Included with admission.

Visiting Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site (ESPHS) during your winter holiday break? From December 21 through January 5*, engage with special programming that highlights the important role compassion and charity played at Eastern State and in prisons today:

Hospital Mini Tour: The Power of Charity
Daily. Meet at the intersection of Cellblocks 2, 10 and 11. Ask any staff member for schedule.
Take a 15- to 20-minute educator-led tour of Eastern State’s Hospital Block. Learn more about the penitentiary’s medical history and explore unique spaces like the Operating Room, which are otherwise not accessible to visitors. Plus, explore the transformative power of charity at Eastern State. Discover how the Prisoner Welfare Fund supported everything from blood drives to life-changing surgeries, and learn about the Prisoner’s Family Welfare Association, which provided vital financial support to prisoners' families.

Pop-Up Exhibit: Philanthropy at the Penitentiary
Ongoing. On view in the Dialogue Space (located near Prisons Today).
The winter holidays are a time when many people feel drawn to give to others. This was also true of people who lived and worked at Eastern State. In fact, philanthropy played an important role in life at the penitentiary all year round as prisoners and staff alike gave of their time and money to support community members inside and outside of prison walls. View a curated selection of historic items that explore the impact of philanthropy throughout the penitentiary’s history.

Pyrrhic Defeat: Mark Loughney
Ongoing. On view in the Dialogue Space (located near Prisons Today).
This portrait series, presented at ESPHS in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia, features hundreds of portraits sketched during the artist's ten years of incarceration. These portraits of Loughney's fellow prisoners serve to humanize incarcerated individuals, foster compassion, and shed light on the immense human cost of mass incarceration in America.

• Mark Loughney: Public Tour with Artist Talk
  December 27 at 12 pm. Purchase Guide-Led Tour & Discussion tickets to secure your spot.
  Join us for a special iteration of our Guide-Led Tour & Discussion. This one-hour tour includes an overview of the penitentiary’s history as well as the contemporary art installations throughout the site. At the conclusion of the tour, join a Q&A with Mark Loughney, the artist behind Pyrrhic Defeat.
   
• Mark Loughney: Public Portrait Session
  December 28 from 12 to 4 pm. Dialogue Space (located near Prisons Today). Ask any staff member for more information.
  Since coming home from prison, Mark Loughney has expanded his Pyrrhic Defeat project by sketching portraits of advocates for criminal justice reform, emphasizing that true reform is a shared responsibility. Want to be included in this growing work of art? Meet Mark and sit for a portrait during this public portrait session.

* Please Note: Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site will be closed on Christmas Eve (December 24), Christmas Day (December 25), and New Year's Day (January 1).