The APS Museum is the only venue in Independence National Historical Park to host exhibitions exploring history, art, and science.  And, it's the newest temporary contemporary art venue in Philadelphia . . . that’s 260 years old.

UNDAUNTED: Five American Explorers, 1760-2006
The current exhibition invites you to experience stories of exploration through maps and models, scientific instruments and specimens, art and artifacts, rare books and manuscripts. Open through 28 December 2008.

UNEXPECTED: Contemporary Artists at the APS Museum
Site-specific art works, interactive performances and video journeys by three contemporary artists reinterpret the history and science of exploration.

When Benjamin Franklin and friends decided, in 1743, to establish the American Philosophical Society (APS), they studied nature and called themselves natural philosophers. Now we'd call them scientists. But the word "philosophical" stuck.

Over the years the APS has gathered and preserved a rich collection that traces American history and science from the Founding Fathers to the computer age. It includes scientific specimens and instruments, patent models, portraits, maps, art works, rare books, and more than ten million manuscripts. 

The APS Museum combines sophisticated exhibitions of its treasures with provocative works by contemporary artists. Come find challenging new perspectives on history, art, and science.