from Reading Public Museum
Collecting decisions for museums has historically fallen into the hands of a select few – museum directors, curators, and supporting committees. One of the Reading Public Museum’s most popular annual events – the Purchase Party – aims to change that by inviting the community to vote for the next item to join the permanent collection. The 10th Annual Purchase Party will be held on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 5:30 p.m. This year’s Purchase Party theme is Latinx artists. Four poignant works of art have been selected as possible acquisitions and will certainly bring stiff competition.
Collecting for the Reading Public Museum began in 1904 with the purchase of cultural materials from the St. Louis World’s Fair for educational use by Dr. Levi W. Mengel, a science teacher at the Reading Boys’ School (now Reading School District). By 1913, paintings were added to the budding collection, and in the decades that followed, thousands of objects were acquired per year, building a formidable and vast collection that can be considered one of the finest in the region today.
A century later, in 2012, The Museum’s Curatorial Department, along with the Collections Management Committee, created the Purchase Party to increase community involvement in decision-making. The Purchase Party premise is this: four to six artworks come to Reading from commercial art galleries and dealers across the United States, any of which would be a welcome addition to the permanent collection. On the night of the Purchase Party, all of the options are displayed for attendees to inspect and ponder, enjoying refreshments while socializing and listening to pitches from Museum employees and volunteers, explaining why each would be a great addition to the collection. Using “Mengel Voting Dollars,” attendees stuff ballot boxes to vote for their favorite work, and at the end of the night, the item with the most votes is announced and purchased. Within days, it makes its debut on The Museum’s walls. The event continues to grow in popularity, now including over 100 attendees and multiple local sponsors. To date, eight wonderful works have entered the collection as a result of the Purchase Parties.
Ashley Houston, Director of Collections and Exhibitions, commented: “As an institution that exists for the education, enjoyment, and enrichment of the entire community, it is important that our collection reflects the interests and preferences of our public. It is our hope that the community’s involvement in choosing a work to join the permanent collection will foster a sense of pride and connection between the public and their museum, as their participation helps to form and sustain this community gem for future generations.”
The 2023 Purchase Party has set high standards for this year’s event. A year ago, on a mid-November night, over 90 people filled the Jerome I. Marcus American Art Gallery, the room brimming with excitement and friendly competition as attendees listened to impassioned speeches about women artists, their struggles, and their careers. In the end, an oil on canvas titled Old Fashioned Dress by Susan Macdowell Eakins garnered the most votes and joined the permanent collection. Dr. Stanley Grabias and Quality Quinn Grabias were so moved by the first runner-up, Navajo Family by Martha Walter, that, for the first time in Purchase Party history, they generously funded the purchase of it as well. Both paintings, presently hanging in the Marcus American Art Gallery, will soon be joined by the 2024 Purchase Party winner.
If you would like to play a part in the excitement of choosing the next work to enter the Reading Public Museum’s permanent collection, please register to join us on Thursday, Nov. 14. To register, visit the Reading Public Museum website or email Sydney Ernst, Manager of Community Development and Social Media, at Sydney.Ernst@readingpublicmuseum.org. Individuals unable to attend are encouraged to vote for their favorite work at www.readingpublicmuseum.org.
The 2024 Purchase Party is generously supported by Dr. Kristen Angstadt; Michael and Jayme Rhoads; Dr. Seth and Barbara Rosenzweig; Sands & Company Real Estate; Dr. Richard and Mindy Small; and Univest.
The Reading Public Museum Foundation is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization established in 1991 to operate and manage the Reading Public Museum and its environs, including the Neag Planetarium and 25-acre Arboretum.
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