Offspring of the Winds –
The Horse in Art and Imagination
July 12 – September 7, 2008

This exhibition features the horse as it has appeared in diverse cultures over the past 3,000 years. With works drawn primarily from the Museum’s permanent collections, you’ll experience the beauty, strength and vitality that the horse has inspired in the work of artists and craftsmen throughout history.

Highlights of the exhibition include spectacular 7th to 4th century B.C. Greek vases depicting the horse in battle, mythology and every day life of the ancients, Asian masterpieces including Ming and Yuan dynasty scroll paintings and rare ivory and jade sculptures. A special feature of the exhibition is the Museum’s unique collection of Renaissance armor for the horse, one of the most outstanding in the United States. Sculpture in the exhibition ranges from the work of renowned 19th century French animal sculptor, Antoine-Louis Barye to the contemporary work of Deborah Butterfield, and sculptors of the American West.

The exhibition also includes whimsical recreational uses of the horse including folk art, carousel horses and cast iron horse-drawn fire engine toys. Paintings in the exhibition include the famous Napoleon Crossing the Alps from the studio of Jacques-Louis David and an extremely rare Sioux, hand-painted buffalo robe. A special “Berks Collects” section of the exhibition features a delightful array of decorative arts from weathervanes to hobby horses loaned from local private collections.

Click here to see a "Comcast Newsmakers" interview with Ron Roth.

Click Here to download a press release (PDF)

This exhibition is presented by Penn National Gaming, Inc.
and Susquehanna Bank.

Opening Reception - Saturday. July 12, 2008 - 5:30 p.m.

Join us on opening night to celebrate the unveiling of this exhibition. The reception, sponsored by Friends of the Reading Museum, is open to the public and includes refreshments. $15/person, Members free.

Family Day - August 9, 2008

In collaboration with the Greater Reading Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Berks Equine Council’s 2008 Jumper Show, “Art of the Ride” (Sunday, August 10 at the 4-H Showgrounds) the Museum will host “Horsin’ Around Family Day” on Saturday, August 9, 2008 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Candace Perry, curator at the Schwenkfelder Museum and Library and expert on equine art, will give a special talk. Other activities on this fun-filled day will include: pony rides, family guides, storytelling, and refreshments. The Museum is open free to the public on this day. Click here for a PDF file of the poster.

The Reading Public Museum is supported in part by grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Images, from top: Adolf Schreyer, German, 1828-1899, Arab Horseman, oil on canvas, Reading Public Museum, Pennsylvania; Karithaios, Attic (Athenian) Black-Figure Hydria, Greece, 530 B.C., terracotta, Reading Public Museum, Pennsylvania (detail); Unknown, Horse and Sulky, reverse glass painting, Reading Public Museum, Pennsylvania.

Audio Interviews

Hear how people's lives have been profoundly infuenced and enriched by their experiences with horses. Click on the photos to listen to/download the MP3 files.

Nick Edmunds - Owner and trainer - Hidden Pearl Farm

Punch Haring - Barrel racer/jockey, ran a therapeutic riding academy

Boots Fehr - Memories of Al Kline's Paddock/horse enthusiast

Bernie Gerber - Memories of Al Kline's Paddock/horse enthusiast/attorney

Jamie Gilbert - Owner/ trainer - Windswept Acres at Stonetown

Sarah Reese - Owner - Passport Farms, Berks Equine Council President

Juan Vidal - Farrier, equine photographer & polo player