250 Community Day: We the People - Palmer Museum of Art

Schedule

Thursday, July 2 | Free, drop-in, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Purple-toned image of people of all ages and races walking every which way in a crowded art gallery.

All Day

Throughout the day, visitors of all ages are invited to:

explore the Invitational, which features works by Penn State students, staff, faculty, and alumni as well as local and regional artists.
get creative with a button-making activity in the Event Space
join a community art activity in the Mimi Barash Coppersmith Studio Classroom
enjoy snacks and light refreshments

Free parking all day!

11 a.m. | 250 American Plant Walk at the Arboretum

Large tree with many branches and green leaves, backgrounded by blue sky. Start the day with a plant walk at the Arboretum to celebrate the semi-quincentennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Begin the guided walk at the Overlook Pavilion led by Arboretum program coordinator and plant nerd Rebecca Horwitt. Discover the surprising stories of plants that sparked the American Revolution and sustained the soldiers of the Continental Army.

Noon to 4 p.m. | Food

A large ice cream cone with white ice cream marbled with brown and a smiling figured holding the cone blurred in the background.

Free ice cream from the Penn State Berkey Creamery, hot dogs from Brown Dog Catering, and cookies from the Penn State Bakery will be available!

1 p.m. | Historical Declarations

Enjoy public readings of notable historical declarations by political activists performed by community leaders, Palmer staff, and others. The readings will include ASL interpretation by interpretor Gary Thomas.

Readings:

“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” | Frederick Douglass, 1852
Charles Dumas, political activist, actor, and professor emeritus from Penn State
The Declaration of Independence | 1776
State College Mayor Ezra Nanes
King George III speech to Parliament | October 31, 1776
Michael Waldhier, managing director and executive doctorate of business administration in the Penn State Smeal College of Business
“A Man’s a Man for a’ That” | Robert Burns, 1795
Bronwyn Flemming, educator for public programs at the Palmer Museum of Art
“Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions” | Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and the Women’s Rights Convention, 1848
Joyce Robinson, assistant director at the Palmer Museum of Art
“The Working Class Declaration of Independence” | W. A. Corey, July 4, 1902
Elaine Meder-Wilgus, President of Webster’s Bookstore Café
“I Have a Dream” | Martin Luther King Jr., 1963
Charles Dumas, political activist, actor, and professor emeritus from Penn State

6 p.m. | Gallery Conversation

Purple outline around text that says "Dreaming American Futures: Invitational 250" with the words "dreaming" and "futures" in purple, each letter in "American" made out of separate artworks, and "Invitational 250" in white on a purple bar.

Engage with local artists and thinkers during a special community reading and gallery conversation with Dreaming American Futures artists to explore themes of change, connection, happiness, and the ongoing work of building a more perfect union. The conversation will include Jeremy David Engels,  Liberal Arts Endowed Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences and author of On Mindful Democracy: A Declaration of Interdependence to Mend a Fractured World (Parallax, 2026), and Assistant Director Joyce Robinson.