From the Executive Director

Voices of the Revolution, a 1967 portfolio of 15 color woodcut prints by Philadelphia artist Edith Jaffy Kaplan, was exhibited at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence to commemorate the postwar Civil Rights Movement.
Photo, Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission

One of the many things we do at the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission is support the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence at 2035 North Front Street in Harrisburg. We assist with exhibitions there, some of which feature selections from our art and decorative arts collections, others that highlight our historical objects. We also help facilitate loans from other institutions for exhibitions.

Each administration has its own approach to using the Governor’s Residence. Under the Shapiro administration, it is a family home and a place of government business. It is also a place to highlight the commonwealth’s history, connecting visitors with Pennsylvania and its people, places and stories.

In the last 18 months, we have mounted several exhibitions at the Governor’s Residence. In January 2023 PHMC presented watercolors by Nick Ruggieri that depict iconic scenes from counties across Pennsylvania; the series, completed in 1975, was commissioned by the Harrisburg Patriot-News for the U.S. Bicentennial celebration and was subsequently donated to PHMC in 2010. We also installed Voices of the Revolution, a series of color woodcuts by Philadelphia artist Edith Jaffy Kaplan to mark Black History Month; this limited-edition series included a preface by Bayard Rustin and illustrations of important moments in the Civil Rights Movement. Last fall, in honor of the 300th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s arrival in Philadelphia, PHMC collaborated with the State Library of Pennsylvania and Bucks County Historical Society (BCHS) to showcase Franklin books and printed materials, as well as Franklin-related art; BCHS loaned an 18th-century “Pennsylvania Fire-Place” — a Franklin invention and the only one known in existence — for the exhibition. Most recently, for this year’s Black History Month, we installed a series of photos by Charles “Teenie” Harris, a noted photographer who documented Black Pittsburgh life and events for the Pittsburgh Courier in the mid-20th century. All these exhibits have provided windows into Pennsylvania’s past.

Over this past Hanukkah, PHMC shared two menorahs from its collection with the Governor’s Residence. The older menorah, dating from the 19th century and used by the Harrisburg Jewish community, was loaned for display. The newer menorah was a memorial menorah presented to Gov. Tom Wolf by the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in the wake of the massacre there; the plaque on this menorah is inscribed with the words, “REMEMBER REBUILD RENEW.” These two objects were at the Residence while the Shapiro family was holding events and hosting visitors at their new home in Harrisburg. Guests included survivors of the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue and of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. During their visit over Hanukkah, the survivors participated in lighting the Tree of Life menorah.

One does not need to have been in attendance to imagine the emotion of that moment. Stewarded from generation to generation, artifacts are tangible links to Pennsylvanians who came before and led us to this point and to those who stand next to us now. Especially at this moment, when divisions are all around us, they can serve as emotional touchstones and help us find perspective and, at times, peace. At PHMC we are honored to be a part of this work, knowing we do not do this alone, and we thank our many partners across the state for their contributions.

Andrea Lowery
Executive Director, PHMC