Gateway to the University: The Collections at Drexel in Drexel University’s Paul Peck Gallery, has been extended through December 23rd with some new materials now on display. The exhibition, curated by Cara Fry and Derek Gillman, is designed to provide a window into Drexel’s extraordinary collections which range from rare books to couture; from natural science to fine and applied arts. Every piece in the show is a treasure – including a Rittenhouse Orrery clock from 1873, ensembles by James Galanos, a 450-million-year-old slab of fossilized trilobites and a 16th-century Paracelsus incunabulum. Also highlighted is an 1876 William Morris textile which serves as a fascinating case study for the way in which the objects in the Drexel collections invite interdisciplinary teaching and research and thereby provide historical context and contemporary relevance. For more information on William Morris and the interdisciplinary study of indigo watch this video.
The Paul Peck Alumni Center, located in Frank Furness’ 1876 Centennial National Bank, located at the crossroads of Market and 32nd Street, marks the gateway to the Drexel University campus. The newly renovated gallery in the Peck Center was designed to showcase Drexel’s rich and diverse collections. These collections, which embody the interdisciplinary collaborative spirit of Drexel academics mark Drexel as one of the great collecting universities in the United States.
Though widely known for innovation, entrepreneurship and civic engagement, Drexel has been a serious collecting institution from its very inception in 1891. In fact, it was the University’s forward thinking founder AJ Drexel, who provided the inspiration and resources to establish The Drexel Founding Collection. The original collection grew and evolved over the years and now the University holds a series of impressive collections including the internationally renowned Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, The Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection as well as The Legacy Center, which documents the role of women in American medicine, the Polish Poster Collection and the Archives at Hagerty Library.
Coming next at the Drexel Founding Collection is the exhibition Tell Us How You Really Feel! Art as a Tool to Communicate Complex Emotions, opening in the Rincliffe Gallery, 3rd Floor, Main Building, 3141 Chestnut Street. This exhibition will showcase student, faculty and alumni artwork examining the power that visual imagery possesses to communicate across and through boundaries generated by language and life experience, unlocking a more empathetic and open-minded society. This exhibition is curated by Kasia Bunofsky, Entertainment & Arts Management and Art History, ’23.
The Gateway exhibition is free and open Tuesday – Saturday, 11-4 PM and located in the Paul Peck Center Gallery at 32nd & Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Drexel Founding Collection exhibitions are free and open to the public.
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