To experience Philadelphia in a day or two is like aspiring to learn all of American history in a week. Better, therefore, to compartmentalize this “City of Brotherly Love.” Take one of its many attractions and devote a day — and a short drive — to its appreciation.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one such offering. Beyond the massive steps leading to its imposing neoclassical building (yes, the very steps that Sylvester Stallone triumphantly climbed in the film “Rocky”), is housed a representative package of the civilized world’s artistic expressions.
Elisabeth Flynn, senior press officer at the PMA, sums up a guest experience in general but alluring fashion.
“The Philadelphia Museum of Art allows visitors to take a walk through time, and [take] a trip around the world,” she said. “With more than 225 galleries representing 2,000 years of human creativity, there is truly something for everyone here — from medieval arms and armor to Asian art to the French Impressionists, as well as photography and works on paper, costume and textiles and an extraordinary collection on contemporary art — just to name some of the highlights.”
Can there be more?
Meaghan Hull, a visitor services assistant at the PMA, says yes, absolutely. The museum statistics she renders like a litany prove her point.
“We are one of the top five [museums] in the country, with 640,000 square feet of exhibition space on three floors [and] a 10-year expansion plan to add 80,000 additional square feet,” she said. “We have over a million visitors a year [and] an average of 2,000 a day.”
The PMA offers several tours, many of them daily. For example, Introductory Walks are ideal for first-time visitors, providing a broad overview of the museum’s collections. Specific Collection Tours focus on a particular era of culture, times, places and genres, while Special Exhibition Tours give meaningful insight into selected current exhibitions.
Current exhibitions include the Ella King Torrey collection of African-American quilts and a Thomas Chambers collection of American marine and landscape paintings. Opening in December and running to September 2009 is a special exhibit, The Art of Japanese Craft: 1875 to the Present.
A permanent, wildly popular exhibition is the Period Room display on the museum’s second floor.
“People love these rooms,” Flynn said. “From 16th century Persia to Colonial America, these rooms have been authentically furnished and represent a place and time in history.”
If you go
What: The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Where: Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street
Distance: 90 miles from Baltimore; 125 miles from D.C.
Info: 1-215-763-8100; www.philamuseum.org
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Friday evenings, to 8:45 p.m.)
Admission: $14 for adults ($12 for seniors); $10 for students
