Athenæum's Community
Athenæum members and neighbors gathered as a community more than ever before in FY2025.
Programs
Our most popular programs highlighted local voices with topics and stories that were based in Philadelphia and beyond.
Liz Moore: The God of the Woods
In July, the Reading Room was full of excitement as members and friends attended Liz Moore’s book launch for her newest novel The God of the Woods.
Thomas Sully: Portraits of Philadelphia
In the spring, we welcomed former Executive Director Peter Conn for a lecture exploring Thomas Sully’s portraits as visual documents of the people, institutions, and events that shaped Philadelphia from the Revolution until the 1840s.
Remembering History: Japanese American Incarceration
Later in the year, Executive Director Beth Hessel and Brad Pearson hosted a conversation about the federal government's incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.
Learning & Community Groups
We’ve continued to expand small-group learning experiences, many of which have been created by our members, building communities of learning.
Expanded Spanish Conversation Group with additional meeting times
Introduced French Conversation Group
Socrates Café – tackling life’s big questions
Salon – learning about issues affecting Philadelphia
Young Friends “Bring Your Own Book Review” Club – sharing recent reads
Fiction Writing Courses led by Leigh Gallagher
Partnerships & Collaborations
Our partnerships helped us reach new audiences and strengthened both The Athenaeum and our fellow institutions.
Philadelphia Film Society: Film screening of Party Girl (1995) with Q&A featuring writer/producer Harry Birckmayer
Collage Philadelphia: 3-month celebration featuring two exhibitions, monthly collage workshops for all ages, and a two-day Symposium with talks by Alex DaCorte & Kensuke Koike
Ongoing multi-year partners: African American Children’s Book Project, Allegro Music Consultants, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society, PI-Philly & Italian Consul
BalletX: Conversation with Rehearsal Director Keelan Whitmore & choreographer Jennifer Archibald ahead of Maslow’s Peak premiere
programs
Attendance
From intimate small-group gatherings to major artistic collaborations, 2024 was a year of learning, creativity and connection for our community.
program overview
Speaker Series
Speaker Series
conversation groups
conversation groups
Book Clubs
Book Clubs
workshops & programs
workshops & programs
exhibitions
exhibitions
First Fridays
First Fridays
Music Concerts
Music Concerts
behind-the-scenes trips
behind-the-scenes trips
membership
The Athenæum’s membership has continued to grow steadily this year, a trend we have seen over the past five years.
By the end of FY25, The Athenæum had 2,986 members as part of our community, a 12.5% increase over FY24. We surpassed the 2,500 member mark in November 2024. Thanks to our unprecedented growth, The Athenæum is more lively than it has been in many years. 25% of The Athenæum’s membership is currently under the age of 35.
Growth by Year
What is membership?
The Athenæum was founded at a time before the free library system existed. Membership was used as a way to raise funds so that those outside of university and college systems could have access to books and useful knowledge. Much like when we were founded, the funds from membership go towards keeping our historic library running. This includes the purchase of books and other resources, maintenance on our beloved building, and providing stimulating programs to our members and the public. Members of The Athenæum are a part of a unique community that values intellectual curiosity. Historically, members have included Shareholders and Subscribers. In more recent years, The Athenæum has added Young Friends and Student categories of membership.