Museum for Art in Wood

Amazing museum. Never I would thought that there would be a museum dedicated solely to art made from wood. And it was beyond expectation. The temporary exhibition was amazing. And the permanent collection is amazing. And it is a large collection. Entrance is free. There is a requested donation of $5 that still is a small amount for what the museum exhibits. Highly recommended.

Went there with my girlfriend on a whim but the collection was very impressive. There was a particularly cool centerpiece of a folding boat and many more to discover in their rotating venue. The upstairs also had a very pleasant reading area with a clearly well-loved library and a nice set of permanent exhibits. One exhibit in particular stood out as charming, called "Darling, you are getting better looking every day" by Jean-Francios Escoulen. I will leave it here because it's the best thing since sliced bread. You can go see them too, for free! (recommended $5 donation)

The exhibit we saw was super cool, but I wish they had videos to show how each statue moves. Instead, we asked one of the staff if she could show us -ans she did! Museum staff were super nice. And the store has gorgeous items!

This museum is honestly one for the books. It is free to enter, but I really suggest doing the $5 donation to show support. The current exhibit, “A Useable Past,” leaves you reflecting on America’s past through the stories and lenses of twelve unique artists who use wood in all different ways to tell their stories. On the second floor, you can explore their permanent pieces, which range from all kinds of art to practical items like spoons, clocks, and more, all crafted from different forms of wood and each with its own story. This museum was such a surprise, and it all ended with a beautiful stop at the quaint gift shop where items start at $5. The staff were super friendly and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. If you are in philly, I highly suggest checking it out!

Loved it! Small museum filled with interesting wood art. Free to enter and enjoy, but they really deserve a generous donation. We were welcomed warmly, introduced to the museum and offered a tour. The displays are well organized, the museum space is bright. It’s fully accessible, with accessible entrances, restroom and an elevator to the second floor. There are displays at all heights, and an audio tour available.

The current exhibit is really interesting. It's a really neat museum, very well organized and free to the public. Great place to visit!

Really nice FREE museum. The first floor is rotating exhibitions and the second floor is permanent collections. I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit, but if you find yourself in Old City with some time on your hands it’s a great place to check out. It seems like a good place to have a first date. I noticed a couple who were on one and it appeared to be going well. They have a nice gift shop as well. Important to note: only the first floor is accessible. The second floor requires walking up a steep staircase and there doesn’t appear to be an elevator.

I was kind of blown away by this museum! A pretty small place but so well curated & there’s a lot to see in the collection upstairs in addition to the gallery space below. There’s even a little read-in library. I would return again & again if I lived in Philly. The gift shop is great too, a lot of useful day-to-day kitchen & household items in addition to fun, unique, & beautiful items. Nice selection of books, including children’s. Everything stays on theme too. Nothing random in the building. Very well done & the staff seems to be cool, kind people.

While I know next to nothing about the wood-based sculpture scene, I am always seeking out the magical real in art spaces, and I can confidently say that it's well and alive at this fascinating gallery in Philadelphia's Old City. As a lover of folk art displays like Detroit's Heidelberg project or Hamtramck Disneyland, I was in fact surprised to feel that similar energy far more here than at the Magic Gardens, which has lost most of its mystery due to excess tourism and Instagram. We were especially captivated by "Cinders," the current exhibition focused on the art of scorched wood, and by a few miniature pieces by Stephen Paulsen on display.

Beautiful exhibits. Our favorites were the ones that were interactive- like the chair in front of the bathroom! Also got my first pair of beautiful wood earrings from here.

What a cool spot! We came on a cold Sunday morning and we're welcomed with a smile. We asked for a quick run down of the layout - the traveling exhibit (about family) was on the main floor and the museums collection was on the second floor. We had such a great time going through the exhibit and seeing what could be done with wood. A woman working there was very nice and told us about the artists inspiration for some of the pieces. Super cool! Upstairs was interesting if you like carved wood but a bit bland with no obvious flow compared to downstairs. Still cool to see. It is free admission and they mention (without hounding or bringing up more than once) that a $5/pp donation is nice if you enjoy it. Highly recommend walking up or taking an Uber as parking is limited to street parking and incredibly difficult to find.

The Center for Art in Wood has been around for decades in various iterations, but it only landed on my radar in the last two years. I'm so glad it did. Behind the giant, carved wood doors on Third Street is a special place. They have a permanent collection of art as well as some artifacts from woodworking history in Philadelphia. The curated shows are interesting, so there's always something new to see. The gift shop is one of my favorite museum shops. There are great gifts and objects for sale. Each year they have some amazing pieces for auction as a fundraiser. Be sure to look for those.

I was sweatin' this place for a while, like as in years! FINALLY got to go during First Friday! I love folk art, and dabble in it, with (hopefully) improving skill. I mention this because I have come across most "objects de bois" in folky settings, so it often seems to be a more informal category of art, despite the fineness of craft in so many artists' pieces. For example, at the PMA, the best you get by way of wooden art (that is the art of wood crafting, not art that happens to be made of wood) is furniture, or Escherick creations. So it is pertinent, IMO, that The Center for Art in Wood exist in the artistic conversation of our city. While germane to a well-rounded representation of the arts themselves, this place is still a treat in its depth of enrichment, and a very cool resource for fans of this medium. As mentioned, I'd wanted to see TCfAiW, since my visit to the Esherick home in Malvern, in 2014. I watched a lot of spectacular exhibits come and go. The exhibit coinciding with our visit was interesting, but I didn't connect with it the way I would have some of the ones I missed. I look forward to returning for new shows. They run about 3-4 exhibitions a year, with side film projects, and sometimes other small shows on the side. It is very similar in size and schedule to the ICA at U-Penn. The permanent collection is really cool. Housed upstairs, mostly in glass cases, are pieces from around the world, all kinds of styles, and a pretty good range of scale. I'd have liked to see a case of pieces from antiquity, and areas between then and now. It would also be awesome to see larger scale pieces, like installations, mobiles, or sculpture larger than a human. In the current lofty upstairs space, they do not have room for more, but there is so much floorspace downstairs for the exhibits, perhaps some of that could be sacrificed? Anyway, while the museum itself was small as far as museums go, there was still so much packed into those cases, that I did not have enough time to ingest it all in my visit. Their museum shop has beautiful items for gifts, or to treat your own home. I was reluctant to stop and look, as I am with any gift shop, but this is truly a gallery store, with functional pieces, that happen to be fabulously chic! The recycled skateboard jewelry was to die for! Admission is whatever you care to donate (suggested $5pp), so it's a bargain for the mental stimulation! Stop by and see what clever hands can do with a tree!

I stopped here briefly with my husband on a road trip traveling through Philly. We wanted to go because I am an artist and my husband has recently gotten into woodworking, so we wanted to see different types of art that have been done with different types of hardwood. I think for what it is, the center was really cool! I was expecting it to be larger, so it was disappointing that there weren't additional works on display. I think in my head from what I understood online I was expecting it to be more of a museum, with works by several different artists spreading over different decades. This is more of a warehouse with two stories and approximately 300 works on display. Again, for what it is I felt like it was well done and cool to look at, but I wish that there had been more things to see. The works we did see were well made, unique, and creative. It was nice that the center was free and that there were opportunities to purchase different wooden items made by local and international artisans. All employees we interacted with were helpful and friendly. Overall, the two of us had a very pleasant experience. If you live in the area and are interested in wooden art, I would recommend! However, if you are just passing through, unless you are really interested in wooden art then I would probably pass.

One of those other unique art galleries that I've been happy to stumble upon on a numerous amount of First Friday's that have always left me intrigued. And it even has the doorway that I fully intend to own when I am filthy rich! I could give Five stars for the cool mural on the side of building, and the AMAZING display of eclectic wood pieces that the main gallery space that is amazing to walk through. But I curve to 4 because the portion of the gallery that you enter through is more of a storefront that features a clutter of knick knacks and crafts amid some interesting full scale pieces to the point that it could benefit from just a little more structure. But the main gallery space on the side of the building is a treasure trove of sculptures, benches, canes, and other random pieces made entirely in wood that I wouldn't have deemed possible before seeing them with my own eyes. And it updates its displays fairly frequently.

This place is worth a visit. They have some really cute and out of the box items, made out of wood that make for great collectibles or gifts and their exhibits are great!

VERY cool place!! It reminded me of places I visited out in the Pacific Northwest. There's the gallery with all different kinds of art pieces visible for your viewing pleasure, but then there's a shop also. The shop has a WIDE range of things available. You have some very pricey pieces of art, kitchen wares (the carved wine stoppers were my favorites) and even kids books are available as well!! There's something for everyone in the shop. Since it's Christmas they have a great display off Christmas ornaments. My favorites were the carved, mini gourds and also the wooden Philly skyline pieces. Definitely will try and be back before the holiday season is over!

Walked in on one first Friday, and was excited because my friends have said this had been their favorite stop. However, it felt like any old regular museum. There are few large pieces and the gift shop on the first floor and smaller pieces upstairs. Most of these pieces, though diverse in what they offer, are locked up in glass cases. There weren't a lot of pieces. There were some chair pieces that probably should have some indication it wasn't for seating since it looks like people did sit - and also speaks to the quality of these pieces.

I've been walking by this building and have frequently been intrigued for years now. I am glad I stopped by on Saturday and had the chance to explore. The Center opens into the gift shop where a friend staff person explained both the current exhibit and the upstairs permanent collection. There is a $5 suggested donation fee, which I feel like is very reasonable. The gallery space is open with fantastic light and the pieces are interesting. I learned a lot reading the posted information. The upstairs collection contains many unique items which represent a variety of time periods and styles. Towards the back of the gift shop they have a display with various tools which you can touch/hold.

Bamn! There it is! It's official. The Wood Turning Center has opened in its beautiful new home and is now known as The Center For Art In Wood. My jaw never ceases to drop when I gaze upon some of the astounding woodwork I've seen displayed within these (sadly not wooden) walls. They're celebrating their 25th anniversary. Happy Silver Anniversary! Keep on turnin'! Got wood? Go wood! Good. You should.

Went to breakfast a couple stops down the street and was intrigued by the galleries exterior. This is an incredibly unique gallery filled with wonderful pieces of art. It's not everyday you can find somewhere devoted to the art of wood. and even if you are not interested in the pieces in their exhibition their gift shop is filled with everything! I wanted to buy two of everything. from wood teething rings for babies to beautiful wooden handle ice cream scoops this place has it all and at decent prices. It is defiantly not hard to find a keepsake for everyone on your list. I highly recommend this gallery, if you don't have time, find thirty minutes in your day to visit!

What an unusual gallery space...I love it! First of all, I've been wanting to check this place out for a while. It stands out from the rest of the galleries in the area. It's design, their signage, and they way they display things is very clean and professional, reminding me more of the galleries in Chicago and NYC rather than some of it's kitschy-er neighbors down the street. It was great to finally pay a visit while everything was in full swing for First Friday. [I'm not embarrassed to say that I absolutely tried to enter through the large, non-functioning wooden doors on the outside. They are gigantic, and the very notion that they could open made me very happy and feeling like Alice In Wonderland.] The gallery interior is large as well. A show featuring downed trees from Hurricane Sandy in NYC was opening; walking into a large room with tons of abstracted, organic objects was pretty surreal. It seemed as though it would be right on cue that a very enthusiastic gallery attendant greeted us and began telling all about the artist and his show. This lady was the fun fact queen! My friend and I made our way around the show and ended up in another room where the gallery attendant started chatting with us again. She was really knowledgable and excited to engage in conversations about the work, artists, and the gallery owner himself. I enjoyed talking to her and hearing her stories. I will definitely be hitting up The Center for Art in Wood whenever I'm in Old City to see who's showing! The upstairs museum is also a must-see anytime, and forever. A true Philly gem!

The Bartram Boxes exhibit is extraordinary. It's up through July 19--don't miss it! Created from Bartram Gardens trees downed by a storm, and inspired by Founding era horticulturalist John Bartram sending New World plants to Europe in creatively designed wooden boxes. The works combine history, poetry, imagination, playfulness, the great themes of life and amazing beauty. Bravo!