Penn Museum
Philadelphia
Affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, the Penn Museum has been sharing its compendium of more than 1 million objects, especially rich in archaeological and anthropological finds, since 1887. The university connection has created such a strong research community that the museum runs lectures and symposia throughout the year featuring Penn faculty and museum curators and scholars.
The most popular lectures are the first Wednesday “great” series, which has previously covered great wonders and great battles and is currently focusing on great myths and legends. King Midas in March, the Queen of Sheba in April, the Amazons in May and more are on the docket this year.
Groups should register well ahead for lectures, as the museum offers series subscriptions as well as individual tickets, so popular lectures can reach capacity in advance. The museum also stays open until 8 p.m. on first Wednesdays so attendees can explore the galleries after their lecture.
J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center
Los Angeles
Visiting the Getty Museum and Villa in Los Angeles is a treat not only for its groundbreaking white geometric form created by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier and its renowned collection of European art, sculpture and decorative arts, it is also home to world-class art research and restoration teams that regularly give public lectures on their fields of expertise.
Between the Getty Museum and the Villa, there are three main lecture series. Getty Perspectives lectures bring in outside artistic viewpoints, such as those of film director Errol Morris, to explore the relationship between art and broader popular culture. During Curator Talks, the men and women whose visions guide the museum’s exhibits and acquisitions shed light on their thought processes and approaches. The annual free Villa Council lectures at antiquities-focused Getty Villa discuss the relevance of the ancient world today.
