Lectures and Events
Gain new insight into the art and culture of Philadelphia with Woodmere’s engaging lectures and gallery talks. Hear from artists, art historians, professors, curators, and writers who offer new perspectives on the Museum’s collection, exhibitions, and related topics.
The Art of Looking
Thursday, April 11 | 2 pm
with Flo Gelo, associate professor, Department of Family, Community, and Preventive Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine; Hildy Tow, the Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Curator of Education, Woodmere Art Museum
FREE
The Art of Looking is a program that will deepen your ability to engage with art. By focusing on one artwork at a time, the program is designed to increase a viewer’s ability to observe, to engage in self-reflection enabling thoughts and feelings to evolve over time, and to promote conversation and multiple viewpoints with other participants. This program invites you to enjoy and develop relationships with works of art that nurture you more deeply.
Gallery Talk with Henry Bermudez
Saturday, April 13 | 2 pm
$10 (FREE, members)
Explore the exhibition, Henry Bermudez in Philadelphia, with the artist in a relaxed and conversational gallery talk. Bermudez will offer insight into his paintings, process, and the evolution of his work since he began living in Philadelphia over twenty years ago. Bermudez is a Venezuelan-born artist who came to Philadelphia seeking political asylum. He became a US citizen in 2013.
Tour of the Church of the Advocate Murals
Sunday, April 21 | 2:00 pm
FREE
Meet at the Church of the Advocate, see information below
In conjunction with the display of Walter Edmonds painting, Sold Into Bondage, Woodmere is organizing a special tour of the monumental murals at Church of the Advocate, an historic and socially active church at the center of Philadelphia's black community. The murals, created by artists Walter Edmonds (1938-2011) and Richard Watson (b. 1948), were commissioned by the Reverend Paul M. Washington and depict biblical scenes through the lens of Black history. Created between 1973-1976, the artists were inspired by specific biblical passages, their connection to the challenging social conditions of the 1970s, and the history of American slavery.
The church is located at 18th and Diamond Streets. The entrance is accessible via a concrete ramp at the church's entrance adjacent to the parish hall at 2121 N. Gratz St.
No one should arrive earlier than 1:45 pm to allow for maintenance staff to rearrange chairs after the worship service and set up any necessary audio equipment.
Gallery Talk with Ruth Fine on the Figurative Work of William Daley
Saturday, April 27 | 2 pm
$10 (FREE, members)
Join Ruth Fine in a presentation on the early ceramic sculpture of William Daley on exhibit in Woodmere's exhibition, Drawn From Earth: Figurative Sculpture and Works on Paper by William Daley. Fine will offer insight on Daley’s life and influences and his figurative works of the 1960s, a period of work that is less well-known than his later large-scale vessels. She will show how the exploration of the human figure was an essential component of his creative vision that would evolve over the next fifty years. Fine is the author of William Daley: Ceramic Artist.
Special Tour with Henry Bermudez of his mural, Circle
Commissioned by Mural Arts Philadelphia
Saturday, May 4 | 3 pm
$10 (FREE members)
Participants will meet at the artist’s studio and walk to the nearby mural, Circle, which he created through a commission with Mural Arts Philadelphia. After visiting the mural, enjoy having a coffee together at a nearby coffee shop.
Henry’s studio address will be provided with registration.