Musings from the Desk of the Executive Director
Dear Friends of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia,
As I begin my third month as your executive director, I notice the crowds in Washington Square have dwindled and the leaves on the trees begin their annual costume change from peaceful green to brilliant hues of red and orange. As the weather cools and the season takes on the energy of fall, the tempo at The Athenaeum of Philadelphia increases.
Our first few weeks of fall programming have been lively and invigorating! A new member reception brought in about 40 of our most recent members for tours, library cards, and a chance to make new friends over wine and hors d’oeuvres. One of our new subscribers thanked an Athenaeum staff member afterward for making him feel special. I’ve heard variations on this theme from many others in the past few months. Over pre-opera dinner at Estia; during the Louis Magaziner and Julian Abele family reception for the newly opened
Louis Magaziner exhibit
; at Amy Cohen’s standing room only lecture and Tom Keel’s talk about the architecture of Philadelphia cemeteries and the following tour of Laurel Hill Cemetery; receiving personalized attention by our library and archival staff, our members and guests have enjoyed intimate opportunities to expand their knowledge, meet new people, try on new ideas, or be transported by the beauty of art, music, and architecture.
Being a part of this 200+ year young community of readers, thinkers, scholars, artists, and architects is special, and I hope that every encounter here with staff, friends, other members and visitors leaves each of you feeling good.
I’ve loved the opportunity to begin meeting many of you and hope to see all of you at one of our fabulous fall events. Our Louis Magaziner exhibit is open for viewing. We have our At the Movies with Carrie Rickey, focusing on architects and architecture, starts today. Authors like
Suzanne Hinman
,
Signe Wilkinson
, and Janny Scott will speak here this month, and we kick off our Sustainability series with Scott Moore. This past Friday marked our successful foray into First Fridays, which will variously feature interesting items from our collections, pop-up galleries from area artists who use our
Regional Digital Imaging Center
, or talented musicians. This fall marks the start of fresh experiences at The Athenaeum of Philadelphia as we seek to engage the intellectually-curious, the civically engaged, the aesthetic, the adventurer, the reader, the Philly-phile. YOU.
Call me. Email me. Pop in to say “Hello” and introduce yourself when you are here. It’s my honor to serve you and this vital institution.
With deep appreciation,
Beth
