoying hot coffee and a light breakfast. Don't miss your most important meal of the day!

February 15, 2011 - 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. – "Behind the Scenes" at our soon-to-be-seen exhibition, "American Scenery." Features a preview tour of what goes into the installation of a major temporary exhibition, by Scott Schweigert, Curator of Art and Civlization. Pardon our dust!

RSVP to lauren.mccarroll@readingpublicmuseum.org or at 610-371-5850 x264. Free for Reading Area business professionals with your company business card. Space is limited, so make your reservation soon!

More photos at the Reading Public Museum's Facebook site.

Sponsored by Weidenhammer Systems Corporation.

The Reading Public Museum has closed its Second Floor Galleries to the public immediately after the ending of the exhibition, Tiffany Lamps: Articles of Utility, Objects of Art. The galleries will reopen no later than Friday, February 18, 2011, in time for the Members Only Opening Reception of its new exhibition, American Scenery: Different Views in Hudson River School Painting, which will be on general public view from Saturday, February 19 through Sunday, June 5, 2011 during Museum hours.

During this time, changes will be made to better accommodate the presentation of works from The Museum’s own permanent collection, as well as improve logistics for future temporary and traveling exhibitions.

When the Second Floor reopens, the West Wing (adjacent to the centrally located Founders’ Gallery) will feature the permanent collection in the European, Asian, 20th Century, American and Pennsylvania German Galleries. The East Wing will feature the new Temporary Galleries, where periodically changing exhibitions will be on view.

Prior to February 18, as several of the Galleries containing The Museum’s collection once again become available to the public, openings will be posted on our Web site.

Next Saturday, January 21 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., join us and the Girls Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania as we help kick off the 2012 Cookie Season! Enjoy creative activities, our collections and exhibitions... all with a "girl power" theme.

This is a great time at The Museum for celebrating girls and the women they will become. Not only are women featured as subjects in the art, they have created it, too! And while you're here, don't forget to visit our most popular female resident, our mummy Nefrina and check out here funerary mask, recently acquired on loan from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology.

For more details, click here to download a flier (PDF), and or follow @GSEPThinMints and visit GSEPThinmints.blogspot.com for up-to-date cookie information.

Feed your imagination! (and pick up a sandwich or salad at The Atrium Café) At noon, of course!

This week's presentation: "Mama Mia" - by Selby Doughty.

Free with Museum admission (Members free)  Note: Special lunch and lecture cost: $5 for Members, $10 for Non-Members

Kids! Bring your parents at 1 p.m. and enjoy a story reading, mini-tour and hands-on activity. For ages 4 & 5. Cost: $5 per participating child, chaperone free.

Thursday's story: "The Boy Who Loved to Draw: Benjamin West" by Pat Barbara Brenner

Join us for breakfast before work, 7:30-8:30 a.m., in one of our unique gallery spaces. Chat with John Graydon Smith, Director and CEO, network with other business professionals and learn more about the Museum's collection, all while enjoying hot coffee and a light breakfast. Don't miss your most important meal of the day!

Tuesday's feature: Tour the newly redesigned Second Floor permanent collection galleries.

RSVP to lauren.mccarroll@readingpublicmuseum.org or at 610-371-5850 x264. FREE for Reading area business professionals with business card. Sponsored by Weidenhammer Systems Corporation.

It's an out-of-this-world-class experience at The Planetarium on Friday, April 1 (no foolin') from 4-6 p.m.

Join us for a late afternoon party “under the stars,” with the stars. It’s a great prelude to one of the many concerts held later that evening as part of the 21st Annual Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest. Start your weekend in an unmatched environment — right across the street from the Scottish Rite Cathedral, and near major hotels and Downtown Reading. Why not begin your evening here?

Listen to the music of the Dave Posmontier Trio while enjoying wine and light refreshments, and the visually stunning images on the dome above. Our Planetarium theatre and large foyer will be set up party-style, with tables (seated and standing), auditorium-style chairs, and plenty of room to mingle.

Special Guest “Star” 2010 Grammy Award Nominee Philippe Saisse
Internationally famous keyboardist, producer and arranger Philippe Saise will be dropping by to play a few songs with the Dave Posmontier Trio. And with all the musicians in town this week, who knows who else might stop by?

Tickets are $30 each. Registration form and details available by clicking here. Questions? Contact lauren.mccarroll@readingpublicmuseum.org or call 610-371-5850 x264.

The Planetarium at the Reading Public Museum is pleased to announce a full program of  musically and visually exciting full-dome immersive productions on the final Friday of each month, beginning March 25, 2011. Three different shows will be offered each evening: Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here at 7 p.m., Sonic Vision (with the music of several of today’s popular bands) at 8 p.m., and  Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon at 9 p.m.

Imagine yourself on a fantastic “roller-coaster ride” through vivid 3-D graphics that pulsate to the rhythm of music of high energy bands, including the iconic Pink Floyd. It’s here, now, at The Planetarium — a unique digital experience, weaving individual works of musical and visual art together into a single creative vision.

Tickets are available beginning at 6 p.m. the night of the show — $5 for Members, and $7 for Non-Members (each show).

Kids! Bring your parents at 1 p.m. on December 1 and enjoy a story reading, mini-tour and hands-on activity. For ages 4 & 5. Cost: $5 per participating child, chaperone free.

Thursday's story: "Hana in the Time of the Tulips" by Deborah Noyes

Generously supported by Brentwood Industries, Inc.

On Friday, April 1, WFMZ Channel 69 News Berks Edition covered our "Jazz Under the Stars" event at The Planetarium. Click here to see the story.

On Sunday, WFMZ Channel 69 News Berks Edition talked to John Smith at our "Bagels, Bach & Beyond" Jazz Fest event held at The Museum. Click here to see the story.

Photos taken on April 30, 2011 at this year's Annual Gala are now available.

To see, download files and/or order prints from photos take this year by our photographer, Roxanne Richardson, Enchanted Acres Photography, visit our Flickr page by clicking here. Find your picture and click on it. Then, under the "Actions" pull-down menu above the photo to the left, open "View All Sizes." Next, select the size you want and click on "Download."

If you want to order prints through SnapFish, under the "Actions" menu, open "Order Prints and More" and follow the instructions. To view a slideshow of all photos, click on "Slideshow" above photos on upper right of main page.

Note: Much higher resolution files are available. If you're interested in a particular photo, contact michael.anderson@readingpublicmuseum.org with details (photo number, size and type of file needed).

On Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011, Eastern White Pine tree saplings will be given free to the first 250 children, ages 3-13, as they register for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Registration begins at noon, and the egg hunts will be held for different age groups starting at 1 p.m.

The trees are donated by Karin Wulkowicz of KW Landscaping, Shillington, PA, and are given in celebration of Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 29). Each year, Earth Day marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Arbor Day is a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care. Founded by J. Sterling Morton in 1872, it’s celebrated on the last Friday in April.

Wulkowicz, who is also the current Chairperson of The Museum’s Arboretum Committee, wants to get kids interested in preserving wildlife. “Since all three days are relatively close together, I thought the family event, “Easter at The Museum” would be a great way to get them to children” she said. The evergreen saplings will be in individual  bags, each with topsoil and instructions, ready to plant.

The annual “Easter at The Museum” event will be held from noon until 4 p.m., celebrating a long-standing local tradition of  joining the “Easter Promenade” in The Museum’s 25-acre Arboretum. In recent years, an egg hunt has been added, with prizes for each of three age groups, candy, activities for kids, refreshments and more! Children can visit with the Easter Bunny for photos, and make the memories last.

Egg Hunt Times are: 1:00 p.m. - Ages 3-5; 1:15 p.m. - Ages 6-9; 1:30 p.m. - Ages 10-13. You are encouraged to register when you arrive prior to the hunt, and to receive your free sapling.

Adults are encouraged to bring photos of themselves enjoying “Easter at The Museum” in the past. Bring them to The Museum Shop to be eligible for a special prize, and the opportunity to be in future publications. Leave it at the front desk and fill out a special photo release form. It will be scanned quickly and returned the following week. A winner will be chosen from entries submitted.

Step inside The Museum for a special Easter gallery presentation on Tintoretto’s painting The Raising of Lazarus given by Museum Art Curator Scott Schweigert at 2:00 p.m. Also, families can sign up to give a lucky child the chance to win a FREE week at this year’s Museum Discovery Camp. Children 13 and under are admitted FREE to the galleries on Easter Sunday.

Promotional sponsor for  “Easter at The Museum” is Rock Hits Y102.

It's not to late to sign up for our annual Gala, "The Artist's Palette," held Saturday, April 30, 6-11 p.m., INSIDE The Museum. No tent this year, but plenty of food, drinks, music, great auction items -- all enjoyed among The Museum's fantastic collection. Get your ticket today, and don't miss the best party in town! For more info, click here.

This Friday, April 29 (and the last Friday of every month), enjoy exciting digital visuals set to the music of classic rock acts, and/or a vivid 3-D music and graphic "roller coaster ride" at one of our unique Friday night digital Shows in our Planetarium.

Our lineup includes:

7 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here
8 p.m. - SonicVision
9 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

Prices for each Laser/Music Show are $5 for Members and $7 for Members. Tickets are available at The Planetarium starting at 6 p.m. the night of the Show.

Photos taken with the Easter Bunny at this year's "Easter at The Museum" are now available. NOTE: These will only be posted until May 15, 2011.

To see, download files and/or order prints from photos take this year by our photographer, Roxanne Richardson, Enchanted Acres Photography, visit our Flickr page by clicking here. Find your picture and click on it. Then, under the "Actions" pull-down menu above the photo to the left, open "View All Sizes." Then, select the size you want and click on "Download."

If you want to order prints through SnapFish, under the "Actions" menu, open "Order Prints and More" and follow the instructions. To view a slideshow of all photos, click on "Slideshow" above photos on upper right of main page.

Congratulations to Amy Davis of Reading, PA, for entering the winning photo from a past "Easter at The Museum." To see the photo, and for more information, click here. Thanks, Amy!

It's your lucky night! Join us this Friday the Thirteenth at The Museum and Planetarium for a night of family fun. You’ll see the Museum’s exhibition, The World of Sea Shells: Jewels of the Ocean, an underwater inspired show at The Planetarium titled The Enchanted Reef, create an“ocean-inspired” art project, and have pizza and drinks.

Members: $10 per adult, $5 per child or $30 for a family of five.
Non-Members: $15 per adult, $10 per child or $50 for a family of five.

For details and a registration form, click here.

Join us on Tuesday, July 19 at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast before work in one of our unique gallery spaces. Chat with John Graydon Smith, Director and CEO, network with other business professionals and learn more about the Museum's collection, all while enjoying hot coffee and a light breakfast. Don't miss your most important meal of the day!

Featured this month: Latin American Gallery

RSVP to lauren.mccarroll@readingpublicmuseum.org or at 610-371-5850 x264. Free for Reading area business professionals with business card. Sponsored by Weidenhammer Systems Corporation.

Girl Scouts, enjoy this Friday night, May 20, IN The Museum and Planetarium. Sleepover will include a Planetarium Show, a "candlelight tour" of the galleries, light snack and continental breakfast. Time: 6:45 p.m.until 8 a.m. Saturday morning.

$35 per Scout/ One Troop leader free per every 10 scouts. (Adult leaders must be 21 years of age or older) Additional chaperones $20 per person.

For more details and a registration form, click here or contact anne.corso@readinpublicmuseum.org or phone 610-371-5850 x227.

Every Sunday, weather permitting, you'll find the signature orange Stewart's Root Beer truck in our parking lot with a full range of tasty treats! Spend the day here - check out the latest and classic exhibitions, catch a show at The Planetarium, and enjoy a walk in our beautiful 25-acre Arboretum -- and NOW, grab some lunch or a cool Italian ice.

Looking for something unusual to do on Friday? Enjoy exciting digital visuals set to the music of classic rock acts, and/or a vivid 3-D music and graphic "roller coaster ride" at one of our unique Friday night digital Shows in our Planetarium.

Our lineup includes:

7 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here
8 p.m. - SonicVision
9 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

Prices for each Laser/Music Show are $5 for Members and $7 for Members. Tickets are available at The Planetarium starting at 6 p.m. the night of the Show.

Experience what families and friends have enjoyed for decades -- The Reading Hospital Garden Party. The annual tradition continues on Tuesday, June 7 and Wednesday, June 8 from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m., right here on the grounds of The Museum.

Children of all ages will enjoy great food, activities and games, FREE face painting and crafts for kids, plants and flowers, live entertainment and so much more. And, while you're there, take a leisurely stroll through our beautiful 25-acre Arboretum.

FREE admission to The Museum with purchase of one full-priced admission. (Rain date: Thursday, June 9). For more info (including the entertainment schedule), visit www.readinghospital.org/gardenparty or call 610-988-8477.

Proceeds benefit Hospital projects of The Friends of The Reading Hospital and Medical Center, including HeartSAFE Berks County.

Feed your imagination with a lecture on fascinating topics in science, art and more. Plus, you can grab a bite to eat in our new Atrium Café. The lecture is free with Museum admission (Members free).

Today's lecture: In Search of New Worlds by Mark Mazurkiewicz, Planetarium Director

Note: Special lunch and lecture cost: $5 for Members, $10 for Non-Members

This coming Sunday, June 12 at 3 p.m., bring your lawn chairs and join us for a FREE concert titled "Easy Listening and Lemonade – Under the Linden Tree" featuring the Reading Philharmonic Orchestra. It's presented by the Reading Musical Foundation, and the rain location for this concert is Atonement Lutheran Church.

The tour, held this Saturday, June 11, is presented by the Garden Club of Reading. Proceeds will benefit our Perennial Garden. Plus, tour participants will receive a 10% discount on food and beverages at the Atrium Cafe. Read all about it in the Reading Eagle by clicking here.

Bring your lawn chairs and join us for a FREE concert "Under the Linden Tree." The Museum Concert Series will host the Reading Pops Orchestra for its 42nd Annual Father’s Day Concert on Sunday, June 19, 2011 at 3:00 PM.

The featured soloist will be Katie Wieand, Lancaster, known as an actress, singer and vocal instructor. Katie received her Master of Music in opera performance from The Boston Conservatory. She has performed several roles with the Boston Lyric Opera and has toured internationally performing operatic roles in Austria and Italy. She is an active performer of Broadway and Contemporary Christian repertoire and is the founder of the Wieand Vocal Studio in Lancaster. Katie has also recorded as a studio vocalist for Gaylord Entertainment in Nashville, TN. Katie was recently added to the adjunct faculty as a vocal coach for Lancaster Bible College.

The Museum Concert Series is sponsored by the Reading Musical Foundation and the Reading Public Museum. In the event of rain, the concert will take place at the Wilson West Middle School auditorium, Faust Road, Sinking Spring, behind the Green Valley Country Club.

YogaFit® or Yoga for the Fitness Industry was developed in 1994 in Los Angeles by Beth Shaw, a leading expert in the field of mind body fitness. Based on the ancient fitness science of hatha yoga, YogaFit blends balance, strength, flexibility and power in a fitness format. It overcomes the mystery of yoga by delivering a practical, user-friendly style, which is accessible, understandable and doable by anybody and any body. YogaFit helps to reduce the risk of injury and decrease tension, stress and lower back pain.

Taught by Xcellerated Speed Training's own Shanon Gaul, Certified YogaFit Instructor, on the scenic grounds of the Reading Public Museum, the YogaFit style is ideal for athletes or individuals at any level of fitness. Click here for a flier.

WHEN: Mondays and Fridays at 8 a.m. starting June 27, 2011
WHERE: The Arboretum at the Reading Public Museum (meet at Museum front doors)
COST: $10/session
INFO: Registration required. Go to xspeedtraining.com/yogafit to register.

On June 16, 2001, Trudy’s Garden, a living memorial celebrating the life of Gertrude (“Trudy”) Anne Boland was dedicated at the Reading Public Museum. Trudy passed away on March 5, 1995 after a ten-year battle with cancer. Matt Boland, her younger brother, donated the garden and has established an endowment to the Reading Public Museum to maintain the garden in perpetuity. The garden encompasses 25,000 square feet and features a red brick pathway in the shape of a heart.

For more information on this beautiful garden in our Arboretum, please click here.

Join us for breakfast this morning, June 21. On the third Tuesday morning of every month, you can chat with John Graydon Smith, Director and CEO, network with other business professionals and learn more about the Museum's collection, all while enjoying hot coffee and a light breakfast. Don't miss your most important meal of the day!

This month: We'll meet at The Planetarium, where Mark Mazurkiewicz, Planetarium Director, will present an introduction to the Summer Solstice and preview some of the upcoming Shows.

RSVP to lauren.mccarroll@readingpublicmuseum.org or at 610-371-5850 x264. Free for Reading area business professionals with business card. Sponsored by Weidenhammer Systems Corporation.

This Friday, June 24, enjoy exciting digital visuals set to the music of classic rock acts, and/or a vivid 3-D music and graphic "roller coaster ride" at one of our unique Friday night digital Shows in our Planetarium (the last Friday of each month).

This week's lineup includes:

7 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here
8 p.m. - SonicVision
9 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

Prices for each Laser/Music Show are $5 for Members and $7 for Members. Tickets are available at The Planetarium starting at 6 p.m. the night of the Show.

Starting June 27, Museum Discovery Camp offers an art and science program for children from ages 4-11 years. Exciting programs, unmatched environment, qualified instructors, individual attention and convenience, are the unparalleled ingredients that make the Reading Public Museum Discovery Camp exceptional.

It's not too late to sign up for some of the sessions. For more information, please click here.

Every Friday at 11:30 a.m. - Free with Museum admission. Meet at front desk.

Feed your imagination -- and your appetite -- with a lecture or talk on a variety of fascinating topics in science, art and more. Plus, now you can pick up lunch (or pre-order) at our Atrium Café.

Today's talk: "New Acquisitions" - Scott Schweigert, Curator of Art & Civilization

The Museum's permanent collection is anything but permanent. Join us as we unveil some of the newest additions to the RPM's ever-changing collection including works by Ben Austrian, Richard Estes and Lalique Glass.

Free with Museum admission (Members free).
Special lunch and lecture cost: $5/Members; $10 Non-Members

October 4 - Feed your imagination -- and your appetite -- with a lecture or talk on a variety of fascinating topics in science, art and more. Plus, now you can pick up lunch (or pre-order) at our Atrium Café.

Today's talk: "Every Picture Tells a Story: Photographic Portrait " - Anne Corso, Director of Education

Photographers have long been enchanted with the human portrait -- from Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Curtis to Cindy Sherman and Annie Leibovitz.

Free with Museum admission (Members free).
Special lunch and lecture cost: $5/Members; $10 Non-Members

On Tuesday, August 2, 2011, the Reading Public Museum will play host to another museum… one on 18 wheels! The display, titled Honoring Our History, is a “rolling museum” developed and hosted by Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. in partnership with the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. This mobile gallery travels to communities across the country, stopping at various museums and cultural institutions to raise funds and awareness.

For this one day only, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Reading area residents will be able to visit the traveling museum, located in the Reading Public Museum’s parking lot, free of charge. Every visitor will have the opportunity to make a financial donation to support both non-profit museums through electronic forms via iPads on board, or in cash.

To compliment the traveling museum, the Reading Public Museum will feature a one-day “Art in The Atrium” display highlighting a selection of war-era posters from its own extensive collection (open during regular Museum hours). The Reading Public Museum owns over 1000 posters from both World War I and World War II. The permanent collection features not only American posters, but many from European countries such as Holland, England, France, Belgium and Germany which show the war effort from viewpoints across the globe. Look for a major exhibition of these posters in the near future.

This 18-wheel, 53-foot drop deck trailer has been transformed into a gallery that serves as a window to the sights, sounds and experiences of World War I. Inside, you'll find:

• Artifacts including weapons, tools, equipment and uniforms.
• A walk-through trench that simulates the war environment.
• Videos and audio tracks.
• Headlines and historical descriptors.

It will allow you the chance to experience the tight conditions of trench warfare, see the relatively primitive tools, weapons, equipment and uniforms, amid sounds and sights of war 100 years ago.

The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial is the only American museum solely dedicated to preserving the objects, history and personal experiences of a war whose impact still echoes today. Designated by Congress as the United States’ official World War I Museum and located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, the museum inspires thought, dialogue and learning to make the experiences of the great War era meaningful and relevant for present and future generations.

World War I veterans Chauncey Waddell and Cameron Reed founded Waddell & Reed in 1937. This tour honors them — and all veterans — in anticipation of the 2014 centennial of World War I. Honoring Our History will tour the country through May 2012, when it will return to Kansas City for Waddell & Reed’s 75th anniversary celebration. For more information on the tour, visit www.honoringourhistory.com and for details about the National World War I Museum, log onto www.theworldwar.org.

Due to the overwhelming public response to our recent visit (August 2, 2011) by the traveling exhibition, Honoring Our History, the Reading Public Museum will continue their display of authentic war-era posters from its own extensive collection as part of its ongoing “Art in the Atrium” series. Additional posters will be added, and will be on view throughout August and September, 2011.

The Reading Public Museum owns over 1,000 posters from both World War I and World War II. The permanent collection features not only American posters, but many from European countries such as Holland, England, France, Belgium and Germany which show the war effort from viewpoints across the globe. A major exhibition of these posters is being planned for the near future.

Honoring Our History, the 18-wheel “rolling museum,” was developed and hosted by Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. in partnership with the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, this mobile gallery travels to communities across the country, stopping at various museums and cultural institutions to raise funds and awareness. It allows visitors the chance to experience the tight conditions of trench warfare, see the relatively primitive tools, weapons, equipment and uniforms, amid sounds and sights of war 100 years ago.

Every year, the popular magazine "Berks County Living" conducts it “Best of Berks” contest. The voting for 2011 is underway and closes September 12, so there’s not much time left to help us become known as the best “Local Cultural Facility” (category #11) in Berks!

Please take a moment to click here and vote for The Reading Public Museum and for your favorites in other categories, as well! (Only one vote per computer will be accepted.) You’ll find other links there, including a list of last year’s winners and the 2010 feature.

Thanks so much for your continued support and for making us #1 in 2011.

It's the dog days of summer and Y102 is hosting the 7th Annual Dog Days of Summer Pet Promotion on Saturday, August 13th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Reading Public Museum!

Rain date will be Sunday August 14th. Click here for more info. Admission is FREE to Dog Days in the Arboretum, but donations of food and supplies for the animal shelter are encouraged! (Regular Admission to The Museum is separate).

The Reading Public Museum is in the process of renovating, rededicating and renaming its popular Planetarium. The new name will be “The Neag Planetarium at the Reading Public Museum,” and is made possible and funded by a $2 million dollar gift made by local philanthropists Ray and Carole Neag of Wyomissing, Pa. The Neags have been longtime supporters of The Museum, with a particular interest in The Planetarium, which first opened in 1969.

The renovations, which have already begun and will take place over the next two years, include interior work to establish a new Space & Science gallery, a new roof and HVAC system, as well as other structural improvements. The rededication ceremony will take place upon the completion of the interior work, projected for late 2011 or early 2012.

A portion of the funding will also be used to create the Neag Fund of the “Feed Their Imagination” program, which is used to bring disadvantaged children to The Museum through field trips, after-school programs and summer camps. Additional donors are being sought to increase the number of children impacted by this new program which began in late 2010 and funded several summer camp opportunities for children through Opportunity House in Reading.

John Graydon Smith, The Museum’s Director and CEO said, “The support The Museum has received from Ray and Carole through the years has helped us become the institution we are today. This latest gift will help ensure that we remain the leading informal educational institution in the area for the next generation of scientists, artists, and educators and by lending their name to The Museum we know that others in the community will want to follow suit and help us affect the lives of even more children and their families through our mission of lifelong learning.”

As a privately funded institution, other major gifts to The Museum are being sought to help fund the maintenance and growth of the collections and educational programs offered to the public.

On Friday, August 26, enjoy exciting full-dome digital visuals set to the music of classic rock acts like Pink Floyd. Our lineup includes:

7 p.m. - SonicVision (various rock groups)
8 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here
9 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
10 p.m. - Pink Floyd: The Wall

Prices for each Laser/Music Show are $5 for Members and $7 for Members. Tickets are available at The Planetarium starting at 6 p.m. the night of the Show.

Join us on Friday, September 16, 5:50 - 8 p.m., for an exciting evening as we celebrate the opening of our new exhibition, Andrew Orth: Directing Hollywood.

Get your fashion fix by sprucing up your look with the talented artists from Hair On The Avenue. After your hair is primped, and your makeup perfected, step in front of a Berks County Living photographer for your chance to be featured in the "B-Scene" section of the magazine.

Enjoy fresh, light hors d'oeuvres prepared by Papillon brasserie while listening to Hollywood sounds by Genesius Theatre. Complimentary wine and beer will be served.

Cost is just $15 for Members and $20 for Non-Members. For more info and to register, contact lauren.mccarroll@readingpublicmuseum.org, or call 610-371-5850 x264 now!

On Saturday, September 17, 2011, from 9 a.m. until noon, the Reading Public Museum’s Arboretum Committee and volunteers will be selling plants from The Museum’s Arboretum as a fundraiser for The Museum. Fall is a good time for planting, and for people to own a piece of the historical and beautiful Museum grounds. The rain-or-shine event, “Green Day at the Reading Public Museum,” will take place in front of the greenhouse (or inside in case of rain).

Tours of the Arboretum and the newly renovated greenhouse will be available — visitors will be able to see the actual beds from which the plants for sale have been cultivated. Advice on the after-care and maintenance of the plants will be offered, and representatives from several other regional “green” groups will be on hand to give out information. Also, in the spirit of recycling, a selection of duplicate and redundant books from The Museum’s library will be sold at this event.

Live music will be provided by talented guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Jeffrey Beauvais. He also has an alternate musical identity as a Christian rap artist named Chase Nafta, by which he has performed hundreds of concerts throughout the US and some in Namibia, Southern Africa.

On Tuesday, November 15 at 7:30 a.m., join us for breakfast before work in one of our unique gallery spaces. Chat with John Graydon Smith, Director and CEO, network with other business professionals and learn more about the Museum's collection, all while enjoying hot coffee and a light breakfast. Don't miss your most important meal of the day!

This month: Galleries in Transition

Change is good... and is keeping us busy! Curator of Art and Civilization, Scott Schweigert and John Smith will give you a "behind the scenes" tour of the many exciting changes that are happening to the galleries which are home to our prized permanent collection. You'll see the inner workings and find out the strategy behind the physical and organizational restructuring. Pardon our dust!

RSVP to lauren.mccarroll@readingpublicmuseum.org or at 610-371-5850 x264. Free for Reading area business professionals with business card. Sponsored by Weidenhammer Systems Corporation.

On Friday, September 30, enjoy exciting full-dome digital visuals set to the music of classic rock acts like Pink Floyd.

Our lineup includes:

7 p.m. - SonicVision (various rock groups)
8 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here
9 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
10 p.m. - Pink Floyd: The Wall

Prices for each Laser/Music Show are $5 for Members and $7 for Members. Tickets are available at The Planetarium starting at 6 p.m. the night of the Show.

On Saturday, September 24, see our new exhibition, American Impressionism, for FREE! We're participating in Smithsonian Museum Day, so be sure to visit www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/ for more information and for your free pass for this day only!

This Friday evening, September 30, from 5-7 p.m., catch a sneak peak at our brand new exhibition, Moneyville, and enjoy a family-style Opening Reception! Light snacks and refreshments will be served and special activities are offered for children throughout the evening.

Members: $10/adult, $5/child or $30/family of five
Non-Members: $15/adult, $10/child, $50/family of five

 On the first Sunday of each month, Museum Staff will hold family-friendly activities or demonstrations in selected galleries or exhibition.

This Sunday's Gallery (October 2, 12-3 p.m.) - Ancient Egypt

Free to Members/cost of Museum admission to Non-Members

Irvin and Lois E. Cohen, Reading, Pa., longtime Museum Members, have committed more than $1 million in funding and artwork to enhance the Reading Public Museum’s holdings of modern and contemporary art.

The 20th Century Gallery will be expanded to 2,300 square feet, nearly doubling its current size, and will be renamed the “Cohen Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art.” It will feature works by artists including Henry Moore, Dale Chihuly, Milton Avery, and prominent artists with local ties — Harry Bertoia, Keith Haring and William Baziotes. In addition, new works will be added, both from the Cohen’s personal collection as well as from the private collections of other Berks County and Philadelphia collectors. The Gallery is expected to open by the end of 2011.

John Graydon Smith, The Museum’s Director and CEO, said, “We are extremely grateful for this generous gift by the Cohens, as we have been looking to acquire new artwork in this genre. Seeing that the market is too expensive for The Museum to purchase works by these artists, we need gifts from private collectors to help enrich our holdings and our visitors’ experience.”

The Cohen gift, which comes on the heels of the recent announcement that the Reading Public Museum has received a $2 million gift from Ray and Carole Neag for renovations of The Planetarium, will also allow The Museum to relocate its popular Pennsylvania German Gallery to the First Floor, where renovations of that entire level have begun. Smith anticipates more announcements of significant gifts from area supporters in the near future as The Museum continues to grow.

A series of three Friday-night lectures (October 14, November 11 and December 9) based on the current exhibition, American Impressionism: The Lure of the Artists' Colony, begins this Friday.

Tonight's Lecture: "Is There an 'Ism' in Pennsylvania Impressionism?" - Brian Peterson, Gerry & Margueritte Lenfest Chief Curator, James A. Michener Art Museum.

Series cost: $45 per Member/$60 per Non-Member
Per Lecture cost: $20 per Member/$30 per Non-Member

For more info and a registration form, please click here.

The Museum is featuring and selling the work of local artists in The Museum Shop, continuing with Berks County resident, Regina Gouger Miller. Millers’s watercolor paintings of Pennsylvania landscapes and flora will be on display Tuesday, October 18, through Sunday, November 27, 2011, at the Atrium Café adjacent to the Shop, where they can be purchased. Most recently, the work of local resident, Jerry Holleran, was featured in this “Artists Among Us” series.

Regina “Ginger” Gouger Miller is an artist, educator, businesswoman and arts patron. She earned a bachelor’s degree in art and design at Carnegie Mellon and holds a master’s degree in art education from Kutztown University. Miller has been a long-time supporter of the Reading Public Museum, and has participated in several of the annual “Art of the Craft” exhibitions/sales held there in November.

A nationally recognized watercolor painter, Ginger’s favorite subjects include flowers, landscapes and other natural scenes. She has studios in Reading, Pa., Santa Barbara, Ca., and Nantucket, Ma. Miller has taught art in public schools, a community college and her studios. In 1984, she created the business “Ginger & Spice” to produce her award-winning needlework designs, which are sold around the world.

Miller has served as president of the Berks Art Alliance and the Berks County Chapter of the Embroiderer's Guild of America and as a board member of numerous other arts organizations. In addition, she serves on the boards of Kutztown University, Reading Public Museum and Carnegie Mellon University, where she is a life trustee.

The Museum will continue offering the work of various artists in The Museum Shop, featuring a new one approximately every six weeks. Other local artists who would like to be considered for this program should contact The Museum at  info@readingpublicmuseum.org.

This Sunday morning, enjoy light breakfast and live music in our beautiful Atrium.

Our first concert of the new season, now sponsored by Alvernia University, features Hickory Brass. This talented quintet will present a special program related to our American Impressionism exhibition in an unmatched environment.

Admission to Bagels, Bach & Beyond is $30 for Non-Members and $20 for Members and includes light breakfast, the concert and admission to The Museum after the show. Limited seating -- pre-registration is strongly suggested. (610-371-5850 x264)

For more info, click here.

WFMZ and Karin Mallet did a great feature on our newest exhibition, Moneyville. Click here for a direct link.

Join us for breakfast before work in one of our unique gallery spaces. Chat with John Graydon Smith, Director and CEO, network with other business professionals and learn about the Museum's collection all while enjoying hot coffee and a light breakfast. Don't miss your most important meal of the day!

Next Breakfast: Tuesday, January 17, 7:30-8:30 a.m. – 2nd Floor Galleries - New Cohen Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art

Curator of Art and Civilization, Scott Schweigert, will give introduce you to this newly renovated and expanded Gallery, made possible by a recent generous contribution by Irvin and Lois E. Cohen.

Free for Reading Area Business professionals with your company business card. Contact lauren.mccarroll@reaingpublicmuseum.org or call 610-371-5850 x264 to RSVP.

Sponsored by Weidenhammer Systems Corporation.

This Saturday, November 12 from 9 a.m. until noon (no rain date), we're looking for your help to join in the camaraderie of their annual Arboretum Fall Clean-Up Day. Last year’s event brought dozens of energetic volunteers together to help put The Museum’s award-winning grounds “to bed for the winter.” .

Volunteers help groom the grounds (raking leaves, sweeping, picking up debris, etc.) and all levels of experience are welcome. Individuals, neighborhood and family groups, student groups, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, garden clubs, and church groups are encouraged to participate. Bring your leaf rake (if you have one) and enthusiasm… the committee will supply gardening gloves and refreshments.
 
Pre-register by calling 610-371-5850 ext. 239, and leaving your name and phone number. Or, contact ken.heiser@comcast.net.

For a registration form, click here.

Wednesday, October 19 - This evening's inspiration is the recent publication of local author and historian, George Edmonds' new book, Classical Digs: Archeology, Reading Public Museum and Gustav Oberlander. Activities will include a book signing with Edmonds and a three-panel lecture where he will be joined by two of the region's foremost archeologists -- Professor Ann Steiner of Franklin and Marshall College and Professor Donald White of the University of Pennsylvania.

"A Celebration of Archeology" is particularly appropriate as The Museum looks to renovate and refresh its permanent galleries. A walk-through of The Museum's Ancient Civilizations Gallery with Museum Curator Scott Schweigert will be available prior to the lecture at 5 p.m.

Price: $5 for Members, $10 for Non-Members

For more information or to register for this program, download the PDF flier below by clicking "learn more" or contact the Education Department at 610-371-5850 x 227 or anne.corso@readingpublicmuseum.org

Enjoy exciting full-dome digital visuals set to the music of classic rock acts like
Pink Floyd.

Our lineup includes:

  7 p.m. -  SonicVision (various rock groups)
  8 p.m. -  Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here
  9 p.m. -  Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
10 p.m. -  Pink Floyd: The Wall

Prices for each Laser/Music Show are $5 for Members and $7 for Non-Members. Tickets are available at The Planetarium starting at 6 p.m. the night of the Show.

Enjoy a live demonstration of these magnificent birds with Jack Hubley.

Cost: Free for Museum Members/cost of admission for Non-Members
For questions, contact Anne Corso at 610-371-5850 x227 or anne.corso@readingpublicmuseum.org

On Friday, November 4 starting at 5 p.m., bring the family for a Planetarium Show, hands-on activities and viewing the planets after dark with the Berks County Amateur Astronomical Society.

$6 adults/$3 children for Museum and BCAAS Members
$10 adults/$5 children for Non-Members

For a flier/registration form, click here.

On Sunday, November 6 at 1 p.m. at the Reading Movies 11 & IMAX, Reading Public Museum Members can enjoy featured Directing Hollywood Filmmaker John McTiernan's The Thomas Crowne Affair (starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo) FREE! Just show your Membership Card when you arrive.

The 1999 film, a remake of the 1968 film with Steve McQueen, was a departure from McTiernan's usual action adventures.

Following the movie, Museum Curator Scott Schweigert will discuss some of the world's most infamous art heists -- from da Vinci and Rembrandt to Picasso and Matisse -- and explore the twists and turns of the investigations and recoveries of these priceless works of art.

It's all part of the 2011 Greater Reading Film Festival, presented by the Berks Arts Council.

A series of three Friday-night lectures (October 14, November 11 and December 9) based on the current exhibition, American Impressionism: The Lure of the Artists' Colony.

Tonight's Lecture: "The Feminine Touch: Women Impressionist Painters" - Anne Corso, Directer of Education, Reading Public Museum.

(Note: There will be a special exhibition preview with Curator of Art & Civilization, Scott Schweigert, at 5 p.m.)

Series cost: $45 per Member/$60 per Non-Member
Per Lecture cost: $20 per Member/$30 per Non-Member

For more info and a registration form, please click here.

On Friday, November 25, the Reading Public Museum is extending its hours and is offering fun family-oriented options. The Museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the busiest shopping day of the year.

Visitors are encouraged to take a break from the hustle and bustle to stop in and enjoy lunch or a snack at the Atrium Café, relax or stroll in our scenic 25-acre Arboretum, or visit one of our three current temporary exhibitions, including Moneyville, where kids can learn all about managing money with over 15 hands-on components in five thematic areas. Plus, check out the newly “refreshed” and renovated galleries containing The Museum’s extensive permanent collection.

In the spirit of the season, on this day The Museum will be offering everyone, Members and Non-Members, a 10% discount on all items at The Museum Shop, featuring the area’s most unique selection of crafts and other gift items.

Special additional daytime full-dome Star Shows for this day include Season of Light at 10 a.m., Oasis in Space at noon, Astronaut at 2 p.m., and The Zula Patrol – Under the Weather (based on the award-winning television series) at 4 p.m. Prices for these shows are $7 Adults (18-59); $5 Seniors/Children/Students w/ID; FREE for Children 3 and under and Museum Members.

From 4:30 to 7 p.m., visitors can enjoy the “Holiday Bazaar for Families,” a fun way to learn the art of the exchange! Activities such as “bring a gift/get a gift,” card making and more are planned. Bring a gift to exchange! The cost of the “Holiday Bazaar for Families” is free for Members, and regular Museum admission for Non-Members (see below). To register, contact Anne Corso, Director of Education, at: 610-371-5850 x227 or anne.corso@readingpublicmuseum.org

This also is one of the “Floyd Final Fridays” at The Neag Planetarium, where you can catch one (or all) of four exciting full-dome digital visuals set to the music of classic rock acts. The lineup includes: 7 p.m. - SonicVision (various rock groups); 8 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here; 9 p.m. - Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon; 10 p.m. - Pink Floyd: The Wall. Prices for each Show are $5 for Members and $7 for Non-Members. Tickets are available at The Neag Planetarium starting at 6 p.m. that evening.

Free parking is also available a the nearby VF Outlet Center, with free shuttle service from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. between VF Outlet Center, The Museum, 7th Avenue & Penn Avenue, and the Courtyard by Marriott Reading Wyomissing. Click here for info!

On Veterans Day, Friday, November 11, 2011, we're offering free admission all day to veterans and active U.S. military personnel in honor of their commitment, service and sacrifice to our country. Also, beginning November 12, The Museum will offer a 10% discount on regular admission fees every day to all active U.S. military personnel.

Veterans Day was originally established to honor Americans who had served in World War I. The national holiday is celebrated on November 11, the anniversary of the day World War I ended in 1918. Today, Veterans Day honors veterans of all wars for their patriotism.

On Thursday morning, Nov. 17, listen to WEEU 830 AM from 6 to 9 a.m. (yikes!) as Charlie Adams does a live broadcast from The Museum!

Don't miss the 9th Annual edition of this great event! We're spreading our wings with more artisans, expanded exhibition space in Museum Galleries, live music and the new "Artist's Café."

Open Saturday, November 19 from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. (with Members ONLY Preview from 9-11 a.m.) and Sunday, November 20 from Noon - 5 p.m.

Admission per day is $8 Adults (18-59), $6 Seniors/Children/Students (w/ID). Members free! Proceeds benefit the Reading Public Museum. Click here for more info.

In honor of the holiday, The Museum and offices will be closed on Thursday, November 24, Thanksgiving. It will be open from 9 am. - 7 p.m. on Friday, November 25 and regular hours again on Saturday and Sunday. (The administrative offices will be closed on Friday.) Have a happy holiday!

On Friday, December 2, bring your PJs and sleeping bag and spend a night at The Museum. Flashlight tour, Planetarium Show, snack and continental breakfast included.

$35 per child/$20 per adult - Check-in time: 7 p.m.

Flier and registration form soon to be posted here. Please check back, or contact Anne Corso at 610-371-5850 x227 or anne.corso@readingpublicmuseum.org with questions.

For a flier/registration form, click here.

On Dec. 4 and the first Sunday of each month, Museum Staff hold family-friendly activities or demonstrations in selected galleries or exhibition.

Next Sunday's Gallery - Arms & Armor (newly renovated)

Free to Members/cost of Museum admission to Non-Members

Berks County Living magazine has announced the winners of their annual "Best of Berks 2011" awards, and we've been named "Best Cultural Facility" thanks to your votes! Check out their December 2011 issue, on the news stands now. Over three months, readers submitted their ballots to businesses and establishments in 25 categories, and we're proud to be among the winners. Thanks to all of you who voted, and to those who didn't, visit us and see why we're a local favorite spot for folks and families!

Come to the final Friday-night lecture in the series, based on the current exhibition, American Impressionism: The Lure of the Artists' Colony.

Tonight's Lecture: "Selling Impressionism: The Changing Marketplace for Impressionist Painting" - Ronald Pook, Senior Vice President, Pook & Pook, Inc.

Series cost: $45 per Member/$60 per Non-Member
Per Lecture cost: $20 per Member/$30 per Non-Member

For more info and a registration form, please call 610-371-5850

On Friday, Dec. 30, celebrate New Year's Eve early with activities, tours and a Planetarium Show. It's a part of our continuing "Final Friday" series of special programs and events.

See Anne Corso talk about this fun family event on BCTV's Penn Corridor Happenings show. Click here for a link to their archives.

Cost: Free for Museum Members/cost of admission for Non-Members

For questions, contact Anne Corso at 610-371-5850 x227 or anne.corso@readingpublicmuseum.com

For a flier/registration form, click here.

Effective January 1, 2012, the Reading Public Museum will be reducing its admission fee for Children/Seniors/Students (with ID) more than 15% to $5.00. In an effort to promote and advance its children?s programming of fun-filled and educational exhibits and activities, The Museum hopes to reach out to more children and grandparents by making the cost of admission more affordable. The current $8.00 admission price for Adults (18-59) will remain the same.

The Reading Public Museum has been undergoing changes over the past year with additional ones planned for 2012. A new interactive North American Gallery will debut next summer with its encouragement of active learning and participation. Upcoming exhibitions being planned include The Prints of Andy Warhol, Lego Castle Adventure, Norman Rockwell and Scouting, Animal Secrets, Predators, and more. While some of these special exhibitions may have a surcharge for Adults, the cost for Children/Seniors/Students will remain the same.

 In addition, on the first Sunday afternoon of each month, The Museum staff will present activities and demonstrations for its family visitors. Each Sunday will be themed towards a particular gallery or special exhibition. Many of The Museum's Permanent Galleries include a variety of "make and take" activities for families, such as creating their own drums inspired by the Native American Gallery or making their own hieroglyphic nameplates in the Egyptian Gallery. Other special family focused events are also being planned.

The Reading Public Museum has been undergoing changes over the past year with some additional ones planned for 2012. A new interactive Native American Gallery will debut next summer with its encouragement of active learning and participation by visitors.

John Graydon Smith, Director and CEO of the Reading Public Museum said, "The Museum has always had a strong commitment to kids and the enrichment of their education. As we move forward, and as current economic stresses make it more challenging, we are finding ways to encourage children, families and their caregivers to share in this experience at our unique environment."

On Wednesday evening, January 4, we opened our new Cohen Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art to a crowd of invited guests, and we'd posted some of the photos from that event on our Flickr page. Click here to go directly to that Set, or click on the Flickr icon at the bottom of each of our Web pages to visit our photostream.

The posted photos are relatively low resolution. If you'd like a higher res version of one of them, please let us know at michael.anderson@readingpublicmuseum.org.

The Reading Public Museum is featuring and selling the work of local artists in The Museum Shop, continuing with Wyomissing, PA resident, Joanne Davis van Roden. Van Roden’s watercolor paintings will be on display beginning Tuesday, January 17, 2012 in the Atrium Café adjacent to the Shop, where they can be purchased. Currently, the work of another Wyomissing resident, Stephanie Rado Taormina, is being featured in this “Artists Among Us” series, and will remain on exhibit through Sunday, January 15.

Joanne Davis van Roden graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in English. Although painting had been her hobby, she didn’t receive formal training until later in life, when she took classes at Kutztown University. Joanne continued her studies with well-known artists like Frank Webb, Howard Watson, Judi Betts, Skip Lawrence, Charles Reid and Jack Coggins.

“Capturing my perceptions of the world around me with watercolor has been an exciting and challenging journey,” said van Roden.

Joanne’s paintings have been exhibited at the Reading Area Community College, Penn State University Berks Campus, Wyomissing Institute and the Berks Art Alliance Juried show and the Reading Public Museum (where she received several purchase awards). Van Roden is a member of the Berks Art Alliance and the Pennsylvania Society of Watercolor Painters.

Stephanie Rado Taormina has been involved in the art and design world for the more than 20 years. After receiving her B.A. from Penn State University in 1987, she earned an additional B.A. in Fashion Design and Art at Parsons School of Design in 1990. In the years to follow, Stephanie worked on NYC’s 7th Ave, created and managed her own home furnishings company, and designed interiors for numerous private residences and corporations. In March 2011, Stephanie relocated her art and design operation to her private studio and gallery in Wyomissing, PA. She is also a contributing designer with Interior Environments in Reading, PA.

The Museum will continue offering the work of various artists in The Museum Shop, featuring a new one approximately every six weeks. Other local artists who would like to be considered for this program should contact The Museum at  info@readingpublicmuseum.org.

The Museum Shop and The Atrium Café are located in the Atrium (Ground Floor) and are open during regular Reading Public Museum hours — Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday Noon to 5 p.m.

On Saturday, January 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., join us and the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania as we help kick off the 2012 Cookie Season!

Enjoy creative activities and the creative collections and exhibitions -- all with a "girl power" theme. FREE admission for all Girl Scouts in uniform and no pre-registration! (regular admission for other visitors)

Fore more up-to-date info, click here for a downloadable flier (PDF), and/or follow @GSEPThinMints and visit www.GSEPThinmints.blogspot.com

After 82 years, the Reading Public Museum’s resident 2,300 year-old mummy, Nefrina, will come face-to-face with her funerary mask when it is on public display in The Museum’s Ancient Civilizations Gallery beginning Thursday, January 19, 2012. The cartonnage mask, made of a mixture of linen, plaster, papyrus, other pliable materials and covered in gold leaf, is on loan from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology where it has been stored since 1893 when the coffin, mask and mummy set was acquired from antiques dealer Emil Brugsch Bey.

It will be on temporary display (through January 2013) as part of The Museum’s Nefrina’s World focus exhibition, also containing Nefrina’s mummy, coffin, coffin lid, insights into the world in which she lived and a forensic facial reconstruction by artist Frank Bender (unveiled here in 2010).

Scott Schweigert, The Museum’s curator of art and civilization said, “We’ve been actively working to reunite Nefrina and her headpiece since at least 1993, and are very happy that it is finally happening. The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology have created a special mount for it, and it will be an important complement to our popular exhibition. It’s not to be missed.”

Nefrina lived approximately 250 BC, and made her journey to the Reading Public Museum in 1930, on loan from the University of Pennsylvania — later purchased by the Museum in 1949. In the intervening 82 years, she has achieved rock star status with generations of school students and visitors. Her mummy has been X-rayed in 1948 and 1972, and CAT scans were made in 2003 at the Reading Hospital and Medical Center.

During the First Intermediate Period and the early Middle Kingdom, the head of the mummy began to be protected with a cartonnage mask placed over the wrappings. These were meant to represent the deceased — in this particular case an idealized, rather than an individualized image of Nefrina. It was made with several layers of linen glued together and shaped in a mold. The resulting shell was usually coated on one side with gesso, a smooth medium well-suited to detailed painting and gold leafing.

Egyptians believed that the spirit or ba survived death and could leave the confines of a tomb. The cartonnage mask therefore provided the means for the returning ba to recognize its host, whose face was hidden by layers of bandage.

This Friday, Jan. 27, Cub Scouts (Wolf, Bear, Webelos I & II), can enjoy a night at The Museum and Planetarium! Sleepover will include a planetarium show, a "candleight tour" of the galleries, light snack and continental breakfast.

Sleepovers are staffed by The Museum in addition to 24-hour Museum Security. One chaperone for every 10 scouts is required. Open to scouts and scout leaders. Minimum must be met to run the program.

Cost: $35 per scout / $20 per parent.

For more info and to register, click here.

Our "American Impressionism" show ends at 5 p.m. this Sunday, so catch it before it's too late! Recent great comments from "impressed" blog-writers:

Fine Living Lancaster - http://fllmag.com/Features/ReadingMuseum.html

Philip Koch Paintings - http://philipkochpaintings.blogspot.com/