Pennsylvania has a rich history and has played an important role in the development of this country. That historical influence is reflected in the many cultural and artistic offerings across the commonwealth. It also provides a uniqueness that is sure to whet any visitor's artistic appetite.
Philadelphia Art
For art lovers visiting Pennsylvania, a great place to start is Philadelphia's museum district, located in the city's downtown area. The district contains numerous attractions for tourists, including two major art museums, and another museum planning to relocate to the area in the near future.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art, established in 1876 in conjunction with the city's Centennial Exposition, bills itself as one of the country's largest art museums with more than 225,000 pieces of art. The museum's galleries include special rooms for American art, Asian art, both classical and 19th-century European art, Dutch ceramics, textiles, photography, drawing, prints, modern, and contemporary art. The museum also hosts more than 25 special exhibitions every year, which feature either single artists or historical surveys of art history periods. Plus, as an unusual claim to fame, the museum's front steps are a popular tourist attraction, as they were featured in a famous scene in the movie Rocky. Children under 12 get in to the museum free, while admission for all other age groups is very affordable. The museum also offers tours and hosts a variety of events throughout the year.
Just down the street, the Rodin Museum is the largest collection of works by sculptor Auguste Rodin outside of France. Founded in 1923, the museum contains not only sculpture works by Rodin, but also drawings, letters, books, and prints. Some of the famous works housed at the museum include Eternal Springtime, The Kiss, The Gates of Hell, and The Thinker. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, and admission is only a small suggested contribution.
With plans to move to the museum district in the coming years, the Barnes Foundation is an art museum and school now located in Lower Merion Township outside of Philadelphia. Founded in 1922, the museum is home to an impressive collection of works from painters such as Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Francisco Goya, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri Matisse, Edouard Manet, and Vincent Van Gogh. Reservations are required to visit the Barnes Foundation -- which also has a beautiful arboretum -- but reservations are simple to make through the foundation's Web site.
Also in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is the oldest art museum and school in the country. Founded in 1805, the museum's current building opened in 1876 and now houses many works of art by famous American artists like Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, Robert Henri, and William Merritt Chase. The building itself is a national historic landmark. The academy is located on Broad Street in downtown and is open all year.
Pittsburgh Art
Thanks to business mogul and Pittsburgh resident Andrew Carnegie, Pennsylvania's second-largest city has two of the country's most important museums for modern and contemporary art. Located on Forbes Avenue, the Carnegie Museum of Art is one of the first museums in the United States devoted entirely to the genre of modern art. Founded in 1896, the museum now holds galleries containing many important 19th and 20th-century works of art from Europe and North America. The museum also has an architectural center and an area known as the Hall of Sculpture.
Also operated by the Carnegie Institute is the Andy Warhol Museum, which now is the largest museum dedicated entirely to a single artist. The collection includes more than 4,000 works by Warhol in a variety of mediums, including photography, sculpture, drawing, print, painting, and installation. The museum also has more than 45 films by Warhol. For fans of the artist, this location is an art mecca unrivaled anywhere else in the country. It is just across the river from downtown Pittsburgh, and it is open year-round.
Summer visitors to Pittsburgh can also take advantage of the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival, which is associated with the Carnegie Institute. Taking place over nearly three weeks in June, the festival is one of the largest events in the region, with art, crafts, music, and other types of performance. The festival is held at several locations throughout the downtown Pittsburgh area, centered around the Three Rivers Arts Festival Gallery, which is open all year. The festival also features special displays from local artists, an artists' market selling both works of art and art-making materials, and a family festival, which hosts a variety of fun activities for children.
For another enjoyable arts festival near the center of the commonwealth, located just outside the city of State College is the People's Choice Festival of Pennsylvania Arts and Crafts. First held in 1993, the festival places a special focus on artists and craftspeople from the commonwealth. With more than 150 booths, plus two entertainment tents and activities for children, the festival is a great way for Pennsylvania visitors to get a taste of the commonwealth's many varied cultures. The event takes place over a long, four-day weekend in mid-July on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg.
Outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania also has other museums throughout the commonwealth, including the Allentown Art Museum, the Erie Art Museum, the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, the Charles Demuth Foundation and Museum in Lancaster, the Everhart Museum in Scranton, and the Reading Public Museum. There are also many other artistic events throughout the commonwealth. With so much to choose from, it's easy to see visitors to Pennsylvania can experience a variety of artistic styles and enjoy some moving art created in one of the most historic cities in the country.
