Past Exhibits

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The 2024 Year of the Dragon exhibit at the Meinig Family Gallery showcases over twenty dragon-themed works from various periods, complementing “The Lost World of Dragons” and exploring dragons’ dual symbolism across cultures.

The Amazing Castle invites visitors of all ages to a medieval village where they can engage in imaginative play, craft in workshops, and role-play as castle inhabitants while exploring community life in eight themed areas.

“Da Vinci The Exhibition,” by Aurea Exhibitions and Imagine Exhibitions, Inc., is a hands-on exploration of Leonardo da Vinci’s life, featuring over 60 life-size inventions and 20 fine art studies. Visitors will discover his advanced understanding of science, art, and engineering through interactive displays and multimedia experiences of his groundbreaking designs.

“Indigenous Identities” tells the story of Indigenous people in the American West through 49 photographic portraits from the Civil War Era, captured by William Henry Jackson during Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden’s expeditions. These portraits, part of a larger collection published in 1876, highlight the impact of westward expansion on Native communities.