The Reading Public Museum
Past Exhibits
Wild Kratts Creature Power and Ocean Adventure
Wild Kratts®: Creature Power®! and Wild Kratts®: Ocean Adventure®, two interactive exhibits based on the popular PBS Kids series, will open at the The Reading Public Museum in the Second Floor Temporary Galleries.
100 Years: A Cornerstone of Our Community
This year marks the 100th Anniversary of the current Museum building and campus. The exhibition includes an engaging selection for rarely seen historic photographs, publications, and objects from The Museum archives and collections. Additional works are on loan from Dr. Ivan Bub.
M.C. Escher: Infinite Variations
This fall, “M.C. Escher: Infinite Variations” brings over 150 works by the renowned artist to Reading, covering his entire career. The exhibition includes Escher’s woodcuts, lithographs, etchings, and a lithography stone, showcasing iconic works like Day and Night and Ascending and Descending.
Order and Illusion: The Geometry of Art
Including over 40 works from The Museum’s Permanent Collection, Order and Illusion: The Geometry of Art will explore the evolution of geometric art through the 1960s to the present day.
American Impressionism: Inside/Out
American Impressionism: Inside/Out highlights outdoor and indoor scenes by American artists influenced by French Impressionism, featuring works from the Philadelphia Museum of Art and RPM’s collection.
Cartography in the Age of Enlightenment
Showcasing over 20 maps and instruments from the 17th and 18th centuries, "Cartography in the Age of Enlightenment" highlights advancements in mapmaking driven by scientific and geographic exploration. This exhibition, on display from September 23 to December 31, 2023, explores the era's shift towards topographical accuracy and wider accessibility of maps.
The Art of Collecting: The Luther W. Brady Bequest
Luther W. Brady's generous contributions to the Reading Public Museum span over two decades, culminating in a landmark bequest of over 100 artworks. The Luther Brady Bequest, on view from July 8, 2023, to January 7, 2024, showcases modern and contemporary pieces, including works by major Abstract Expressionists and American modernists.
Ayana Ross: Whence You Came
The Reading Public Museum presents recent works by Atlanta-area painter Ayana Ross, featuring large-scale, bold compositions that explore identity, race, family, and memory through everyday figures inspired by her family’s Southern history. Ross, a Bennett Prize winner, brings her background in art, fashion, and teaching to this engaging exhibition.
Natural Histories: 400 Years of Scientific Illustration
Explore "Natural Histories: 400 Years of Scientific Illustration," a bilingual exhibition featuring 40 stunning illustrations from the American Museum of Natural History's Rare Book collection. Spanning five centuries, this exhibit highlights the vital role of illustration in scientific discovery, showcasing works by artists like Dürer and Audubon, and inviting visitors to try scientific illustration themselves.
Modern Visions: A Century of Master Prints
Explore over thirty iconic prints by modern masters at the Reading Public Museum’s Works on Paper Gallery. This exhibit features works by influential artists like Kandinsky, Miró, Matisse, Warhol, and Haring. Discover diverse artistic movements from Expressionism to Pop Art, showcasing how each printmaker redefined their medium in unique ways.