Penn Alumni Homecoming Weekend Events

7-8 pm ET | Virtual Program

One of the most loved (and visited) landmarks on the Penn Campus, the Penn Museum is the ultimate architectural “work in progress.” Begun in 1893, it is a building that has never truly been completed. Join William Whitaker, Curator of Penn’s Architectural Archives, as he leads you through the remarkable, ever- changing story of this building, its inner workings, and its engaging legacy.

Sponsored by: Penn Arts and Culture

12-1 pm ET | Virtual Program

A Global Discovery Series Presentation
Thousands of artifacts, spanning ancient Egypt’s entire history, will be showcased in the Penn Museum’s new Ancient Egypt and Nubia Galleries. Preparing these objects for display requires years of work by Penn Museum conservators, including archival research, documentation, scientific analysis, conservation treatment, collaborative design, engineering of object mounts, and lifting equipment. Join Head Conservator Molly Gleeson to learn about this intricate process, including the conservation work around the most monumental architectural pieces taking place offsite.

Penn Alumni Lifelong Learning & The Penn Museum

4-5 pm ET | Virtual Program

Learn about new and ongoing archaeological research from the Kitchen House behind the mansion of Nathaniel Russell in Charleston, South Carolina. Katherine Moore, Mainwaring Teaching Specialist for Zooarchaeology in the Center for Analysis of Archaeological Materials (CAAM) at the Penn Museum, and a Practice Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Penn, will share how remains of animals and plants, clothing, paper, toys, decorations, and materials were preserved in the walls because of rats’ nests. Learn how these remains reveal information about the everyday lives of enslaved peoples, cooks, seamstresses, servers, gardeners, stablemen, and others, who built and maintained the household.

Sponsored by: Penn Arts and Culture

12-1 pm ET | Virtual Program

After more than a century, the Egyptian galleries at the Penn Museum are set for a remarkable reinstallation. Join us as two of the galleries’ curators offer insights into the process behind the ongoing transformation of the Ancient Egypt and Nubia Galleries. Highlighting materials excavated by the Penn Museum, the new galleries will showcase artifacts that have never been fully displayed to the public including the palace of King Merenptah, the only pharaonic palace that exists outside of Egypt.

Sponsored by: Penn Arts and Culture

4-5 pm ET | Virtual Program

Intentional destruction of cultural heritage is designed to erase people from history and has become an all too familiar feature of contemporary violence. Recent cases appear frequently in the news: the 2001 demolition of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan; the 2012 destruction of Sufi shrines in Timbuktu, Mali; the obliteration of historic sites across Syria and Iraq; and cultural targeting by Russia in Ukraine. It often seems like nothing can be done. But there are ways that cultural workers and the international community can step in to help. Join us as we explore how.

If this event has reached capacity, please contact Rhoda O’Donnell at rhodal@upenn.edu.

Sponsored by: Penn Arts and Culture

4-6 pm ET | Penn Museum, Widener Lecture Room & Sphinx Gallery, 3260 South Street

Join us to kick off Arts at Homecoming! We will enjoy a panel discussion with Jen Wegner, Curator of the Penn Museum’s Egyptian Section; Bill Wierzbowski, Keeper of the Penn Museum’s American Collection; and Lynn Makowsky, Keeper of the Penn Museum’s Mediterranean Collections to show and tell us about several incredible objects from the Penn Museum’s world-class Egyptian, Native American, and ancient Greek collections.

Moderated by Alexis North, Project Conservator. Introduction by Michael Barrett, President of Penn Alumni ENG'89, PAR'20, PAR'21, Welcome by Chris Woods, Williams Director. Followed by a reception in the stunning Sphinx Gallery

RSVP: Rhoda O’Donnell, rhodal@upenn.edu

Co-sponsored by: Penn Museum, Libraries, and University Young Alumni Associations; Alumni Relations, Arts and Culture, Penn Museum

10 am-5 pm ET | Penn Museum

We invite all alumni and their guests to enjoy free admission to the Penn Museum during homecoming weekend.

Sponsored by: Development and Alumni Relations at the Penn Museum

11 am–12 pm | Penn Museum, Meet at the Sphinx (through the Main Entrance), 33rd & South Streets

The Smithsonian-DK book “The History of the World in 1,000 Objects” lists the most significant artifacts in world history—and more than 200 of these are at the Penn Museum. Join us for a fascinating tour full of beautiful and intriguing works of art and history. Learn more about Penn Museum’s history, its world-class collections, and its contemporary research network that makes daily discoveries around the world. Learn why you should be proud of the Penn Museum—and tell all your friends!

If this event has reached capacity, please contact Rhoda O’Donnell at rhodal@upenn.edu.

Sponsored by: Development and Alumni Relations at the Penn Museum

4-6:30 pm ET | Meet at Sweeten House

We’ll see the newest exhibitions at the Penn Libraries; view priceless architectural drawings at the Architectural Archives, see plans for the renovation of the Arthur Ross Gallery, and finish with a highlights tour at the Penn Museum. Wear comfortable shoes. A reception will follow in the stunning Sphinx Gallery at the Penn Museum.

Sponsored by: Penn Arts and Culture