What stories can be told through art in a history collection? Join us for Art At Noon: Philadelphia History through Art – Part II with Stacey Swigart, Director of the Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel University’s Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships.
Back by popular demand, this talk explores the stories told through art in a history collection, featuring pieces and artists currently on display in Philadelphia Revealed: Unpacking the Attic, An Exhibition of the Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel University. The Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel holds over 130,000 items, including a wide range of art from creators and collectors that offer a unique perspective on Philadelphia’s history.
An exhibition of over 600 objects exploring centuries of Philadelphia history, Philadelphia Revealed is on view until April 6 at PAFA!
Featured Image: Streetcar Travel in Philadelphia in 1876 by Edwin Haley, 1876. Oil on Canvas. HSP.1919.10. Gift of Albert J. Edmunds, Historical Society of Pennsylvania / Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel.
Stacey Swigart is the Director of the Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel University’s Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships, where she has worked since 2018 on collections management and curatorial tasks related to the former Philadelphia History Museum collection. With experience at institutions like the Valley Forge Historical Society, Please Touch Museum, and Historic Germantown, she has curated everything from George Washington’s breeches to Barbie’s Dream House. Her expertise spans exhibition development, museum management, collections policies, and educational program design for diverse audiences. Stacey has served on various arts and humanities boards, held leadership roles with the American Alliance of Museums’ Curators Committee, and contributed to the AAM’s Direct Care Task Force. She holds a B.F.A. in Historic Preservation from SCAD, an M.A. in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester, and a Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate from Georgetown University.
The Art At Noon lectures are supported by the Behrend Family in memory of Rose Susan Hirschhorn Behrend, a former docent at the Academy and great supporter of its education programs.
Advance registration is required: https://www.pafa.org/events/philadelphia-history-through-art-part-2