An Exciting New Year of Inspirational, Thought-Provoking and Educational Programming
As we head into 2025, we are already off to a busy start! The first big change for the Everhart Museum this year is that our doors are now open year-round. While in years past, January was a time for a reset, going forward this makes the Museum even more accessible to our community, providing some respite from this especially cold winter.
Exhibitions at the Everhart
Our slate of 2025 exhibitions kicked off this past week with the opening of Universal Codes: Works by Daniel Martin Diaz, which is on view through April 8. The Arizona-based artist pulls from an eclectic mix of influences including fantastical Mexican religious iconography, mystical votive offerings, the Early Netherlandish painters, Gothic ornamentation, arcane religious sigils and medallions, alchemy, and the symbolism of secret societies to create distinctive works. Much of his work examines the concepts of death and religion in this truly unique collection.
A Retrospective
Another recently-opened exhibition is Herbert Simon: Painter…Sculptor…Printmaker…Master, which is on view through February 18. A retrospective of the Simon’s eight decades of work, this exhibition presents the wide breadth of the artist’s prolific output in sculpture, painting, and printmaking. Having studied with leading figures of abstraction including Hans Hofmann, Robert Motherwell, and Phillip Guston in the mid-century, and highly inspired by the industrial landscape of Northeastern Pennsylvania and simple everyday objects later, Simon developed an approach encompassing both representationalism and pure abstraction.
See them while you can
And there’s still time to see two excellent exhibitions ending their runs at the close of January: Peace, Love, and Music and Northeastern Pennsylvania Coalfields: Preservation, Praise, Promise.
In celebration of the 55th anniversary of the Woodstock Music Festival, Peace, Love, and Music presents a retrospective on the sights and sounds of the 1960s through posters, records, art, photography, instruments, artifacts, and more.
Northeastern Pennsylvania Coalfields showcases the rich coal heritage of the region through art, geological, and coal mining tools and wares; objects. The complicated relationship between the industry and the communities and areas that were impacted is explored.
Events at the Everhart
This year will see a continuation of popular events as well as the introduction of a few new ones.
We have a couple of events coming up that serve as a proper sendoff for the exhibition Northeastern Pennsylvania Coalfields: Preservation, Praise, Promise. First, this Friday, January 17, documentary filmmaker David Brocca comes to the Everhart for a special presentation on the Knox Mine Disaster, the catastrophic mine flood in Jenkins Township, PA in 1959, and will showcase a variety of artifacts from the event. Guests will learn about the region’s coal history while enjoying a fine selection of beers and seltzers from Susquehanna Brewing Co. and listening to tunes by Lex Romane.
Next, on Saturday, February 1, the Everhart is teaming up with the Chris Murley and Banks Ries of the Underground Miners to hold a free video screening and discussion about the closure of one of the last operating deep anthracite mines in NEPA: “The 7-Foot Slope” in New Philadelphia. After the presentation, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., there will be free tours of the Brooks Coal Mine Tour directly behind the Everhart Museum.
Something new we are bringing to the Museum on Tuesday, January 21 is the Everhart Wild Game Dinner by Lupo Rosso. Embark on a culinary adventure with exotic flavors expertly crafted into mouth-watering dishes, all enjoyed within the setting of the Everhart’s natural history galleries. In addition to the delicious dinner menu, there will also be drinks and a bourbon tasting.
A cultural day trip
A highly successful event series introduced in 2024 and making its return in 2025 is the Everhart Express bus trip series, a hassle-free excursion to some of the world’s finest museums and cultural attractions within a day trip of Scranton. On Sunday, January 26, we kick off the year with a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. While this event has sold out, we are pleased to say that we are planning another trip to a cultural destination in New York City in March; so, stay tuned for details, and do not miss out!
On Thursday, February 6, Funny Wine Girl Jeannine Luby comes back to the Everhart for Galentine’s in the Gallery, an evening of wine, chocolate, and stand-up comedy. Celebrate the spirit of Valentine’s Day with your gal pals by enjoying the hilarious comedy of Funny Wine Girl Jeannine Luby and her friends Micki Orlowsky and Emily Epstein White.
Plenty more is in the works for this winter, so be sure to check back as new exciting events are announced!
Education at the Everhart
Family time at the Everhart
Beginning in February, the Everhart is hosting drop-in workshops one Saturday per month. During these all-day workshops, included with Museum admission, children and their families can stop by at any time to work on arts and crafts with the guidance of Museum staff. Stay tuned for more details as workshops are announced for the year.
Supporting Young Artists
An important part of the Everhart mission is not just celebrating established artists, but supporting up-and-coming artists along their way. Since 2018, the Everhart has been proud to host the Scholastic Art Awards, the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens, for the Northeastern Pennsylvania region. This year, over 400 students grade 7–12 from area high schools submitted paintings, photography, prints, sculpture, jewelry, mixed media, and more into the competition for the chance for regional, state, and national recognition. All of the region’s Gold Key Award winners will be featured in the Everhart’s Gold Key Award Exhibition in February, with Marywood University graciously agreeing to showcase all Silver Key Award and Honorable Mention pieces.
Get Registered for Summer Camp
Looking ahead, we’re gearing up for the return of Everhart Explorers Summer Camp. While summer is clearly a while off, registration is set to open soon, and the camp is expected to sell out quickly. Starting in July, the series of two separate week-long camps will immerse campers in natural history, science, and art through engaging hands-on experiences.
Check out everhart-museum.org, email info@everhart-museum.org, or call 570-346-7186 for more information on all the great things happening at the Everhart, and to register for events and programs. We hope to see you soon!
