Woodmere Art Museum Inc

TO INSPIRE CREATIVITY, LEARNING, AND SELF-EXPRESSION THROUGH EXPERIENCES WITH THE ART AND ARTISTS OF PHILADELPHIA AND THE REGION.

OVERALL: A DYNAMIC MUSEUM THAT CONTINUES TO GROW IN THE VITALITY OF ITS EXHIBITONS AND PROGRAMMING, WOODMERE IS THE ONLY ART MUSEUM SOLELY FOCUSED ON THE WORK OF ARTISTS OF THE PHILADELPHIA REGION. THE MUSEUM ENGAGES A GROWING AND INCREASINGLY DIVERSE AUDIENCE THROUGH TEN OR MORE CHANGING EXHIBITIONS AND VIBRANT YEAR-ROUND PROGRAMMING. THE COLLECTION OF APPROXIMATELY 10,000 WORKS OF ART INCLUDES THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF WORK BY VIOLET OAKLEY AND HER CIRCLE, AS WELL AS IMPORTANT WORKS BY CHARLES WILLSON PEALE, BENJAMIN WEST, THOMAS SULLY, FREDERIC CHURCH, ARTHUR B. CHARLES, BO BARTLETT, AND MANY OTHERS. IN ADDITION,WOODMERE'S HELEN MILLARD CHILDREN'S GALLERY SHOWCASES FIVE EXHIBITIONS ANNUALLY OF ART MADE BY CHILDREN REPRESENTING THE MODEL PROJECTS IN ARTS EDUCATION THAT CAN BE REPLICATED BY TEACHERS. THE MUSEUM ALSO OFFERS AN EXPERIENCE OF OUTDOOR SCULPTURE IN THE CONTEXT OF NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES OF THE MUSEUM'S GROUNDS. WOODMERE CONTINUES TO DEVELOP AND INTEGRATE THE EXPERIENCE ACROSS THE GROUNDS IN A MANNER THAT BRINGS ART IN CONVERSATION WITH ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND HORTICULTURAL INTEREST. FURTHER ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PUBLIC IS PROVIDED THROUGH AN EXPANSIVE ARRAY OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, SUCH AS A MUSIC SERIES PROGRAM, LECTURES, TOURS AND FILM. IN THE FALL OF 2021, WOODMERE ACQUIRED A 17,000 SQUARE-FOOT MANSION NAMED FRANCES M. MAGUIRE HALL FOR ART AND EDUCATION AT WOODMERE ART MUSEUM WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR A MAJOR TRANSFORMATIVE EXPANSION OF THE MUSEUM'S EXHIBITION AND OUTDOOR SPACES. IN ADDITION, THIS EXPANSION WILL PROVIDE A NEW DROP-IN ART SPACE FOR SCHOOL GROUPS AND FAMILIES AND WILL AUGMENT THE MUSEUM'S HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING DESCRIBED ABOVE.WOODMERE IS ACCREDITED BY THE AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS, A DISTINCTION HELD BY APPROXIMATELY THREE PERCENT OF ALL MUSEUMS NATIONWIDE. ALSO, ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES, WOODMERE IS DESIGNATED A SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURE THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE CHARACTER OF THE CHESTNUT HILL HISTORIC DISTRICT IN PHILADELPHIA

PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL MANSION WHICH HOUSES MUSEUM'S WORKS OF ART.

EDUCATION - EXHIBITIONS AT WOODMERE SERVE AS A PLATFORM FOR ONGOING SERIES OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, LECTURES, GALLERY TALKS, FAMILY FESTIVALS, SCHOOL PROGRAMS, "ART OF OBSERVATION" PROGRAMS WITH MEDICAL SCHOOLS, AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS FEATURING TOP SCHOLARS AND ARTISTS. CLASSES ARE TAUGHT BY EDUCATORS AND PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS. APPROXIMATELY 3,100 ADULTS AND CHILDREN WERE ENROLLED IN ART CLASSES IN 2023.

COLLECTIONS - CARING FOR WOODMERE'S COLLECTION OF MORE THAN 10,000 WORKS OF ART IS A PRIMARY ACTIVITY OF THE INSTITUTION. THE FOUNDER'S COLLECTION, THE CORE OF WHICH REMAINS ON VIEW AT WOODMERE TO THIS DAY, CONCENTRATES ON POST-CIVIL WAR AMERICAN PAINTINGS, WORKS BY PHILADLPHIA ARTISTS OF THE 19TH CENTURY, AND LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS OF THE HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL. WOODMERE ALSO HOLDS ONE OF THE NATION'S PREMIER COLLECTION OF PENNSYVANIA IMPRESSIONISTS, THE CIRCLE OF VIOLET OAKLEY, THE CIRCLE OF ARTHUR B. CARLES, AND MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART OF PHILADELPHIA. REALISM, MODERNISM, PRINTMAKING, CONCEPTUAL ART, AND MANY OTHER THREADS OF ART HISTORY HAVE DISTINCT AND SIGNIFICANT CONFIGURATIONS IN PHILADELPHIA, MAKING WOODMERE'S COLLECTION AN IMPORTANT CULTURAL ASSET OF THE CITY.