Woodmere welcomes Matthew J. Palczynski and acquires work by Modernist painter Arthur B. Carles

Woodmere Art Museum welcomes Matthew J. Palczynski as its new curator. Palczynski, who most recently held the position of Staff Lecturer for Western Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, received his Ph.D. from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art with a dissertation on the Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko. He specializes in art of the 20th and 21st centuries, and continues to teach courses in relation to this period at Tyler.

“We had over 80 candidates for the position,” says William R. Valerio, the Patricia Van Burgh Allison Director and CEO of Woodmere Art Museum, “and Matt was the best fit for Woodmere. His superlative credentials as an art historian, coupled with his experience in museum education will support Woodmere’s commitment to making connections between our visitors and our great collections of the art of Philadelphia.”

“This is a city with a long history of art and a thriving art scene,” says Palczynski. “More and more young artists are choosing to live and work in Philadelphia, and I am thrilled to be part of an institution that is dedicated specifically to exploring and interpreting this new vitality. At the same time, there are so many established artists in the region, and I look forward to giving these artists the greater attention they deserve.”

Music at Woodmere: Philadelphia Big Brass

Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald: Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble with special guest vocalist Tonya Milburn

Hay Maze returns to Woodmere

Woodmere Art Museum invites kids of all ages to experience family-friendly fall programs beginning in September. Woodmere welcomes the return of the large-scale landscape hay maze to the front lawn for the months of September and October. This year’s maze, titled Owl’s Eye, is a labyrinth of concentric circles made with bales of hay, evoking the shape of an owl’s eye. The fall season also includes two new children’s exhibitions featuring artwork by local students, an art installation in the museum’s new Children’s Garden and Friday Night Family Happenings through December. A full schedule of family oriented, art-inspired programming can be viewed at www.wooodmereartmuseum.org.

Building the House of Wisdom: A Closer Look at Violet Oakley

 

In 1911, Violet Oakley (1874 – 1961) created a mural cycle, The Building of the House of Wisdom, for the central hall of the mansion of Charlton Yarnall at 17th and Locust Streets in Philadelphia. The murals were painted on canvas shapes that were inserted into the architectural structure.

Roofing and Climate Control Replacement Project

As part of the roofing and climate control replacement project at Woodmere, all of the 1987 vintage equipment, including a 40-ton air handler and ductwork, have been removed from the roof of the museum. This equipment provided conditioned air to the exhibition galleries and had reached the end of its useful life.

Museum Store: New Maruca handbags!

The Museum Store just got a brand new shipment of these wonderful bags! Stop in and get one before they are all gone!


ABOUT MARUCA:

Maruca Design is a small design house nestled in the foothills of Boulder, Colorado. We're a collaborative, eclectic group (with a couple of odd ones, but nevertheless effective) sharing one common thread: our love for unusual and progressive fabrics. Twice a year our designer (one of the odd ones mentioned above) creates a new fabric line which is then cleverly handcrafted into Maruca handbags.