UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Starting this month and running through the fall and spring semesters, the Palmer Museum of Art is beginning a brand new tradition of hosting Third Thursday arts events. The monthly programs will include special performances, art-making activities, games and other entertainment, as well as extended evening access to the Palmer galleries, exhibitions, and Museum Store on the third Thursday each month between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m.
“I’m excited to be a part of the new Third Thursday programs at the Palmer Museum,” said Brandi Breslin, Museum Educator at the Palmer. “Not only do the events offer the ability to visit the museum at night, but the variety of art-inspired activities will mean that there is something for everyone.”
The Third Thursdays: Launch Party – the Palmer’s first Third Thursday event - will be on Sept. 20. Throughout the night, visitors will have the option to see performances by The Singing Lions and KPop: Music and Dance in the galleries; participate in a scavenger hunt; take brief gallery tours with museum docents; get creative and make festive party hats; contribute ideas to an art-inspired response wall; and jump into a digital photo booth to remember and share the night. Refreshments will also be offered.
Arts events like Third Thursdays (or sometimes First or Final Fridays) are taking off around Pennsylvania and the country as a way for museums and other arts organizations to promote community connection. They give great opportunities for museums to highlight special exhibitions, cater to the interests of their constituents, or partner with other creative groups. They also allow visitors and members a chance to experience their favorite and familiar arts institutions in new and unique ways. In starting the monthly Third Thursdays program, the Palmer follows in the footsteps of organizations like the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation and others around the state in providing vibrant, similar after-hours programming to local arts lovers.
After the Launch Party, the Palmer will host two more Third Thursdays during the fall, on Oct. 18 and Nov. 15. Visit the museum website for more information on upcoming Third Thursdays and other vibrant and innovative programming throughout the semester.
ABOUT THE PALMER
The Palmer Museum of Art on the Penn State University Park campus is a free-admission arts resource for the University and surrounding communities in central Pennsylvania. With a collection of 9,000 objects representing and spanning a variety of cultures and centuries of art, the Palmer is the largest art museum between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Areas of strength include the museum’s collection of American art from the late 18th century to the present; Old Master paintings; prints and photography; ceramics and studio glass; and a growing collection of modern and contemporary art. The museum presents ten exhibitions each year and, with eleven galleries, a print-study room, a 150-seat auditorium, and an outdoor sculpture garden, the Palmer Museum of Art is the leading cultural resource for the region.
Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, and from 6 to 9 p.m. Third Thursdays. The museum is closed Mondays and some holidays.
The Palmer receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
For more information on the Palmer Museum of Art or for the calendar of upcoming events, visit palmermuseum.psu.edu.