 Hinda Schuman (Philadelphia, PA), Crowder-Michael’s Family, 2024. Archival pigment print; 20” x 30” (on view in The Photo Review: Best in Show 2026 at Maguire Hall beginning October 10, 2026)As the air turns crisp and the leaves begin their colorful transformation, October is the perfect time to make your way to Woodmere. Whether you’re looking for art, music, learning, or a breath of fresh air, something is waiting for you. So, grab a sweater, bring your curiosity, and make October a month for discovering something new at Woodmere. The Photo Review: Best in Show 2026 opens October 10 and debuts in the Works on Paper Gallery at Maguire Hall. Throughout the month, fill your calendar with intriguing talks and lectures, engaging docent-led tours (FREE with admission!), and hands-on workshops and classes that invite you to get creative. Local jewelers will also have a chance to shine at Woodmere’s first-ever Jewelry Trunk Show on October 22, where artisans and galleries from across the city will make their adornments available for viewing and purchasing. Prefer to enjoy autumn outdoors? Wander through 10 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds to discover WOW—Woodmere’s Outdoor Wonder—where art, nature, and a little fall magic meet. And the front lawn at Smith Hall is graced with the beloved Straw Maze, delighting happy children of all ages. Looking ahead…Guess who turns one on November 1st? Don’t miss the Maguire Hall Birthday Bash on Sunday, November 1 from 10 am to 5 pm. Enjoy FREE admission, circus performances, a jazz dance party, and so much more!   Docent Tour: Woodmere’s Jewelry VaultThursday, October 8 | 2 pm – 3 pmMaguire Hall, 9001 Germantown Avenue Step inside Maguire Hall’s former jewelry vault and uncover a glittering story of Philadelphia’s past and present. When the Harrison family called Maguire Hall home, this secure space safeguarded silverware, important papers, heirlooms, gold, silver, and other treasured possessions. Today, the vault protects a different kind of treasure: Woodmere’s collection of jewelry arts. Join Woodmere docent Betsy Cutler for an illuminating tour of Philadelphia’s first dedicated jewelry gallery. Discover the remarkable artists, intricate craftsmanship, and unexpected stories behind the works. Register here.  Sara Allen (Philadelphia, PA), Neck in Evening Sunlight, 2023. Archival pigment print; 17.5”x 11.”Opening: The Photo Review: Best in Show 2026Saturday, October 10 | 2 pm – 4 pmMaguire Hall, 9001 Germantown Avenue This exhibition presents the work of the prizewinners of the 2026 International Photography Competition, organized annually by The Photo Review, a critical journal of national scope and international readership. This year’s juror is Dr. Sarah Kennel, the inaugural Aaron Siskind Curator of Photography and Director of the Raysor Center for Works on Paper at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Refreshments will be served in the dining room at Maguire Hall and the exhibition will be on view in the Works on Paper Gallery on Floor 3 of Maguire Hall. Register here.  Not Just FlowersThursday, October 15 | 2 pm – 3 pmMaguire Hall, 9001 Germantown Avenue Spend time closely looking at the beautiful explosion of shapes and colors in Abstract Bouquet by Arthur B. Carles at Woodmere’s Maguire Hall,with Docent Jacquie Mahon. Learn more about still lifes, the abstract art movement, as well as early masters of these art forms. Register here.  Docent Tour: A Taste of Maguire HallSaturday, October 17 & 24 | 11 am – 12 pmSaturday, October 24 | 1 pm – 2 pmMaguire Hall, 9001 Germantown Avenue Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the wonders of Woodmere’s Frances M. Maguire Hall with our expert guides. We offer docent-led tours to visitors who want in-depth information about works of art on display. Check in at the front desk for a deeper appreciation of our exhibitions and the history of the Museum. The tour is included with admission. Register here.  Lecture: Nature Has Something to Teach Us: Reframing American Landscapes at The Metropolitan Museum of ArtSaturday, October 17 | 2 pm – 3:30 pmSmith Hall, 9201 Germantown Avenue Join Caroline Gillaspie, Assistant Curator of American Paintings and Drawing, Metropolitan Museum of Art, to learn how visitors to The Met’s American Wing experience nineteenth-century landscape paintings. Gillaspie’s recent reinstallation of the American landscape galleries at The Met aims to foreground historic and present-day environmental concerns, Indigenous perspectives and ecological knowledge, and varying attitudes toward our responsibility to the land. The galleries include the loans of a Frederic Church homage to Thomas Cole and a Kay WalkingStick painting. Dr. Gillaspie will discuss her display and interpretive strategies for this refresh, and how the work is always ongoing. Register here.  Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth PerformanceSunday, October 18 | 2 pm – 3:30 pmSmith Hall, 9201 Germantown Avenue Join us for a special performance with The Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth (PMAY) Artists’ Initiative, a collaboration of Philadelphia music institutions that support students from underrepresented backgrounds in the orchestra field. PMAY’s goal is to increase diversity in American professional music, especially in orchestras. FREE; register here.  Knowing Joy: Remembering Moe BrookerModerated by Leslie King Hammond and Bill Valerio, with Syd Carpenter and Barisford BootheSaturday, October 24 | 2 pm – 3:30 pmSmith Hall, 9201 Germantown Avenue Join us for a lively panel discussion celebrating the life, work, and joyful spirit of Moe Brooker. Artists, colleagues, and friends who knew Brooker will share personal stories and reflections on his creative practice, influence, and enduring legacy. Register here.  An Evening with Matthew Olivier: Exploring the Codex AlgorithmWednesday, October 28 | 5 pm – 7 pmSmith Hall, 9201 Germantown Avenue Join us for an evening with Matthew Olivier, a Canadian visual and conceptual artist with major practices in painting and writing, as we celebrate the launch of 5 works on view in our galleries, highlighted in Codex Algorithm, the major conceptual artwork of his career. Reading paintings from across the historical record as early instances of the attention-engineering now formalized by the algorithmic feed, Codex Algorithm is a long-form sequence of algorithmic essays — short films and writings, all by the artist’s hand. The narrator’s voice is a deliberate mask, rendered through synthesis. Register here. CALENDAR  Friday Night Jazz A few tickets remain for the Fall | Winter session…get your tickets TODAY! WRTI is a partner for Music at Woodmere. Friday Night Jazz is offered in partnership with LifeLine Music Coalition.  Future Moments: The Music of Ornette ColemanFriday, October 23 | 6 – 7:30 pmSmith Hall, 9201 Germantown Ave Ornette Coleman boldly moved beyond the conventions of his time, helping to reshape the future of jazz. His innovative approach opened new possibilities for improvisation, expression, and musical freedom. Experience landmark compositions such as “Lonely Woman” and “The Shape of Jazz to Come.” Register here. FALL JAZZ  Tuesday Nights at the Movies On Tuesday nights, Woodmere’s main gallery is transformed into an intimate setting for screenings of rare and underseen films as well as classics. Tuesday Nights at the Movies is presented with the Chestnut Hill Film Group and sponsored by the Chestnut Hill Local. Donations suggested.  Breathless (1960, 90 min) Tuesday, October 6 | 7 – 9 pm(Doors open at 6:30 pm)Smith Hall, 9201 Germantown Ave Jean-Luc Godard’s groundbreaking French New Wave classic stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as a small-time criminal on the run and Jean Seberg as the young American woman he loves. Shot on the streets of Paris with jump cuts, handheld cameras, and an irreverent disregard for cinematic convention, “Breathless” helped change the language of movies. Presented in French with English subtitles. FILM Children & TeensCheck out the NEW flexible drop-in hours for the Children’s Artmaking program at the Children’s Studio in the Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art and Education! Children’s Artmaking Saturdays and Sundays, 10 am – 5 pm, Drop in for a 90-minute activity$5/child Woodmere Family Members; $10/child Individual Level Members; $10/child, Non-MembersMaguire Hall, MacDonald Family Children’s Studio9001 Germantown Ave Join us at Woodmere’s Children’s Studio at the Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art and Education. Art projects in the studio will change on a weekly basis. Visit often to create a variety of different artworks! Register here. CHILDREN | TEEN CLASSESAdult Classes & Workshops Try something NEW this October! Register soon to secure a spot in a class and/or workshop. Make a Felted Eyeglass CaseIn partnership with Mount Airy Learning Tree Saturday, October 10 | 1 pm – 5 pm$74/student + $5 materials fee payable to the instructor; OPTIONAL $25 Materials Fee for Fiber Adult Studio Building, 9201 Germantown Ave Give your eyeglasses a cozy new home—and give yourself a chance to play with fiber, color, and creativity! In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn the basics of wet felting, transforming soft fibers into a one-of-a-kind handmade glasses case. From loose fibers to a finished piece, discover the wonderfully tactile process of felting as you work with your hands, experiment with texture and color, and watch something new take shape. Come felt, have fun, and leave with something you made yourself! Register here.Create Traditional African Batik & Adire Textiles In partnership with Mount Airy Learning Tree Saturday, October 17 | 1 pm – 4 pm$95/student + $30 materials fee payable to the instructor for fabric, wax, and dyes Adult Studio Building, 9201 Germantown Ave Take a creative journey into batik and adire (tie-dye) textile-making with expert artist Muyiwa, drawing inspiration from his Yoruba roots and Nigerian heritage. Learn to apply hot wax and vibrant dyes to 100% cotton, creating intricate patterns and motifs inspired by African textile traditions. Bring your own creative voice to your designs or explore traditional African patterns to create a unique cotton fabric or shirt. By the end of the class, you’ll have a vibrant textile that reflects the beauty and cultural significance of African traditions. Register here. ADULT CLASSES  SPECIAL Jewelry Trunk Show Thursday, October 22 | 1 pm – 5 pmSmith Hall, 9201 Germantown Avenue Visit us at the first-ever Jewelry Trunk Show at Woodmere! This one-day-only special event is your chance to peruse and purchase jewelry by local artists, surrounded by art. Jewelry artists and gallery representatives include: Doug Bucci & Tyler School of Art, Caleb Meyer Studio, Cooke & Berlinger, FordForlano Art Jewelry, Gravers Lane Gallery, Gross McCleaf Gallery, InLiquid, Paz Sandoval, and John Wind Jewelry. Learn more here.   Listen with Your Eyes: A Moe Brooker RetrospectiveOn view at Smith Hall  Wild Sight: Thomas Chimes on the Edge of the RationalOn view at Maguire Hall  Arc of PromiseOn view at Smith Hall  |
| Woodmere | 9201 Germantown Avenue | Philadelphia, PA 19118 US |
