Reading Public Museum (RPM)

Program servicesadmissions and tours for 2023 general admissions were 42,962 to the Museum, and 10,279 to the neag planetarium at the Reading Public Museum. We also saw substantially increased tour activity with almost all 21,358 guests touring the Museum and the planetarium. Tours are available to pre-k to senior groups, customized to meet the educational needs of the specific group and provided by professionally trained Museum personnel. To assist schools in covering the costs of tours, the Museum offers a funding program called "feed their imagination" (fti). See additional information on schedule o.through the generous support of donors, the fti program allows groups to visit the Museum and planetarium by covering expenses such as admission and bussing costs. This funding program is integral to keeping our education and collection accessible to everyone in our community and bringing students into the Museum who otherwise would not have that opportunity. In 2023, approximately 44% of tours were partially or completely underwritten by the Museum's feed their imagination fund.the Museum and neag planetarium received over 95,000 guests in 2023. While no official count is kept, annual visits to the Museum arboretum and sculpture garden easily exceed 120,000 per year. the arboretum, a valuable community resource is maintained and managed by the Reading Public Museum at no cost to the Public. Temporary/special exhibits and permanent collection throughout the year the Museum provides patrons the opportunity to explore two kinds of exhibits. the Museum has permanent galleries which feature and educate about unique items from the permanent collection, including a mummified person which is over 2,000 years old. Patrons can also enjoy temporary/special exhibits from external institutions spanning many topics and target audiences. Rpm presented 11 temporary exhibitions in 2023, including 7 from external sources and 4 curated from our collection. Additionally, 215 works of art were acquired by gift and purchase for the Museum's permanent collection. An ever-increasing number of objects from the collection are accessible to the Public via emuseum, and several hundred more were added in 2023. Travelling exhibits the Museum makes available Museum owned exhibitions to other museums around the world. Allowing exhibitions to tour provides the Museum the opportunity to expand our mission beyond the immediate berks county community. In 2023, four touring exhibits were rented and displayed in museums located in mcallen, tx; chattanooga, tn; orlando, fl; and canadian, tx. the exhibition rentals in 2023 involved a total of 153 different works of art. In addition to entire exhibitions, the Museum loans individual works of art, and four such loan occurred in 2023.

Children's programssensory events special programming, among other sensory-inclusive events, designed for individuals with a range of sensory sensitivities who otherwise would not be able to experience and enjoy the Museum. Children, families, and caregivers can attend events that are in a quiet, uncrowded environment. 2023 saw 106 attendees at various sensory programs. See additional information on schedule o.family holiday events designed for the entire family, these events provide a special place for families to celebrate different holidays. There are six holiday events this year including easter at the Museum, trick or treat at the Museum, pictures with santa, noon year's eve, st. patrick's day, and celebration of women on mother's day. These programs are a safe space for children to celebrate holidays and receive take-home educational kits and treats. We welcomed over 1,300 adults and children to these events in 2023.summer camp Museum discovery camp offered ten one-week camp experiences in 2023 focusing on a different educational component each week. the camps keep children engaged in learning over the summer by exploring each week's focus using the exhibits and collections owned by the Museum as well as hands on experiments and crafts. In 2023 the Museum filled 218 camp spaces over the ten weeks of camp.scout workshops and overnight stays scout workshops and overnights offer a wide variety of learning opportunities set in a unique environment. Some topics include science, arboretum exploration, and space exploration through the planetarium. In the Museum, scouts explore topics such as engineering, art, and book-binding. the Museum even offers its own girl scout badge. In 2023, scout programs saw 775 participants including scouts and adult leaders. Home school days home school days are offered twice a month during the school year. These programs are designed to supplement home school learning by providing enrichment opportunities in various subjects through special Museum tours and hands-on projects. Approximately 137 participants attended home school days in 2023.full steam ahead started in the fall 2017 steam is a toddler science program for parents and children providing hands-on exploration of science and art related topics. the program is offered twice a month during most months of the year. 14 toddlers and parents participated in the program throughout 2023.subs and science started in 2023 and offered once a month, this program is geared for children prek-8 years old and their grown-ups. the day includes, a boxed lunch, hands-on crafts and activities, and free time to explore the Museum. This program welcomed 24 attendees.adults and childrenexhibition previews - in 2023 exhibit previews were added. Prior to the official opening of a new exhibition, the Museum holds a members' only preview prior to the Museum opening the exhibit. Members and children get first access to the new exhibition. There were five member preview events in 2023 with a total of 535 adults and children attended the previews.stem sunday another new program added in 2023, stem sunday offers science related themes for children and adults. Content of the program includes activities for children and adults. Three stem sundays were held in 2023 with 443 attendees. Adult programsspecial events the Museum hosts internal events to engage the community every year. Three of these special events have become staples in the Museum's calendar as well as in the community: golfin' in the galleries, dogs & brews, and night at the Museum. These events raise significant funds for the Museum and solidify the relationships the Museum has built with our local supporters. In 2023, these three events combined saw 450 guests.senior series this monthly event invites seniors and anyone interested to visit the Museum and learn about different topics. These topics typically include information on current special exhibits, screenings of films, lectures, and behind the scenes glimpses of the Museum's collection. the event is free with paid Museum admission or membership. Senior series had approximately 300 attendees in 2023.arboretum education this program features presentations and lectures by master gardeners and other industry specialists, utilizing the arboretum and greenhouse resources. Approximately 300 people attended this series in 2023.yoga under the stars held in the neag planetarium dome and led by a certified yoga instructor, participants relax and exercise under the views of the planetarium. Each series consists of 5-6 weekly sessions. Total attendance in 2023 was 100 participants.bus trips trips throughout the year allow Museum patrons to visit other museums from Washington, d.c. to new york city to experience a special exhibit or just a general visit to experience that Museum. In 2023, one trip went to d.c with 13 guests.extra programming 2023 included a joint program with the Reading theater project. the event involved a screening of a documentary and then Reading theater project members were throughout the arboretum interacting with over 120 guests.