NEWS RELEASE Pam Kosty, Public Relations Director 215.898.4045 [email protected]

ABOUT THE PENN MUSEUM

Founded in 1887, the Penn Museum (University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology) is an internationally renowned museum and research institution dedicated to the understanding of cultural diversity and the exploration of the history of humankind. In its 130-year history, the Penn Museum has sent more than 350 research expeditions around the world and collected nearly one million objects, many obtained directly through its own excavations or anthropological and ethnographic research.

Art and Artifacts from across Continents and throughout Time Three gallery floors feature art and artifacts from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, North and Central America, Asia, Africa, and the ancient Mediterranean World. Special exhibitions drawn both from the Museum’s own collections and brought in on loan enrich the gallery offerings.

Ancient Egyptian treasures on display include monumental architectural elements from the Palace of Merenptah, mummies, and a 15-ton granite Sphinx—the largest Sphinx in the Western Hemisphere. Canaan and Ancient Israel features Near East artifacts and looks at

the crossroads of cultures in that dynamic region. Worlds Intertwined, a suite of ancient Mediterranean World galleries, features more than 1,400 artifacts from Greece, Etruscan Italy, and the Roman world.

The Museum’s Africa Gallery features material from throughout that vast continent, including fine West and Central African masks and instruments and an acclaimed Benin bronze collection from Nigeria, while an adjacent Imagine Africa with the Penn Museum project invites visitors to share perspectives and make suggestions for future African exhibitions. In Native American Voices: The People—Here and Now, visitors can see more than 200 objects from the Museum’s expansive North American Collections; the exhibition challenges common Native American stereotypes and explores the many ways in which today's Native leaders are creating and maintaining religious, political, linguistic, and artistic independence. Also on display at the Museum are important ancient Maya stone monuments and other objects in a Mexico and Central America gallery, and an Asian collection featuring some of the finest examples of monumental Chinese and Buddhist sculpture in America.

One-of-a-Kind Museum and Gardens The Penn Museum’s collections are housed in a grand and unique Arts and Crafts and Eclectic-style building; the master plan was developed in 1895–96 by , Walter Cope, John Stewardson, and Frank Miles Day, leaders of the late 19th-century architectural movement toward artistic freedom and aesthetic idealism. The first wing was completed in 1899, with subsequent additions in 1915 (the Rotunda), in the 1920s (the Coxe and Administrative Wings), 1971 (the Academic Wing, designed by Mitchell/Giurgola), and 2002 (the Mainwaring Wing, by architects Atkin Olshin Lawson-Bell with landscape architect Olin Partnership). Included in the early master plan were public gardens: today, the Warden Garden features a koi pool in front of the Kamin entrance, while the Stoner Courtyard has two fountains and sculpture by Alexander Stirling Calder as well as a peace bench by the City of Mural Arts Program. Decorative ironwork by Samuel Yellin at the Stoner Courtyard and Tiffany mosaics on the Warden Garden façade enhance the gardens, which provide contemplative spaces and serve special event activities.

The Museum Experience: Special Events, Shopping, Dining, and Exploring The Museum offers a wide variety of events geared to diverse ages and interests. Concerts, dance performances, films, “World Culture” family days and afternoons, “40 Winks with the Sphinx” sleepovers, Family Second Saturday activities, summer camp for children, as well as lectures, films, panel discussions, and scholarly symposia are offered. Docent-led gallery tours begin at the Kamin Entrance most Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. The Museum’s website, penn.museum, features virtual exhibitions, a wealth of video programs, a rich interactive collections database and more, presented and curated in the Digital Penn Museum, as well as regularly updated event, exhibition, and research information.

The Museum Shop offers a wide assortment of books, jewelry, and arts and crafts, plus games and toys for children, from around the world. The glass-enclosed Pepper Mill Café overlooking the Museum’s inner gardens offers freshly prepared meals and snacks inspired by the Museum’s international galleries.

The Penn Museum is located at 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus). Public transportation to the Museum is available via SEPTA's Regional Rail Line at University City Station; the Market-Frankford Subway Line at 34th Street Station; trolley routes 11, 13, 34, and 36; and bus routes 21, 30, 40, and 42. Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, with extended hours, and select programming, the first Wednesday of each month (10:00 am to 8:00 pm). Closed Mondays and holidays. Admission donation is $15 for adults; $13 for senior citizens (65 and above); free for active U.S. Military; $10 for children and full-time students with ID; free to Members, PennCard holders, and children 5 and younger.

The Penn Museum can be found at penn.museum. For general information call 215.898.4000. For group tour information call 215.746.8183.