Skip to Content Skip to Content

Penn Museum

Five events to watch for February
The Crossing choir gathered with composer in center Philadelphia choir The Crossing. (Image: Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts)

Five events to watch for February

Happenings on campus and beyond to look for this February, ranging from “Galentine's Day” to the beginning of “#Glassfest.”
A threat to Iran’s rich cultural heritage

A threat to Iran’s rich cultural heritage

Brian Daniels and Richard Leventhal of the Museum were among the signers of a letter about the administration’s threats of retaliation against Iran by striking cultural sites. “If carried out, this threat would constitute a war crime under international instruments such as the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which the United States has joined,” they and others wrote.

Contemporary art enhances Penn Museum’s Africa Galleries
Man in a suit pointing to a glass box containing artifacts

Tukufu Zuberi in Penn Museum’s Africa Galleries.

(Image: Eric Sucar)

Contemporary art enhances Penn Museum’s Africa Galleries

New installations showcase the diversity and artistry of modern culture in dialogue with historic artifacts.

Kristina Linnea García

An Inca ceremonial center, recreated in a digital landscape
group of students working on laptops around a table

An Inca ceremonial center, recreated in a digital landscape

Students use computer graphic technologies to bring historic sites to life as part of a summer research program and fall semester course that unites anthropology and computer science.

Erica K. Brockmeier

After ‘long-term extended loan,’ Penn Museum sends ancient Iraqi artifacts home

After ‘long-term extended loan,’ Penn Museum sends ancient Iraqi artifacts home

The Penn Museum is bringing 3 boxes of ancient artifacts to the Iraq embassy in Washington, D.C. to be returned to their country of origin. “All the tablets were shipped out to be studied because no one in Iraq at the time could read them,” said the Museum’s Brad Hafford.

Penn Museum’s transformation revealed
sphinx in the archway of the museum entrance

Penn Museum’s transformation revealed

The main level reopens after a historic renovation featuring the relocated sphinx and completely reimagined Africa and Mexico/Central America galleries.

Louisa Shepard

Penn Museum redesign aims beyond academics

Penn Museum redesign aims beyond academics

Julian Siggers of the Penn Museum spoke about the galleries’ reopening. “The collection is too good for it not to be a public museum,” he said. “This is the first time when you will really be able to see how we’ve opened this museum up, deliberately targeting it for public engagement.”