Opening doors in Philadelphia

Whether it's known as the City of Brotherly Love or, more recently, the City that Loves You Back, Philadelphia has a longstanding reputation as a cultured kind of place. While its major institutions, such as Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts (the nation's first art museum, which will be celebrating its 200th anniversary next year), and the Philadelphia Symphony certainly justify that reputation, much of the area's finest art and artifacts reside in the magnificent private collections and the stately homes of Society Hill and the Main Line communities, otherwise hidden discreetly away from the eyes and ears of interested visitors. Gaining access or even awareness of cultural treasures in private places is a difficult task virtually everywhere, but Philadelphia is both fortunate and unique to have a group of residents committed to sharing their residences with out-of-towners. In 1982 a group of concerned Philadelphians who were interested in changing their city's reputation as an East Coast cultural also-ran got together and formed a nonprofit organization that, in addition to promoting the area's major cultural institutions, would help visitors explore the less accessible treasures of its grandest private homes, membership clubs and gardens. Twenty-two years later, Philadelphia Hospitality claims to be the only nonprofit arts organization of its kind in the nation. Philadelphia Hospitality has a board of directors and advisers that reads like a Who's Who of the region's social, cultural and business elite, with scores of participating volunteers who are willing to invite visitors into their homes for tours, teas and catered luncheons. It also boasts a small staff of dedicated, professional tour guides who enjoy sharing their love of Philadelphia with visitors. In addition to their interpersonal skill and years of tour guiding experience, they are well-versed in the breadth and depth of its history, culture and architecture. Together they give substance to Philadelphia Hospitality's motto: "Opening Doors for the Discerning Visitor." Barbara MacQuown, trav-el program manager of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, can testify to the truth of that claim. Over the last two years, she has organized and accompanied three small groups to the Philadelphia area that were arranged through Philadelphia Hospitality. MacQuown confirms that they indeed helped to "open doors." In addition to coordinating access to particular cultural events and organizing special programs in association with them, Philadelphia Hospitality arranged for a luncheon in a private home, hosted by the owner. "It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and made for a special afternoon." Philadelphia Hospitality can organize behind-the-scenes and off-hours access to major museums and art galleries, including the Barnes Foundation. Hidden away on a leafy lane in the Main Line township of Lower Merion, this quirky mansion houses one of the world's finest collections of French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Early Modern paintings. Displayed in complicated ensembles determined by its owner and collector, the late Dr. Albert Barnes, the fabulous collection includes an extraordinary number of masterpieces by Renoir (181), Cezanne (69), Matisse (60), Picasso (46), Soutine (21), Rousseau (18), Degas (11), van Gogh (7), Manet (4) and Monet (4), along with hundreds of other works of art. Yet despite being dedicated to educating people to the what, why and how of art and open to the public (entrance tickets cost only $5), strict limitations imposed on the Foundation by the township greatly restrict the museum's hours and how many visitors can come through the door on any day, making advance reservations essential. Philadelphia Hospitality can help expedite the process of arranging small-group visits. In addition to private, docent-led tours of major exhibits and institutions, Philadelphia Hospitality can arrange visits to private galleries and homes of antique collectors. For example, an architecturally oriented tour could include visits to some of the region's outstanding Gothic Revival mansions, such as the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion, the Francis Cope House, The Grange, Grundy Mansion or Woodmont. An arts tour might include visits to Brandywine River Museum, dedicated to three generations of Wyeths, and Fonthill, the unique concrete castle of ceramic tile titan Henry Chapman Mercer in Doylestown. Interested Philadelphia Hospitality groups have toured such libraries as the American Philosophical Society Libraries, the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company and the Rosenbach Museum and Library. In season, there are visits to such floral treasures as Bartram Gardens (the nation's oldest botanical garden), the Morris Arboretum, the Barnes Arboretum and the extraordinary Longwood Gardens. Tours often include concerts of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and visits to the new National Constitution Center. They can provide interested groups with introductions to distinguished Philadelphians in the fields of art, history, business, horticulture, music and science. Finally, in addition to coordinating these complicated cultural programs for visiting groups, Philadelphia Hospitality can help make arrangements for their accommodations, ground transportation and evening activities. All in all, Philadelphia Hospitality is a valuable resource for travel planners who would like to show their group members a more intimate view of the city. For information about Philadelphia Hospitality, call 1-800-714-3287 or visit www.philahospitality.org Here's a preview of some significant cultural events in the Philadelphia area: Center City Arts and Culture Week (Oct. 17 to 23): Half-price tickets to 22 arts and cultural events in downtown Philadelphia. The 28th annual Craft Show of Philadelphia Museum of Art (Nov. 4 to 7): 195 of America's best crafts artists have been invited to contribute art inspired by the silent auction theme "Music to My Ears." "Lewis and Clark: the National Bicentennial Exhibition at the Academy of Natural Sciences" (Nov. 6 to March 20): The exhibition includes hundreds of artifacts from the expedition, including plant specimens from the Academy's Herbarium, the original journals and many items that have not been together since 1806 and have never been seen by the public. Philadelphia Flower Show (March 6-13, 2005): Staged each year by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, this is the world's largest indoor floral exhibition. Next year's theme will be "America the Beautiful." Philadelphia Antiques Show (April 9-12, 2005): Fifty-six leading dealers will display museum-quality antiques and decorative arts. The loan exhibit, "Vaulting Ambition -- Gothic Revival in Philadelphia 1830 to 1860," will showcase furniture and decorative arts from that period. Salvador Dali at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Feb. 16 to May 15, 2005): The exhibition will include more than 200 works of the influential Surrealist, including early Cubist-inspired paintings and later experiments with optical illusions and perspective. "In Private Hands: 200 Years of American Painting" will be at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from Oct. 1, 2005, to Jan. 8, 2006.
[Back to Articles Main]