State Museum of Pennsylvania Announces November Highlights

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The State Museum of Pennsylvania today announced its program schedule for November:

Archaeology Workshops: The State Museum of Pennsylvania will host special workshops in Archaeology for the general public on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.  Designed for the non-professional, presentations will include highlights from investigations along the Susquehanna River, a flint knapping demonstration, an artifact identification session, and closing comments by Dr. Dean Snow of Penn State University. Pre-registration fee through Nov. 3 is $20 per person; $15 for students; $15 for Pennsylvania Heritage Society (including State Museum Affiliate Members), Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology and Pennsylvania Archaeological Council members. Registration at the door is $25. For more information and a brochure, call 717-783-9926 or visit www.statemuseumpa.org.

Holiday Marketplace: The State Museum Store will participate in the Pennsylvania Heritage Society's 6th Annual Holiday Marketplace on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 17 and 18, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Commonwealth Keystone Building (Forster Street and Commonwealth Avenue, Harrisburg).  Museum stores from the Pennsylvania Trails of History and other participants such as Tony's Cafe at Keystone, Capitol Preservation Committee, DCNR and DCED's Artisan Trails will be offering with unique items to help start off your holiday shopping. Free and open to the public.  Pennsylvania Heritage Society and State Museum Affiliate Members receive 10 percent off purchases. The Holiday Marketplace is sponsored by PSECU.

Exhibition – Making it Better: Folk Arts in Pennsylvania Today.  On exhibit Nov. 20, 2011 – Apr. 29, 2012, Making It Better tells the stories of over 30 master artists whose works represent a wide array of traditions such as African dance, stone wall construction, Native American clay flutes, Pysanky eggs, contemporary blacksmith work, woodcarving, and Vietnamese funerary portraits. The exhibit is on loan from the Erie Art Museum.

A preview of Making it Better will be held during Harrisburg's "3rd in the Burg" monthly arts event on Friday, Nov. 18, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m., and project curator Amy Skillman and featured artist Susan Leviton will lead a tour of the exhibition at 2 p.m. on the show's opening day, Sunday, Nov. 20.  The Friday evening preview event is free to the public, and the Sunday afternoon tour is free with museum general admission.

Featured Planetarium Shows:

• Star Stories of the Native Americans (grade 2 and up). Explore the night sky legends of the Native Americans and discover how these tales helped to develop an understanding of the night sky and its importance to the Native American people. Saturdays, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Sundays, 1 p.m.
• Ultimate Universe (grade 4 and up). From the edge of space and time, through vast fields of wondrous galaxies, to the majesty of our solar system, take a grand tour of the universe and experience its most provocative secrets.  Saturdays, noon and 2 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.

Planetarium shows are $2 per person in addition to general admission; free to museum members.

The State Museum Store: The recently expanded State Museum Store is open for business, offering an array of Pennsylvania-themed products and gift items for all ages. The State Museum Store is located on the ground floor of The State Museum. State Museum Affiliate Members and Pennsylvania Heritage Society members receive 10 percent off purchases at the store. Admission to the store is free. The shop is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

Closed on Veterans Day & Thanksgiving:  The State Museum's administrative offices and galleries will be closed in observance of Veterans Day on Friday, Nov. 11. The museum will also be closed on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 24, but the galleries will be open to visitors on Friday, Nov. 25.  

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 Wed. through Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for children and senior citizens.

For more information about the museum, visit www.statemuseumpa.org.

Media contact: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639

SOURCE Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

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