Art Museums & Institutions

African American Museum 701 Arch St.; 215-574-0380. www.aampmuseum.org. The first institution built by a major U.S. city to house & interpret the life & work of African Americans. African American & the Labor Union - Panel discussion on the history of the labor movement in Philadelphia. To be broadcast live on WURD. 9/4 8 am-noon. Family Fun Days - Historical scavenger hunts, storytelling, music, crafts & more, themed around the 'Audacious Freedom' exhibit. 9/5-9/6 11 am-4 pm. Audacious Freedom: African Americans in Philadelphia (1776-1876) - Life-sized, 3-D characters share stories & timeline chronicles 100 years of achievements & tradition. Ongoing. $8; $6 children & seniors. Tue.-Sat. 10 am-5 pm, Sun. noon-5 pm.

Barnes Foundation 300 North Latchs La., Merion; 610-667-0290. www.barnesfoundation.org. Work by Matisse, Van Gogh, other impressionists & post-impressionists. Guided Garden Tours of the Arboretum - Tours may be canceled due to inclement weather. $12 (RSVP required). Fri.-Sun. 9:30 am-5 pm.

Berman Museum of Art Main St., Collegeville; 610-409-3500. www.ursinus.edu/berman. Philadelphia/Tri-State Artists Equity 60th Anniversary Exhibition - Over 80 2-D & 3-D works. Closes 9/4. Henry Moore: Muriel's Moores - Featuring some of Moore's lithographs, etchings & drawings that were collected by Muriel Berman. Opening reception 9/10. Closes 11/15. Donations accepted. Tue.-Fri. 10 am-4 pm; Sat.-Sun. noon-4:30 pm. Closed Mon. & college holidays.

Brandywine River Museum Rte. 1 & Rte. 100, Chadds Ford; 610-388-2700. www.brandywinemuseum.org. Fruits of Summer: 19th-Century American Still Life - Over 50 works of art. Closes 9/7. Tours of N.C. Wyeth House & Studio - See where N.C. Wyeth worked & where he raised his family. Includes a display of still lifes by Wyeth & his family. $5. Closes 11/22. Free on Sundays through 9/27. $10; $6 seniors, students & children 6-12; free for children under 6. Daily 9:30 am-4:30 pm.

1st Fri Chemical Heritage Foundation 315 Chestnut St.; 215-925-2178. www.chemheritage.org. First Friday Reception. 9/4 5-8 pm. Slowlife - Multimedia exhibit using time-lapse photography & film to show how plants react to their environments. Closes 12/31. Making Modernity - How chemistry influences everday life. Scentific tools, papers, art & more. Ongoing. Mon.-Fri. 10 am-4 pm.

1st Fri Delaware Art Museum 2301 Kentmere Pkwy., Wilmington; 302-571-9590. www.delart.org. Art on the Town - First Friday event. Free admission & cash bar. 9/4 4-8 pm. Luminaria Labyrinth Walks - Information on the history of labyrinths & opportunity to walk through the museum's candlelit labyrinth. Donations accepted. 9/4 6-8 pm. Glory of Stories - Fri. 10:30 am. $3. John Sloan in Philadelphia & New York - Work by the realist painter. Closes 9/20. Exposed! Revealing Sources in Contemporary Art - Paintings/prints/photos paired with images of the art &/or pop culture item they reference. Closes 10/4. Illustrating Her World: Ellen B.T. Pyle - Overview of Pyle's work, including some of her 40 Saturday Evening Post covers. Closes 1/3. $12; $10 seniors; $6 students & children 7-18; free for children 6 & under; $25 family of 4; free for everyone on Sun. Wed.-Sat. 10 am-4 pm; Sun. noon-4 pm.

*FREE* Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts 200 S. Madison St., Wilmington; 302-656-6466. www.thedcca.org. Rule 10 for the MFA 5 + 1 - Work by artists from various DE/MD/PA/NJ MFA programs & video art by an additional artist. Closes 9/9. Dylan Beck: Co-Modify - Architecture-influenced sculptures incorporating steel, metal paint & other materials. Closes 10/4. Heather Harvey: Fractious Happy - Site-specific installation featuring plaster shapes & layers created on the gallery walls. Closes 10/11. Hratch Babikian: Origins, Visited - Made with stones, metal, paper & wood, Babikian's jewelry has both ancient & modern feels to it. Closes 10/18. Allen Bentley: Turning Swiftly Through - Paintings of couples hitting the dance floor. Closes 11/2. Zoe Charlton: Imitation of a Life - Images of women in provocative poses & Klan hoods. Intended as commentary on the act of "passing." Closes 11/15. Tue., Thu.-Sat. 10 am-5 pm, Wed. & Sun. noon-5 pm.

The Fabric Workshop & Museum 1222 Arch St.; 215-568-1111. www.fabricworkshopandmuseum.org. Tristin Lowe, Virgil Marti, Peter Rose & Ryan Trecartin Exhibit: New works. Closes 11/30. Donation suggested: $3; free for children under 12. Mon.-Fri. 10 am-6 pm; Sat. noon-4 pm.

*FREE* Institute of Contemporary Art 118 S. 36th St.; 215-898-7108. www.icaphila.org. Odili Donald Odita: Third Space - Site-specific temporary work for the ramp that links 1st & 2nd floor galleries. Closes 12/6. Wed.-Fri. noon-8 pm, Sat.-Sun. 11 am-5 pm.

James A. Michener Art Museum 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown; 215-340-9800. www.michenerartmuseum.org. Carole Frances Lung: Hired Out - Prison cell installation created on-site, w/ walls & ceiling woven from inmate's clothing & donated clothes. Closes 10/18. Painting the People - Paintings primarily from the 1920's-1940's depicting the everyday life of Americans. Closes 10/18. Michael Grothusen: Life's Joys - Life's Disappointments - Outdoor sculpture inspired by trophies, public memorials, fountains & other commemorative items. Closes 10/18. An Evolving Legacy: 20 Years of Collecting at the Michener - Over 100 pieces from the permanent collection. Closes 1/3. An Independent Spirit: The Art & Life of R.A.D. Miller - Landscape/impressionist work by Bucks County artist. Closes 1/3. $6.50; $6 seniors; $4 students 6-18; free for children under 6, military & family. Tue.-Fri. 10 am-4:30 pm; Sat. 10 am-5 pm; Sun. noon-5 pm.

La Salle University Art Museum 1900 W. Olney Ave.; 215-951-1221. www.lasalle.edu/museum. Second Annual Exhibiton of Artwork by Faculty Artists. Closes 9/23. Donations accepted. Mon.-Fri. 10 am-4 pm; Sun. 2 pm-4 pm.

Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts 1048 Washington St., Cape May; 609-884-5404. www.capemaymac.org. What Were They Thinking: 160 Years of Bad Taste - Exhibit on how styles have changed with the times. Closes 11/8. $2; $1 children 3-12. Call for times.

Museum Square - Johnson Victrola Museum 375 S. New St., Dover; 302-739-4266. history.delaware.gov/museums/jvm/jvm_main.shtml. Looking Back at Labor Day - Learn more about early 20th century factories in America, specifically The Victor Talking Machine Company. 9/5 11 am-3 pm.

Noyes Museum of Art 733 Lily Lake Rd., Oceanville; 609-652-8848. www.noyesmuseum.org. Signature Artists Exhibition 2009 - Works in a wide range of media by 28 Signature Artist Members. Closes 9/13. Currents: Recent Acquisitions From the Permanent Collection - Work by New Jersey Print & Paper Fellowship recipients, paintings by Hulda Robbins & sculpture by Myra Yedwab. Closes 10/4. David Ahlsted: Reality Reconstructed - Colorful large-scale paintings of landscapes & still lifes. Closes 10/11. $4; $3 seniors, students; free for children under 6. Tue.-Sat. 10 am-4:30 pm, Sun. noon-5 pm.

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 118-128 N. Broad St.; 215-972-7600. www.pafa.org. Over 1,800 paintings, featuring some of the most important & recognizable works in American art. Elizabeth Osborne: The Color of Light - Comprehensive survey of Osborne's paintings. (add'l adm. required) Closes 9/20. Sidney Goodman: Man in the Mirror - First major exhibition focusing on Goodman's works on paper. Closes 9/20. Public Treasures/Private Visions - Work by 10 noted Hudson River School artists from private collectors & on loan from NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Closes 9/30. $10; $8 seniors & students; $6 youth 5-18; free for children under 5. Tue.-Sat. 10 am-5 pm; Sun. 11 am-5 pm.

Philadelphia Museum of Art 26th St. & Benjamin Franklin Pkwy.; 215-763-8100. www.philamuseum.org. Art After 5: Box Five - Rock band & string quartet team up to perform classical-flavored pop.Included in admission. 9/4 5-8:45 pm. Welcoming Change for Timothy Rub - Welcoming party for the museum's new director w/music by the Rude Mechanical Orchestra. Donations accepted. 9/6 2-3:30 pm. Spectacle: Photographs From the Collection - Exhibit on how photographers from the 1800's-today have documented spectacular events. Closes 9/7. Adventures in Modern Art: The Charles K. Williams II Collection - Approximately 100 works from the early 20th century. Closes 9/13. Ragas & Rajas: Musical Imagery of Courtly India - Exhibit showcasing how musicians have been depicted in Indian court scenes throughout the centuries. Closes 10/09. The Art of Japanese Craft: 1875 to the Present - Ceramics, lacquerware, wood sculpture, metalwork & paintings. Approx. 40 pieces. Closes 10/18. Notations: The Closing Decade - Works exemplifying the range of artistic practices commonly used from 1989-2001. Closes 10/25. Marcel Duchamp: Elant Donnes - Exhibit centered around Duchamp's 3D assemblage. Studies, photos & other related materials. Closes 11/29. $14; $12 seniors; $10 students & youth 13-18; free for children 12 & under. Tue.-Sun. 10 am-5 pm; Fri. 10 am-8:45 pm.

Philadelphia Museum of Art - Perelman Building Fairmount Ave.; 215-763-8100. www.philamuseum.org. A Taste for Modern - Selection of 23 chairs from an important group given to the museum by Jeanne Rymer. Closes 9/20. Visual Delight: Ornament & Pattern in Modern & Contemporary Design - Celebrates how ornament & pattern enhance the visual experience. W/approx. 30 items from the '60s-today. Closes 9/20. Shopping in Paris - Examples of Parisian fashion from between 1850 & WWI, as well as American fashions inspired by them. Closes 10/25. Henri Matisse & Modern Art on the French Riviera - 40 works from the Museum's collection & local private collections. Closes 10/25. $7. Tue.-Sun. 10 am-5 pm.

*FREE* Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art 615 N. Broad St.; 215-627-6747. www.rodephshalom.org. Contemporary art that illuminates the Jewish experience. Mon.-Thu. 10 am-4 pm; Fri. 10 am-2 pm; Sun. 10 am-noon.

Rodin Museum Franklin Parkway at 22nd St.; 215-763-8100. www.rodinmuseum.org. Sculptures, finished bronzes, plaster studies, drawings, prints, letters & books by French artist Auguste Rodin. Group Motion Multi Media Dance Theater: City Dances/Parkway - Dance group takes the audience on an iPod-enabled tour of the iconic works in the Rodin Museum's courtyard. Free. 9/9 & 9/10 noon. Public Tours - Tue., Thu. & Sun., 1st & 3rd Sat. 1:30 pm. Donation suggested: $3. Tue.-Sun. 10 am-5 pm.