Goggleworks near Lancaster, PA

The GoggleWorks Center for the Arts located on 201 Washington St # 5, in Reading, PA, near Lancaster is one of the largest, most comprehensive interactive community arts centers in the country.
 
The name of the center was given in honor of the first manufacturer of optical glass lenses and reading glasses on Washington and 2nd streets in 1871.  The company expanded from safety products for vision to hearing, respiratory and protective headgear.  After 130 years of safety protection products the factories closed down and the City of Reading converted the old buildings into a dynamic community arts and cultural resource center while keeping the original historical and architecture of the buildings intact.
 
There are artworks displayed all over the center.  The Rolf and Renate Schmidt Gallery showcases "wood flooring, exposed brick walls, large windows and moveable walls". The Leesport Bank Artist Gallery is another rented space for visiting artists to showcase their sculpture and rotating works (art that is sensitive to lighting and cannot remain in one place for too long).

The center provides workshops and classes ranging in skill level for the community in arts, glassblowing, dance, painting, drawing and more.  There are summer camp classes available and field trips, (educational tours) of the building's many galleries, art studios, film theatre, woodshop, glassblowing shop, photography classroom, ceramics studio, and jewelry-making center, set against the backdrop of the original architecture of the old factory walls. Tour members are invited to talk to the artist teachers and learn more about the process.

The Film Theatre specializes in independent, foreign and art cinema.

GoogleWorks hosts an open house every second Sunday of the month.

This year's special events are:

A Taste of Art - July 20, 2008

Third Anniversary Gala - September 13, 2008

Get It While It's Hot - November 14, 2008