From our homes to yours, the new Living Room Lecture series brings some learning into happy hour: each Thursday evening, a Museum expert chats about their work from their own couch, over a drink. We encourage you to raise your own glass (of an age-appropriate beverage) with our lecturer as you learn more about their research. No prior knowledge or experience is required—everyone is welcome to enjoy these casual discussions.
Join Us
View Living Room Lecture EventsEvery other week, the Living Room Lecture goes live on the Museum’s Facebook page at 5:30 pm,
with an opportunity to ask questions of our experts.
To access the live-stream with a Facebook account
- Open Facebook and search for “Penn Museum”
- Click the “Like” button (beneath the main cover photo of the Sphinx Gallery) to like and follow Penn Museum on Facebook
- For regular updates about this event and to leave questions for the lecturer to answer during the live-stream, RSVP “Going” in the Living Room Lecture event page (on the Museum’s Facebook page), and comment in the Discussion tab.
- At 5:25 pm on the evening of the Living Room Lecture, go to the Museum’s Facebook page. The live-stream will begin at 5:30. Make sure you’ve got your refreshments handy!
- At 5:30, in the bottom left corner of the screen, a small pop-up box should appear that will say, “Penn Museum is now live,” with an image of the live-stream. Click on the box to watch the Living Room Lecture. You may comment and ask questions throughout the live-stream session.
To access the live-stream without a Facebook account
- Unfortunately, Facebook does not allow the public to watch live-stream videos if the user does not have a Facebook account. However, we are sharing recordings of these live-stream videos below—the newest Living Room Lecture video will be uploaded within a few days of the live-stream.
Sign up for our e-newsletter for notifications about upcoming Lectures and other events.
Past Living Room Lectures
Digging in the Mediterranean
with Dr. C. Brian Rose, Curator-in-Charge of the Mediterranean Section, James B. Pritchard Professor of Archaeology.
Mound Building in North America
with Dr. Megan Kassabaum, Weingarten Assistant Curator for North America, Assistant Professor of Anthropology.
Exploring Ancient Mesopotamia
with Dr. Steve Tinney, Deputy Director, Chief Curator, Head of Collections and Research, and Associate Curator-in-Charge of the Babylonian Section.
Stone Tools in South Africa
with Dr. George Leader, adjunct assistant professor at the Department of Anthropology and visiting assistant professor at The College of New Jersey.
Infant Biological Adaptations in Peru
with Dr. Morgan Hoke, Assistant Professor and Axilrod Faculty Fellow in the Department of Anthropology.
Legacies of Peruvian Mercury Mining
with Dr. Doug Smit, Senior Fellow in Anthropology and a Consulting Scholar at the Penn Cultural Heritage Center (CHC).
Zooarchaeology and Food in the Archaeological Record
with Dr. Katherine Moore, Mainwaring Teaching Specialist for Archaeozoology, Professor in the Department of Anthropology, and Consulting Scholar for the American Section.
Art and Experimental Ethnography
with Dr. Deborah Thomas, SR. Jean Brownlee Professor of Anthropology and Director for the Center for Experimental Ethnography.
Amplifying Native American Perspectives in the Collections
with Dr. Lucy Fowler Williams, Associate Curator and Sabloff Keeper of Collections in the American Section.
Human Environmental Impact in Southern India
with Dr. Kathleen Morrison, Sally and Alvin V. Shoemaker Professor of Anthropology, chair of the Anthropology Department, co-Director of Penn's Environmental Innovations Initiative, and Curator in the Asian Section.
Transforming Narratives in the Africa Galleries
with Dr. Tukufu Zuberi, Curator of the Africa Galleries, Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations, and founder of the TZ Production Company.
Communicating with History Through Contemporary Art
with Breanna Moore, fashion designer and founder of the LaBré fashion line, and Emerson Ruffin, fashion designer and digital artist.
Ancient Wine-Making, Heirloom Seeds, and Archaeobotany
with Dr. Chantel White, Archaeobotanical Teaching Specialist in the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials.
The Founding of Rome and Roman Culture
with Dr. C. Brian Rose, Curator-in-Charge of the Mediterranean Section, James B. Pritchard Professor of Archaeology.
Conservation Projects and Processes
with Molly Gleeson, Schwartz Project Conservator and the primary project conservator in the Penn Museum’s Artifact Lab.
The Ins and Outs of Fieldwork
with Dr. Meg Kassabaum, Weingarten Assistant Curator for North America and Assistant Professor of Anthropology, and Dr. Dr. Morgan Hoke, Assistant Professor and Axilrod Faculty Fellow in the Department of Anthropology.
Resilience and Changing Stories of Native American Communities
with Patty Talahongva, Hopi journalist, documentary producer, and news executive, and Dr. Lucy Fowler Williams, Associate Curator and Sabloff Keeper of Collections in the American Section.
Designing a Museum Exhibit
with Joshua T. Lessard, AIA NCARB, Exhibition Architect and Designer.
Discovering Mesopotamian Mythology
with Dr. Steve Tinney, Deputy Director, Chief Curator, Head of Collections and Research, and Associate Curator-in-Charge of the Babylonian Section.
Mapping Sites Underground with Digital Archaeology
with Dr. Jason T. Herrmann, Kowalski Family Teaching Specialist for Digital Archaeology in the Penn Museum’s Center for Analysis of Archaeological Materials (CAAM).
Protection, Documentation, and Outreach, the Work of the Mexican Consulate
with Carlos Obrador, Head Consul of Mexico in Philadelphia
How Stone Tools Changed Human Evolution
with Dr. George Leader, adjunct assistant professor at the Department of Anthropology and visiting assistant professor at The College of New Jersey.
Thanksgiving Myths and Indigenous Memories
with Dr. Marge Bruchac, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Associate Faculty in Cultural Heritage, and Coordinator of Native American & Indigenous Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Let’s Eat! The Social Consequences of Foods and Feasting
with Dr. Heather Sharkey, Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC) at the University of Pennsylvania.
Honoring Kwanzaa and the Black Roots of Storytelling
with Our Sun Paul, President of Philadelphia’s Afrocentric storytelling group Keepers of the Culture (KOTC).
Extraordinary Food Finds Among Philly Asian Markets
with David Dettmann, author of the blog Asian Markets of Philadelphia, and Associate Director, Center for East Asian Studies.
Writings, Woodblocks, and Winged Lions: Recent Research
with Adam Smith, Ph.D., Penn Museum Associate Curator of the Asia Section.
Black Dance and the Politics of Movement
with Dr. Jasmine Johnson, author of Rhythm Nation: West African Dance and the Politics of Diaspora and Assistant Professor of Africana Studies.