The mission of Woodmere Art Museum is to inspire creativity, learning and self-expression through experiences with the art and artists of Philadelphia. Its mission is guided by a collection of over 6,000 works of art and the commitment to creating a rich, vibrant environment that fosters exploration and engagement. The museum’s galleries and programs serve adults and children and include painting and watercolor classes, art-making activities for children, exhibitions, tours, lectures, music, films, and education outreach to Philadelphia schools.
The Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, a distinction held by only three percent of museums nationwide. It is also on the National Register of Historic Places, and the museum values and celebrates diversity as a foundation of the institution’s mission.
Located in a 19th-century stone mansion on six acres in Chestnut Hill, the museum is dedicated to displaying Philadelphia’s rich art and artist history. It was founded in 1898 with the dream of Charles Knox Smith, a grocer’s boy who was also a civic leader of stature, to provide spiritual encounters with great art in the context of nature’s beauty.
Today, the museum continues to honor and interpret Smith’s vision of bringing art and nature together. Visitors are welcomed to Woodmere’s lush grounds, which feature significant examples of outdoor sculpture by such artists as Harry Bertoia and Dina Wind.
There is a wide range of artistic styles represented in the Museum’s permanent collection, ranging from 19th-century landscape paintings to the circle of Violet Oakley and Arthur B. Carles, and from Philadelphia’s unique brand of modernism to contemporary photography.
A highlight of the year is the museum’s yearly celebration of Philadelphia’s jazz heritage and history, which features Friday/Saturday Night Jazz in partnership with WRTI. This spring, guests can enjoy the work of Sonny Rollins and Charlie Parker as well as special guest saxophonist Nasir Dickerson and Larry Price.
This free Philadelphia landmark is one of the city’s most popular museums, and it’s easy to see why: immersive installations, innovative exhibitions, murals, and more adorn its cutting-edge galleries. Plus, admission is always free for kids 18 and under, and there’s pay-what-you-wish Fridays and Sundays for adults.
The museum’s Science History Institute is always free for kids to learn about milestones in scientific breakthroughs and the many ways scientists have made discoveries. Its hands-on Object Explorer, a table filled with objects to place, is a hit with kids, and the Institute often hosts family days.
On the first Saturday of every month, the Science History Institute offers a pay-what-you-wish event that gives visitors a chance to see some of its most unique exhibits for free. The always-free IMAX theater showcases movies that are sure to entertain the entire family, and the SEPTA Transit Gift Store is filled with train-themed souvenirs and displays.
The museum’s mission is to inspire creativity, learning and self-expression in all of us. The Museum’s nine galleries offer a broad range of exhibitions, art-making activities for adults and children, and a variety of programs to help people connect with the art they see.
