Information
Landmark: GoggleWorks Center for ArtsCity: Reading
Country: USA Pennsylvania
Continent: North America
GoggleWorks Center for Arts, Reading, USA Pennsylvania, North America
Overview
Founded in 2005 inside the old Willson Goggle Factory in Reading, Pennsylvania, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts carries forward its mission with the faint scent of oil and wood still lingering in the halls.In 1871, it stood as the world’s biggest maker of industrial safety goggles, turning out sturdy glass lenses that caught the light.We’re turning a 145,000‑square‑foot industrial site into a vibrant community arts hub-one that sparks creativity, opens the door to arts education for everyone, and helps breathe new life into the heart of downtown.The name celebrates the building’s history of crafting goggles and hints at fresh “lenses” through which visitors can see the art.The campus’s Facilities Studios span nine disciplines, from the roar of the glassblowing hot shop and the precision of metals and jewelry work to ceramics, woodworking, printmaking, photography, digital media, and the quiet glow of a darkroom film lab.The Cohen Gallery and Rolf Glass Gallery host regional shows and national exhibitions, from vivid local landscapes to sleek modern sculpture.Schmidt Gallery showcases emerging artists and hosts community exhibits, from bold canvases to handmade ceramics.The café’s gallery walls are lined with vibrant pieces created by students.Berks LaunchBox, a Penn State–affiliated makerspace, offers 3-D printers, laser cutters that hum as they work, and hands-on business incubator support.Boscov Film Theatre seats 131 and shows independent, foreign, and documentary films, with a monthly art-house classic-think flickering subtitles and the scent of fresh popcorn.Eight adaptable classrooms, each set up for drawing, painting, or mixed‑media work, with jars of brushes and bright easels ready for use.Resident Artist Apartments offer eight lofts on the fourth floor, each a cozy live-work space with its own studio just steps away.Outdoor Arts Park features a winding sculpture garden, a sunlit amphitheater for summer concerts, and a kiln pad where the community can fire clay creations.Our quarterly catalog features over 200 courses for all ages, from eight-week sessions and weekend intensives to one-night “try-it” events where you can dive in and get your hands messy.We connect with kids through after‑school programs in the Reading School District, Saturday youth labs, and a summer Creativity Camp where more than 500 children each year paint, build, and explore.Scholarships offer need-based tuition help, covering as much as 90% of class fees, with funds coming from local foundations and a lively annual charity auction.Studio Residency - a full year with your own workspace, a stipend, chances to teach, and it all wraps up with a final exhibition under bright gallery lights.International Visiting Artist, six weeks: a deep dive into cross-cultural exchange, with past guests from Japan, Ghana, and Brazil bringing stories, rhythms, and colors from home.We’re building community through inclusive arts-partnering with Abilities in Motion so artists with disabilities can create and share their work, and offering Spanish-language ceramics classes with Centro Hispano, where clay dust lingers in the air as pots take shape.The Annual Juried Exhibition attracts over 400 submissions from across the country, and opening night features a juror’s lecture and a lively gallery talk, with the scent of fresh paint still lingering in the room.The Arts Festival Reading kicks off the first weekend in June with a lively two-day outdoor fair featuring 80 juried artisans, molten glass pouring into brilliant shapes, and a row of regional food trucks serving everything from smoky barbecue to fresh lemonade.Join us on the second Sunday for an open house filled with free demos, hands-on projects you can take home, and the warm hum of live music drifting through the building.Holiday Marketplace kicks off in late November, with tables piled high with handmade treasures from 150 local artists.Every sale helps fund scholarships for local youth.Each week, catch a film screening followed by a lively Q&A with the director, and once a year, join the buzz of our ReadingFilmFEST partnership.Each year, Economic and Social Impact draws over 225,000 visitors, filling downtown sidewalks and bringing steady business to local cafés, diners, and shops.It offers studio space to more than 40 working artists, helping grow a vibrant creative-economy hub where paint-splattered easels line the walls.Each year, more than 4,000 tuition-free outreach seats open the door to the arts, reaching a city where nearly two-thirds of residents live on low or moderate incomes.You’ll find Visitor Essentials at 201 Washington Street in Reading, PA, right where the western edge of downtown begins-just past the old brick post office.We’re open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Sundays from noon to 7.The studios shut their doors an hour before closing, so you might hear the lights click off around 8.You can wander the galleries and common spaces for free, but classes cost different amounts, and a movie ticket usually runs about $7 to $9.Parking’s easy-there’s a free on-site lot with room for 200 cars, plus metered spaces along the street just a few steps away.Belly Kitchen Café serves espresso, crisp flatbreads, and rich, locally roasted coffee, while the building is fully ADA-accessible with elevators and gender-neutral restrooms.GoggleWorks Center for the Arts is one of the nation’s largest interactive art hubs, alive with creativity inside a former factory where brick walls still smell faintly of oil and paint.It brings heritage to life while pushing fresh creative programs forward, sparking artistic growth, learning, and a downtown revival-drawing locals and visitors to paint, watch, and celebrate art right in Reading’s bustling center.
