Penn Museum welcomes you to ‘The Year of the Dragon,’ Wellness Wednesdays, and a potpourri of offerings for 2024

Welcome to the Year of the Dragon! “Embrace its fiery energy radiating growth and abundance.”

“With year-round happenings offering recharge and lifelong learning in-person and online, the Penn Museum is here to energize and inspire you and your family throughout 2024.”

As a practitioner of Hatha Yoga since my junior year in college and Feldenkrais for decades, I was delighted to read of Penn Museum’s plans for January 3 and subsequent “Wellness Wednesdays.”

Under the rubric of “Get Energized in the New Year,” beginning with the first Wednesday of January, visitors will enrich and enliven themselves in the galleries and gardens transformed into a sanctuary of self-care.

Monikered as “Mind and Mood Recharge,” participants can get a monthly dose of wellness on first Wednesdays in the galleries with an uplifting array of health-centric options including a botanical bar, wellness marketplace, and a monthly rotation of all-levels wellness activities from local practitioners of yoga, meditation, expressive arts, and more.

For example, at 6 p.m. on January 3, enjoy an all-levels class brought to you by Three Queens Yoga whose studio practice is grounded in equity, social justice, and community and whose founding philosophy seeks to make yoga accessible and inclusive for diverse communities in Philadelphia.

All-levels means no experience necessary. A limited supply of yoga mats will be provided so attendees are encouraged to BYO mats.

“Healing Sound Bath Meditation” begins at 7 p.m., “to experience a deeply relaxing and meditative journey of healing and self-discovery led by Eunmi Chang, a 250HR Certified Sound Healer and registered yoga instructor.

“Everything in the universe, including the human body, is composed of vibrations. This unique offering of ‘Healing Sound Bath Meditation’ will involve ‘Tibetan singing bowls believed to stimulate the immune system and promote changes in brain waves.’

“Deeply connected to her traditional Buddhist upbringing, Eunmi will guide you to attune to these vibrations, achieving profound relaxation and a deep sense of peace and well-being.”

Intriguing and continuing opportunities are available for a brand-new virtual lecture series, “Archaeology in Action,” highlighting Penn Museum’s leading researchers elaborating on the latest findings from archaeological projects across the globe, including video highlights of research in the field.

Featured in October 2023 was an exciting update to the Penn Museum “Great Lectures Series,” kicked off with a live talk online with Near Eastern archaeologist Dr. Michael Danti, one of the Penn Museum field directors in Iraq, who shared new details about the discovery of the Mashqi Gate at the ancient site of Nineveh.

Also slated are talks about a monumental citadel gate in modern Turkey, discovered traces of a 19th-century Yucatan Mexican rebellion, and explorations and a new look into ancient city life in India.

For 2024, on Wednesday, January 10, “Human Impact on the Landscape of Ancient South India,” a part of this brand-new virtual lecture series, will connect participants to the myriad facets of urban experience in ancient India.

“Endowed with a diverse climate which affected its agricultural practices and civilization, several of the world’s largest cities developed in peninsular India, including in semi-arid regions where farming could be challenging.

“Dr. Kathleen D. Morrison shares her work at the intersection of archaeology and climate research.

“The South Indian Landscape Trajectories project aims to understand growth and decline of cities in southern India over the last 2,000 years.

“Using new mapping techniques and scientific analysis of ancient environments, as well as traditional archaeological research, you will learn how city life affected farming, food, and regional environments in ways that still resonate today.”

The engaging family event titled “Up Late with the Sphinx” on Saturday, January 13, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., is for kids and adults who answer “yes!” to the question “Have you ever wanted to explore the museum galleries after dark?

“Sign up, through advance registration, to explore Penn Museum’s curated galleries during ‘Up Late with the Sphinx’ for an evening filled with games and gallery activities.

“Drop into a hands-on workshop and make something special to take home, then finish your evening with a flashlight tour through the Museum. Each ticket includes a special Penn Museum patch. This program is best suited for children ages 6-12.”

“Second Sunday Culture Films is an independent documentary film series from a diverse array of international artists. Screenings are followed by discussion with the filmmakers.

“Indigenous activists everywhere are attempting to steer the world away from climate collapse. The films in this year’s series depict efforts to reclaim land in order to save all beings on the earth and for a more livable future.

“The series is curated by film archivist Kate Pourshariati in association with the Wolf Humanities Center’s 2023—2024 Forum on Revolution.

“This year’s theme is Land Back where artists capture the complex stories of human interactions with their environment, social justice, and overcoming marginalization.”

Please note, screenings will be held in person in the Museum’s Rainey Auditorium.

On Sunday, January 14, 2 p.m., “Arctic Defenders” Directed by John Walker, 2013, 90 min.

Arctic Defenders tells the story of the creation of the Inuit-governed territory Nunavut and the young, radical Inuit determined to redraw political boundaries and reclaim their land.

Inuk activist Oo Apik and filmmaker John Walker investigate the Canadian government’s attempts to assert its sovereignty in the High Arctic, while finding hope and inspiration in the stories from the Defenders who established the largest territorial re-visioning in western civilization.

The screening is followed by a conversation with filmmaker John Walker and other film participants.

On Saturday, January 27, to wholeheartedly celebrate “The Year of the Dragon,” bring the whole family “to learn about vibrant Asian traditions.

Families will hear a storytelling session from The American Center for Asian Students, experience Martial Arts and Tai Qi, explore Lunar New Year paper lantern making, and so much more.

You do not want to miss the Grande Finale when the University of Pennsylvania’s Premier Traditional Chinese Lion Dance Troupe performs the traditional Lion Dance!

Mark your calendar to register for these wonderful, rejuvenating, and uplifting experiences at Penn Museum 2024.

Mary Brown, a Penn Museum Docent since 2012, teaches Latin at Saint Joseph’s University and is a weekly columnist for Main Line Media News.