Photo by Dave Zerbe
As a staple contributor to the Berks cultural community, the Reading Public Museum is embracing the autumn season in good humor. The exhibits seasonally on display at The Museum are diverse, educational and enjoyable for all ages. Perhaps this fall they will even get visitors laughing.
In past seasons, icons in children’s entertainment including Dora the Explorer™ and Clifford the Big Red Dog™ have welcomed families at the museum, and this fall Museum officials are excitedly hosting the Curious George™: Let’s Get Curious! exhibit. Children will have the opportunity to travel through different towns George would visit and even meet the silly monkey himself in this hands-on experience. Event manager Lindsay Crist expresses, “We’re really trying to focus on bringing everyone into The Museum, including kids, to cultivate memories here.”
Funky Turns 40: Black Character Revolution, including characters like Fat Albert; Fat Dogs and Coughing Horses, an informative exhibit on animals and health; and Awkward Family Photos (self explanatory!) are just some of the other exhibitions on display through the upcoming season.
Third Annual “Night at the Museum”
Perhaps the most influential exhibition this fall will be The Funnies: Vintage Comic Strips, featuring traditional comics from the 1940s through the 1960s. Reading Public Museum’s biggest fundraiser of the year, the “Night at the Museum” will be inspired by this classic and humorous exhibit.
The gala event taking place at 7pm on Sept. 19 has turned progressively more casual as the years have passed. The Funnies will open to the public the evening of the event and will offer visitors a chance to step back into the 1940s era. Director and CEO at The Museum, John Graydon Smith, reveals that the night will hold “a vintage, speakeasy feel.” Held exclusively inside The Museum this year with dancing and live music, hors d’oeuvres from in-house caterer Masterpiece Events, and the opportunity to experience the beauty of the museum with its permanent and current exhibitions, the third annual Night at the Museum is guaranteed to be unforgettable.
Masterpiece Events
The partnership with Museum-exclusive, in-house caterer Masterpiece Events has been an exciting transition for the event staff at The Museum. From the desire to offer more streamlined, all-inclusive packages for their clients, Masterpiece Events was born as a sister brand of ViVÁ Catering.
Masterpiece Events provides an identity for the Reading Public Museum as an event venue rather than simply a rental facility. Director of Event and Exhibition Rentals, Stephanie Shaak, describes Masterpiece Events as being “on the pulse of what’s the latest in the food industry.”
Full of fresh ideas and connected to ViVÁ, well-regarded and well-respected in Berks, Masterpiece Events offers the high-end look, feel and experience of modern culture, while still remaining practical and flexible in meeting the needs of any client.
From weddings in The Arboretum to corporate meetings in the galleries and everything in-between, the upcoming events at the Reading Public Museum will expectedly be more memorable than ever with the implementation of Masterpiece Events.
