Historical Society Serves Up Film, Arts and Entertainment
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Like many other historical societies, the Chester County Historical Society provides history buffs with access to historic documents, antiques and artifacts documenting the region. But the society’s new Cultural Center is reinventing what the Historical Society does, creating a neighborhood center for social and cultural activities, including music, theater, dance, film and children’s programs.
“Our Cultural Center is a self-sustaining program within the Chester County Historical Society,” says center director Josh Barker. “We create partnerships with other community groups, such as the Business Improvement District, to bring programs that meet the community demand. We want to cross community demographics in order to have a wide variety.”
For example, partnering with the Chester County Film Festival, the Cultural Center hosts the best of independent films each Wednesday evening from September through February. Films are celebrated during the last weekend in April, when the Cultural Center serves as the location for an opening film party, followed by three days of screenings.
Dance performances by such groups as the Loose Screws Tap Company are very popular and demonstrate the center’s commitment to all forms of dance styles. “We’re bringing in a custom-built tap floor for this performance,” Barker says.
The American Harp Society is holding workshops at the center in 2008 and will cap those workshops with a Celtic harp performance.“We also plan and host interactive, historically interesting events,” Barker says, noting that as part of Black History Month in February, the center hosted an interactive multimedia performance about a slave who escapes to Canada.
In addition to offering a variety of cultural events, the Cultural Center is also available for rent, providing a much-needed location for conferences, corporate events, formal galas, meetings and fundraisers in Chester County, with the capacity for a 300-person cocktail reception or an intimate sit-down dinner. During the warmer months, renters have access to the outdoor patio space overlooking downtown West Chester.
“This is a very popular rental facility, especially for weddings and birthday parties,” Barker says.
More than 30,000 guests walk through the doors of the Chester County Historical Society each year.
“The creation of the Cultural Center was a means to utilize the space and provide more programs and services to the area’s residents,” explains Barker.
Founded in 1893, the Historical Society is the cornerstone of historical education resources for Chester County.
“The relevance of our collections and programs extends beyond the boundaries of our county, into the greater Philadelphia area and the nation,” says Barker.
The Chester County Historical Society and Cultural Center are open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., as well as during special events and performances. It is closed on Mondays and major holidays.
Story by Betsy Williams
Photo by Staff
