PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia announces an exciting line-up of exhibitions, special events, Hands-On Tours, Gallery Talks, and family-friendly programming, all happening this Spring. Ranging from historical and visual-arts exhibitions to literary tributes, the museum promises a new season of enlightening programming.
The Rosenbach will offer a full roster of the museum’s popular Hands-On Tours (various dates) exploring an array of subjects included in the museum’s collections from Shakespeare to the Wild West. The Rosenbacchanal (May 6), the museum’s Annual Gala, will be held this year at Urban Outfitters’ Philadelphia Navy Yard headquarters. Home of James Joyce’s original Ulyssesmanuscript, the Rosenbach presents the museum’s 18th Annual Bloomsday (June 16) as part of the world-wide celebration of Joyce’s famed novel. The museum will toast the author with a live reading by notable Philadelphians as hundreds gather on Delancey Place for this outdoor cultural event.
The Rosenbach currently has three exhibitions on view through the Spring, including Moore Adventures in Wonderland(now through June 6), the Marianne Moore, Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland-inspired installation created by Rosenbach Artist-in-Residence, Sue Johnson. For Ruthie: Ruth Krauss, Maurice Sendak, and Their Young Philosophers(now through June 21) celebrates author and illustrator Maurice Sendak’s unique collaboration with Ruth Krauss, one of the most innovative writers for children in postwar America. The major exhibitionFriend or Faux: Imitation and Invention from Innocent to Fraudulent(now through July 11) explores the notion of authenticity across a range of periods and mediaand engages visitors in the stories behind the museum’s collection of copies, imitations and forgeries.
A full spring schedule with event descriptions follows below.
SCHEDULE OF PROGRAMS & EVENTS
Where: The Rosenbach Museum & Library
2008-2010 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Hours: Tuesday: 12-5pm; Wednesday & Thursday: 12-8pm
Friday: 12-5pm; Saturday & Sunday: 12-6pm
Closed Mondays and National Holidays
Admission: $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for students and free for children under 5
Information: (215) 732-1600or visit www.rosenbach.org.
All events are free with museum admission, unless otherwise noted.
Exhibition – Moore Adventures in Wonderland
Now through June 6, 2010
This Marianne Moore and Alice in Wonderland-inspired installation, created by Rosenbach Artist-in-Residence, Sue Johnson investigates the Rosenbach’s extensive Lewis Carroll and Marianne Moore collections and uncovers unexpected connections between the two.
Exhibition –For Ruthie: Ruth Krauss, Maurice Sendak, and Their Young Philosophers
Now through June 21, 2010
Maurice Sendak once praised Ruth Krauss as one of the “grand, inspired, towering women who invented the American children’s book from scratch.” She was his collaborator, mentor, and friend. Their books throughout the 1950s shared an energy, humor, and honest approach to childhood that marked them as innovators in children’s publishing. For Ruthie is the first exhibition of its kind to explore their working relationship and its influence on Sendak’s subsequent work. Krauss’s texts and Sendak’s original drawings—alongside their correspondence and working materials – will show the unfettered imagination and infectious playfulness of these two giants of children’s literature.
Exhibition –Friend or Faux: Imitation and Invention from Innocent to Fraudulent
Now through July 11, 2010
Friend or Faux: Imitation and Invention from Innocent to Fraudulentexplores the attractions and pitfalls of authenticity in a major exhibition at theRosenbach Museum & Library. The exhibition will engage visitors in the stories behind a wide range of copies, imitations, and forgeries, bringing together over forty paintings, manuscripts, books, and decorative arts objects from the museum’s collection. Who created them? Why were they acquired? The exhibition will address these questions and more, demonstrating that both friend and faux can be useful tools for understanding the past.
Reading Group – Marianne Moore
Wednesdays, April 7, 14, 21 and 28, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
$80 for members, $125 for non-members (includes a tax-deductible membership gift of $45)
Marianne Moore was a central figure in the Modernist movement in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. Ms. Moore is often referred to as a “poet’s poet” due to her intricate structure and collaged text which often challenges readers to work through her playful complexities. During this four-part course led by Nathalie Anderson, participants will read and discuss selections of Moore’s poetry gaining insight into the various drafts, letters and personal papers which reside in the Rosenbach’s collections. Nathalie Anderson teaches courses in Victorian, Modern, and Contemporary Poetry at Swarthmore College and directs the Program in Creative Writing for the Department of English Literature. To register for the Marianne Moore poetry group, please contact Mary Duffy, Development Associate at (215) 731-1600 ext. 123 or mduffy [at] rosenbach [dot] org.
Gallery Talk – Drawing on the Walls: Ruth Krauss’s Kids
Thursday, April 8, 6:00pm
Just how did Maurice Sendak and Ruth Krauss transform children’s language, (mis)behavior, and imagination into poetry and artwork? Join in this discussion of what Sendak called the “colossal egos” of children and why they make great art. Patrick Rodgers, curator of the exhibition For Ruthie and Traveling Exhibitions Coordinator at the Rosenbach, will lead this talk. No RSVP required, but space is limited.
Annual Gala – Rosenbacchanal
Thursday, May 6, 6:30pm at Building 543, Urban Outfitters at the Navy Yard
On Thursday, May 6, the Rosenbach Museum & Library will hold the Rosenbacchanal, the museum’s Annual Gala at Urban Outfitters’ Philadelphia Navy Yard headquarters, one of Philadelphia’s landmark venues. The Rosenbach invites guests to spend an evening enjoying live jazz music, a wine tasting, fine food, and a performance by Philadelphia-based contemporary dance company Headlong Dance Theater. All proceeds from the event support the museum’s innovative exhibitions and programs in addition to the museum’s educational outreach which engages thousands of children in Philadelphia schools each year. This is the first year that the Rosenbacchanal is being held off-site.
Individual subscriptions start at $400 per person; corporate sponsorships are also available. RSVP by Thursday, April 22. For information on sponsorships and subscriptions and to RSVP, contact Christina Deemer, Director of Development at the Rosenbach, at (215) 732-1600 ext. 122 or email cdeemer [at] rosenbach [dot] org.
Friend or FauxSeminar Series: Books and Prints
Saturday, May 8, 2010, 12:00 – 2:00pm
In conjunction with Friend or Faux, the Rosenbach will present a series of seminars designed for non-experts that will explore the process through which objects are authenticated. The seminar on books and prints is the fourth and final in the series. Donald H. Creswell, The Philadelphia Print Shop; and David Szewczyk and Cynthia Davis Buffington, Principals, The Philadelphia Rare Books & Manuscripts Company, will lead the seminar. The seminar is open to the public. Registration is requested. Free with museum admission. Please call (215) 732-1600, ext 123 or email rsvp [at] rosenbach [dot] org.
Gallery Talk – Curiouser and Curiouser
Thursday, May 20, 6:00pm
Rosenbach Artist-in-Residence Sue Johnson found inspiration for her installation Moore Adventures in Wonderland in the work of author Charles Dodgson, better known by his pen name, Lewis Carroll. Dodgson’s curious tale of a young girl named Alice has become an iconic piece of British literature, and A.S.W. Rosenbach’s purchase and sale of the original manuscript caused an international sensation. In this gallery talk we will examine the influence of Dodgson on Ms. Johnson’s work as well as talk about “the man who bought Alice,” Dr. Rosenbach. This talk is led by Farrar Fitzgerald, Assistant Director of Education. No RSVP required, but space is limited..
Gallery Talk – Unforeseen Consequences
Thursday, May 27, 6:00pm
A teen’s attempt to please his father ends in pandemonium at a London theater. An author’s dedication sends scholars in pursuit of a nonexistent book. One writer tries to cash in on another’s popularity and drives him to create a masterpiece. Whether they’re intending to deceive or just doing an honest day’s work, creators of objects sometimes produce results they couldn’t have imagined. This talk is led by Elizabeth E. Fuller, Librarian and exhibition co-curator. No RSVP required, but space is limited.
18th Annual Bloomsday
Wednesday, June 16
Noon – 7:00pm
Every year, the Rosenbach joins with Joyce lovers throughout the world to celebrate Bloomsday, the day on which protagonist Leopold Bloom made his fictional odyssey through Dublin in Ulysses. As home of James Joyce’s original manuscript for Ulysses, the Rosenbach holds this Philadelphia tradition every year on June 16, drawing hundreds of friends, neighbors, Joyce enthusiasts, book-lovers, and curious passersby to Delancey Place. Bloomsday features public readings on the steps of the museum from some of the city’s most interesting business, creative, and media personalities, along with a special exhibition of Joyce materials.
Hands-On Tours
Hands-On Tours allow you to get in touch with historic objects from our collection, literally, as you turn the pages of a rare book or test the weight of a delicate teacup or hefty tankard. Hands-On Tours are available every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 3:00pm. No RSVP required, but space is limited. Free with museum admission. For tour descriptions, visit http://rosenbach.org/learn/programs/handsontours.
Wednesday, March 24– Love Letters
Friday, March 26– Made in Philadelphia
Sunday, March 28– Shakespeare
Wednesday, March 31– Sendak’s ‘Flaming Maniacs’
Friday, April 2– Founding Fathers
Wednesday, April 7– Marianne Moore, Modernist Poet
Friday, April 9– Philadelphia Artists
Sunday, April11 – An unblushing impudence: the meek and the murderous in 18th- and 19th-century American women’s history
Wednesday, April 14 – Wild West
Friday, April 16– Wild Things
Sunday, April 18 – Shakespeare
Wednesday, April 21– Shakespeare
Friday, April 23– Marianne Moore, Modernist Poet
Sunday, April 25– Founding Fathers
Wednesday, April 28– Morning, Noon, and Night in Early Philadelphia
Friday, April 30– James Joyce & Irish Authors
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