A Valued Educational Institution
A young museum visitor carefully considers one of the many entries in the Art of the State exhibit.
The State Museum of Pennsylvania serves visitors with insights and understanding about what it means to be a Pennsylvanian. During this fiscal year, over 130,000 people visited the museum to enjoy exhibits, classes, lectures and programs. In addition, over 225,000 unique visitors to the museum’s Web site accessed online exhibits, resources, publications and museum information. This demonstrates the importance visitors place on the commonwealth’s heritage and the museum’s role as an educational caretaker. This level of visitation is the result of the museum’s efforts to assume a visitor’s first posture, to reach out to other parts of the state in a "hub and spoke fashion" and offer innovative learning programs, as part of the museum’s 2005 Master Plan. Parents and children visit the museum for fun and educational family experiences. Teachers use the museum as a part of their teaching—providing students with opportunities to use primary sources, learn thinking skills and acquire historical literacy.
- Valued Artworks: High quality and relevant exhibits reflect Pennsylvania’s heritage statewide and confirm the museum’s commitment to partnering with institutions throughout the commonwealth. The 41st annual Art of the State® exhibit opened in June 2008 with 164 works selected from over 2,400 entries displayed by Pennsylvania artists from all corners of the state. The exhibit represents a long-term collaboration and partnership with the Greater Harrisburg Arts Council and is the premier fine arts show. "Steel: Made in Pennsylvania," a photographic exhibit about the steel industry, traveled to Pittsburgh and Johnstown where it will be on display for the 2008 summer season.
Willliam Penn (William C. Kashatus) tells his story to museum visitors at the charter display during Charter Days.
- Valued Exhibitions: Exhibits featuring the museum’s permanent collection highlight Pennsylvania’s history and showcase the state’s rich and complex heritage. "A Sip of Tea" featured tea service pieces and serving tables including the silver tea service from the USS Pennsylvania. "A 20th Century Christmas" featured a model train layout as the center piece with holiday decorations from the museum’s collection. "Made in PA" highlighted objects made by Pennsylvanians from Native American stone tools to furniture, artwork, the Walnut Street bridge (Harrisburg), carousel animals and even the Slinky. "Artistas del Verano," exhibited three large-scale murals created during a three-year program by The State Museum in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. This exhibit brought students of migrant workers and artists together to create murals reflecting views of their heritage. The addition of "Nature Matters," featuring exhibits on Gram Netting, Rachel Carson and Ned Smith, were completed in the Ecology Hall and "View Space" was installed in the planetarium.
Educational presentations such as "Astronaut," "Destination Saturn" and "Ultimate Universe" were featured at The Planetarium.
- Valued Educational Resources: Public programs meet the needs of a variety of audiences and age levels. Our youngest visitors flocked to Curiosity Connection® in record numbers. Nearly 900 people visited the IdeaZone and participated in hands-on learning experiences such as the "Science of Color" and "Observing Nature." Over 8,000 people participated in Stop and Learn programs in the permanent galleries. Museum classes for students in grades 4 through 6 were offered in the fall and spring, serving a total of 834 children and teachers. The topics of Native Americans and William Penn are particularly valued by teachers. They support the state educational standards in the social studies curriculum. Three special events were presented: "Night of the Great Pumpkin," "Noon Year’s Eve" and "Curiosity Connection 4th Anniversary Celebration." These events were designed for younger visitors and their families and combine educational and fun activities. The Planetarium saw an increase in visitation over last year for a total of 28,868. New feature shows "Zula Patrol: Under the Weather," "Astronaut," "Destination Saturn" and "Ultimate Universe" were presented to visitors along with repeat presentations of "Passport to the Universe," "Skyquest" and "Big."
Young people and their families attended special events that combined education and fun.
- Valued Partners: Through partnerships with organizations and the community, the museum is able to provide relevant programming. Parternship programming presented at the museum included "The Holiday Tea" sponsored by the Friends of The State Museum, the "Radius Shop Featured Craftsmen" sponsored by Harrisburg Area Community College, the Signature Series lecture by Dr. Daniel Richter sponsored by the Pennsylvania Heritage Society®, "Gallery Walk" in cooperation with the Greater Harrisburg Arts Council and "Groove/Chill," a jazz program in cooperation with the Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz and the Friends of Midtown.
- Valuing Safety: The goals of the museum’s Master Plan call for external building architectural renovations which invite the community and make the interior "people first." Putting people first begins with providing a safe and secure environment for our visitors. During this fiscal year the Infrastructure Renovations and Upgrades Feasibility Study of The State Museum and State Archives was completed.
A request for funds of the items on the most critical list was submitted by the Department of General Services to the State Budget Office. These high priority items affect life safety and building codes, and design work will proceed upon release of the funds.
