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    State Museum of Pennsylvania Announces November Highlights

    October 20, 2015

    ​Harrisburg, PA – The State Museum of Pennsylvania today announced its program schedule for November 2015:
     
    New Exhibit: What’s Inside? The Pennsylvania State Archives has unveiled its What’s Inside? Celebrating 50 Years in the State Archives Tower exhibit located in the History Alcove on the Second Floor of The State Museum.  Important documents displayed include: Pennsylvania’s Gradual Abolition Act of 1780, an Indian Deed from Tamanend to William Penn from 1683 and an original 1880 Federal Census book.  Topics include: Famous Pennsylvanians, Pennsylvania’s Story, Your Story, Famous Documents, Documents that Protect You and Protecting Records in the State Archives.
     
    Exhibit Opening: Pennsylvania Icons: Join us at 2:00 PM Sunday, November 8, for a reception celebrating the opening of the Pennsylvania Icons exhibit. This new exhibit tells the story of our commonwealth, its people and the role they played in shaping the nation. Visitors will see artifacts related to Pennsylvania’s founder, William Penn, as well as objects from Pennsylvania’s lumber, iron, steel, coal and oil industries. Pennsylvania Icons includes an array of art work from Pennsylvania artists ranging from Charles Wilson Peale to Violet Oakley to Andy Warhol, plus examples of iconic Pennsylvania products from Hershey Kisses to Martin Guitar to Mack Trucks.  In celebration of this event, admission to the museum will be free for the day.
     
    Archaeology Workshops: On Saturday, November 14, the Archaeology Section of the State Museum will present Weed Seed to Garden Seeds: The Archaeology of Farming in the Keystone State. The workshops will be held from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the State Museum. The workshops are open to the general public and pre-registration is required. For more information, contact James Herbstritt at 717-214-8648.
     
    Artist Conversation: Pennsylvania Modern: Join us at 2:00 PM Sunday, November 15, for an “Artist’s Conversation” presentation in The Pennsylvania Modern: A Photography Exhibit of Midcentury Architecture exhibit with Bryan Van Sweden, PHMC Historic Preservation Specialist, exhibit project director Beth Hager and a featured Pennsylvania Modern photographer. This event is included with museum admission.
     
    The Planetarium at The State Museum of Pennsylvania: The planetarium is offering two shows from November 6 through November 28, 2015:
     
    Dynamic Earth (grade 4 and up):
    Explore the inner workings of Earth's climate system. With visualizations based on satellite monitoring data and advanced supercomputer simulations, this cutting-edge production follows a trail of energy that flows from the sun into the interlocking systems that shape our climate: the atmosphere, oceans and the biosphere.
    Narrated by Liam Neeson
     
    11:00 AM Friday
    11:00 AM and 1:00 PM Saturday
     
    Solar Superstorms (grade 6 and up):
    A fury is building on the surface of the sun: high-velocity jets, a fiery tsunami wave that reaches 100,000 kilometers high and rising loops of electrified gas. What’s driving these strange phenomena? How will they affect planet Earth? Find the answers as we venture into the seething interior of our star.
    Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch
     
    12:00 PM Friday
    12:00 PM and 2:00 PM Saturday
     
    Planetarium shows are $3 per person in addition to general admission.  Planetarium admission is free to members of the State Museum Affiliate and the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation.
     
    Holiday closures:
    The State Museum will be closed Wednesday, November 11, Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27.
     
    The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 25 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History. The State Museum offers expansive collections interpreting Pennsylvania’s fascinating heritage. With exhibits examining the dawn of geologic time, the Native American experience, the colonial and revolutionary era, a pivotal Civil War battleground, and the commonwealth's vast industrial age, The State Museum demonstrates that Pennsylvania's story is America’s story.
     
    Museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sunday 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM.  Admission is $7 for adults (ages 12-64), $6 for senior citizens (ages 65 and up), and $5 for children (ages 1-11).
     
    For more information about the museum, visit www.statemuseumpa.org.
     
    MEDIA CONTACT: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639