09/02/2026
I was shocked to learn of the closing of the Academy of Natural Sciences Museum, a two-hundred year old facility that has long been a jewel in Philadelphia’s crown.
Museums are where many of us have our first experiences learning new ideas and they are places that expand our minds to the infinite possibilities of our world.
Recently, Philadelphia has seen many of its public assets shuttered: from the University of the Arts, to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, now to the Academy Natural Sciences.
In a first-class city like Philadelphia, this is unacceptable, and it is long past time that we ask what is happening to our cultural institutions.
If this is a question of mismanagement, the record must be made public, and people must be held accountable.
And if the government - be it local, state, or federal - can step up to preserve this precious institution, we must do everything in our power to do so. We cannot continue to celebrate 250 years of our nation, while our institutions shut down around us.
Which is why I am heartened to hear that Governor Shapiro tapped former U.S. Ambassador and Comcast Executive, David Cohen, to broker a deal between Drexel University and the Academy.

We cannot let this organization close on our watch, and I stand with everyone fighting to keep the Academy of Natural Sciences open.
