Offered In Partnership with Interfaith Philadelphia’s “Religious Freedom Then & Now: Exploring Interfaith Understanding in Philadelphia” series

Registration

• Admission for this tour is $35. Members receive exclusive discounts on our programs and courses. Not a member? Learn more.

• Please check your spam folder for your email confirmation. If you have questions, please call (215) 732-1600 or email rsvp@rosenbach.org.

• This program is for those 18 and older.

• To promote access to onsite and virtual Rosenbach experiences, we offer scholarships for each Signature Program. To inquire, email Associate Curator and Manager of Public Programs Bryn Michelson-Ziegler at bziegler@rosenbach.org.

• Registration opens for Delancey Society members on September 17th, for Rosenbach members on September 24th, and for the general public on October 1st.

Description

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we recognize the role religious freedom played in colonial American experience and the newly independent United States. As we look at early printed texts from the Rosenbach’s collection, we will discuss how faith-related narratives were transmitted through time and across geography and became part of the American story. The objects represent early Chinese religious philosophy, Indigenous culture in early New England, ancient pantheism, as well as Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths. We’ll uncover historic moments of interfaith engagement that might help us consider opportunities for action and hope in the present. 

Participants need only curiosity and enthusiasm; no specialized language skills or historical knowledge are required. 

Participants will be invited to visit the Rosenbach’s Treasures: History & Literature of the Americas gallery as part of this program.

About the Facilitators 

Judy Guston, Curator and Director of Collections Emerita at the Rosenbach Museum & Library, is an independent museum and special collections consultant. Judy holds a BA in Classics from Smith College, an MA in Classical Philology from Yale University, and an MA in Early American Material Culture from the Winterthur Program at the University of Delaware. Judy currently consults with non-profits and individuals, providing advice, research, writing, lectures and programs.   

Rev. Dr. John Hougen has coordinated The Art of Interfaith Understanding for Interfaith Philadelphia since 2016. The series is supported by the Office of Community Engagement at the Philadelphia Museum of Art where John is a volunteer tour guide.  John holds a BA in Sociology from Luther College (Iowa), an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School, and a PhD in Religion and Literature from the University of Virginia. His special interest is in the intersection of art and spirituality. 

Sponsor

2026 American History programming is generously sponsored by Elizabeth H. Gemmill.

This program is part of “The People’s Friend: Civic Dialogues at the Rosenbach.” As the United States reckons with civic divisions, the Rosenbach is doing its part to create opportunities to learn, grow, and heal together. In this Semiquincentenniel year, the Rosenbach invites our community to learn about history and build a bright future, together.