Engage your curiosity and your connections to people across the globe and throughout time! The Penn Museum offers music and dance performances, film screenings, lectures by notable experts, and incredible behind-the-scenes access to provide opportunities to have fun and enhance your understanding of humans, past and present. Until events can safely resume inside our building, enjoy a virtual Daily Dig, take in a Great Catastrophes lecture, or sign up for our e-newsletter for notifications about Facebook live curator talks.
Join us from home for virtual programs!
Adult Classes
Sharpen your skills and knowledge with a course! Learn from special instructors that help you explore what it is to be human – through art, science, or history.
Great Lecture Series
Great Monuments
What better way to delve into the thrill of discovery than to hear from acclaimed Penn faculty and invited special guests during our signature lecture series? The annual “Greats Lectures” offer visitors opportunities dig into the past through vivid details and incredible insights.
Between the Lines
A Book Club by the Penn Museum
Join us for our twist on the classic book club, featuring carefully curated books with cultural connections, moderated by Penn Museum curators and special guests.
The Daily Dig
The Penn Museum is home to remarkable objects and their powerful stories. Every day at 1:00 pm, dig into a 15-minute exploration of an extraordinary artifact.
Museum Insider
What makes a museum work? Ever pondered a museum career? Take a coffee break with us and meet a museum expert.
Living Room Lectures
Cheers to Knowledge
From our homes to yours, the new Living Room Lecture series brings some learning into happy hour: each Thursday evening, a Museum expert chats about their work from their own couch, over a drink.
Handmade History Kits
Humans have been making things for centuries–for function, fun, or a blend of both. Here’s an exciting way to learn about our shared past through hands-on DIY projects from the comfort of your own home.
Culture Films
Penn Museum shows culture films once per month on the Second Sunday of the month (October to March) at 2pm. The Culture Films Series is free with museum admission donation.
Year of Jazz
A series of short documentaries and live conversations around the original Provost’s annual theme of Jazz. This year uses Jazz as a lens to examine three subjects—family, protest, and creativity—and explore how music is both deeply universal and culturally specific.
Check out our digital resources.
To best serve our audiences, most of our 2020 programs and events will take place virtually. We look forward to resuming the following in-person programs at a future date.
Gather
Gather is a series of conversations surrounding contemporary issues related to the human story, using the Museum’s collection as a starting point. The Philadelphia community is invited to participate in discussions that aim to foster understanding, empathy, and connections in our globalized world.
Drinking In Culture
Spirits and fermented beverages are deeply rooted traditions across the world, from the production process to the ways in which these beverages are served. Drink in culture, literally, by gaining an insider’s understanding of how alcohol is tied into customs.
Coffee with a Keeper
Come enjoy your morning coffee in the company of a Penn Museum expert. On Second Thursdays every month, a Museum staff member takes a long coffee break to discuss their work, offering you an insider’s perspective on the Museum from those who know it best!
Night Vision Tours
Are you afraid of the dark? See the Penn Museum from a whole new perspective during a happy hour with a twist: learning about the collections in the dark, with only flashlights to illuminate the way.
Public Tours
Unlock the wonder of the human story through a guided tour of the Museum’s collections. Visitors can travel through time and space to learn more about ancient peoples in places around the world, along with their connections to present-day life.