Our mission is “to expand and enrich the life of the community through participation in the arts.” Our definition of community includes many different people from many different backgrounds. In supporting Black Lives Matter, Arts & Education at the Hoyt is acknowledging that there are systems of power that grant privilege and access unequally, resulting in inequity and injustice towards people of color. To those hurt and/or enraged by the death of George Floyd and countless others, we respond, “We hear you.” In fact, so clearly that we are holding ourselves accountable for change until all people – regardless of race, age, gender, religion, identity, sexual orientation, income or experience – feel as if they belong here, too. As far as we are concerned, you do. Here’s how you can get engaged:
See
Mystery & Benevolence: Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art
November 8 – January 26, In the Hoyt Galleries
Mystical, evocative, and sometimes simply strange, the art of fraternal practice is rich in symbols that are oddly familiar yet strikingly uncommon. Through arcane and alluring artifacts, Mystery and Benevolence brings to light the histories of the Freemasons and the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows, two fraternal secret societies with deep roots in American history. The over eighty carvings, textiles, sculptures, and adornments that constitute this exhibition were used from the late eighteenth through mid-twentieth centuries, and retain their clandestine allure to this day.
Learn
After School Arts
Weekly Sessions start again in January!
Our free after school program is open to Lawrence County students in grades 1-6. Register for just one week, or all semester!
Creative Play
Creative Play is designed to provide our youngest innovators, ages 3-7, the opportunity to draw, paint, design, build, invent and engineer the world they imagine. Classes are free and meet quarterly on Saturday mornings.
Do
Cathedral Tours
Thursday Evenings Through January 18
A unique tour of Masonic History and symbolism held within New Castle’s own Scottish Rite Cathedral. Get a exclusive peek into the Lodge Rooms and Masonic Archives still in use today. Held Thursdays, November 10 – January 18. Reservations required.
Gallery Talks
The Origins of Friday the 13th
January 13
The Hoyt’s resident historian will share the origins behind the unluckiest days of the year which some believe is tied to the raid on the Knights Templars, January 13, 1307.
Arts & Education at the Hoyt receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
