Latest Museum News

Most college students look for a mentor, someone a little older with experience in their field. I’ve been lucky enough to have many wonderful mentors throughout my life, especially during my college years, but there is one who has really been there for it all…and she’s more than 2,000 years old.

Jump into your space suit and report for training, because the newest exhibition at the Reading Public Museum is landing and it’s out of this world! ASTRONAUT: Your Journey Begins on Earth is opening January 21, bringing with it a whole space lab full of science fun.

Reading, PA – The Reading Public Museum welcomed new members to its Board of Directors. Incoming members joining the board for three-year terms are Ted Lavender, owner of Berks • Fire • Water Restorations, Bill Sands owner of Sands & Company Real Estate, and Anna Weitz, retired president of the Reading Area Community College.

The Museum’s Curatorial and Buildings & Grounds teams recently installed a new sculpture! Duet, by Hungarian born American artist Miklos L. Sebek, reflects rhythm and harmony with nature—a fitting theme considering the piece’s new home in the Arboretum.

The past 12 days (with a bonus day 13 for Gift Memberships to The Museum!) we showed wonderful gift ideas for the entire family! Below is a recap of some items you can find.

Our Curator, Scott Schweigert, just returned from Cologne, Germany on a courier trip! RPM lent its Raphaelle Peale (American, 1774 – 1825) Lemons and Sugar painting to the Wallraf-Richartz Museum & Fondation Corboud (Cologne, Germany).

An exhibit at the Reading Public Museum details the art and messaging of political promotions in American history. Berks County reporter Brittany Sweeney takes a look at the early artwork.

Many scholars believe that Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which celebrated the end of the harvest season and marked the beginning of winter.

Fossils are the remains or traces of plants and animals that lived long ago. This can include anything from an enormous dinosaur skeleton to the impression of delicate ferns.

In this painting, a dark-haired woman with a flower in her hair reclines slightly on a chair. She wears a blue dress and looks away from the viewer. Farley specialized in portraits, such as this one, with the suggestion of opulent interiors.