New Permanent Family Gallery, Colors of Creation, Opens Today at
The Weitzman

PHILADELPHIA (July 22, 2026) – Today, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History (The Weitzman) officially opens Colors of Creation Family Gallery, a vivid, interactive, panoramic experience for the whole family.

This 360° journey through the seven days of creation combines concert-style lighting, interactive projections, and an original musical score that shifts, layers, and transforms in real time as visitors interact with the space. Every gesture activates sound, light, and imagery, creating an experience unlike anything else in Philadelphia.

“Colors of Creation is The Weitzman like you’ve never seen us before,” said Dan Tadmor, President and CEO of The Weitzman. “We started with a story that we all know to create this visually stunning – and most importantly, fun – space for families and visitors of all ages. It’s also a glimpse of where The Weitzman is headed: a museum where stories come alive.”

Rooted in the story of Genesis and drawing on research in visual perception and neuroscience, Colors of Creation uses color as a universal language – inviting visitors of all ages and backgrounds to go on a multisensory journey through the origins of the world. An artistic, not didactic, experience, it is designed to be inclusive of faith traditions and scientific understanding while encouraging responsibility and stewardship of our world, as well as mindfulness of its wonder. The experience takes about 30 minutes, with about four minutes dedicated to each “day” as new colors emerge.

For example:

• A small hand gesture sends clouds zooming across the sky
• A step on the floor scatters luminous fish across a pond
• The wave of an arm creates an entire field of stars
• A jump in the air releases a burst of butterflies

Adjacent to the main immersive gallery, The Color Lab offers a tactile, hands-on space for

younger visitors where they can explore color through play. Peg walls, tactile wheels, magnetic

puzzles, and light tables invite experimentation with color and patterns that reflect each child’s

own ideas. While the immersive experience is time-ticketed, visitors are welcome to stay as long as they like in The Color Lab.

“Colors of Creation imagines the creation of the world as an expanding color palette — an immersive playground full of awe and discovery that families can explore again and again,” said Ariel Efron, Creative Director at FELT, the boutique experience design studio that designed Colors of Creation. “The experience invites visitors to see the world not as something ordinary, but as something alive with beauty and possibility. In a time that can feel so divided, we hope Colors of Creation becomes a shared space of hope, optimism, and wonder.”

The Weitzman is also partnering with BookSmiles, which provides gently used books to children, to invite visitors to take home a book or two after experiencing Colors of Creation. By giving books new life and placing them into children’s hands, the partnership connects the experience’s themes of creation, color, and care for the world with the Museum’s broader values of learning, access, and shared stories.

The Weitzman’s popular Museum Store will reopen in early July, in a new location adjacent to Colors of Creation, with gifts, books, and family-friendly items that extend the experience beyond the gallery.

Colors of Creation is the second of three major openings at The Weitzman in 2026. A major America 250 special exhibition, The First Salute, opened in April, and a new exhibition dedicated to contemporary antisemitism will open this fall. This opening is another milestone in the Museum’s strategic vision to reimagine its core exhibition and special exhibition schedule.

Colors of Creation Family Gallery is made possible by support from Elaine L. Lindy and Terri and Scott Akman, Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, and Lyn M. Ross.

Colors of Creation will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets will be $20 per person, including children (infants are free) or $80 per family (two adults and all children in household). A $118 Family Pass (two adults and all children in household) includes entrance to Colors of Creation and The First Salute special exhibition. Discounts are available for members.

The experience will be available for event rentals, such as birthday parties.

An adult must accompany children. Colors of Creation is wheelchair accessible. It contains: dynamic lighting, flashing visuals, loud noises, and water-based haze. Visitors should exercise discretion when interacting with individuals who have sensory processing sensitivity, seizure disorders, or discomfort in dark spaces. Guests may exit at any time if they feel uncomfortable.

Learn more.

PRESS PHOTOS

Colors of Creation photos; Credit: Shoot From Within

Museum images; Credit lines enclosed

 

ABOUT THE WEITZMAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY
Established in 1976, and situated on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History is the only museum in the nation dedicated exclusively to exploring and interpreting the American Jewish experience. The Weitzman presents educational programs and experiences that preserve, explore, and celebrate the history of Jews in America. Standing as a joyful bulwark against antisemitism, bigotry, and hate, The Weitzman serves to connect Jews more closely to their heritage and to inspire in people of all backgrounds a greater appreciation for the diversity of the American Jewish experience and the freedoms to which Americans aspire. www.theweitzman.org 

 

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