Color History, Dyeing Demos, Cyanotype Printing Draw Record-Setting Crowd at Institute’s 2nd Annual Curious Histories Fest

The Science History Institute welcomed a record-setting 536 visitors to our second annual Curious Histories Fest on Saturday, June 8. Science lovers of all ages gathered for “Color Your World,” a free, daylong celebration inspired by our current BOLD: Color from Test Tube to Textile exhibition.

This year’s festival explored the science behind color and the history of dyes and fibers with Fleisher Color Wheels, Touch Threads, and the Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers. Guests enjoyed colorful tastings from Oma Herbal Teas, free water ice from Siddiq’s, vibrant pop-up displays from our special collections, hands-on dyeing, sun printing activities, color perception testing, fashion sketching, and colorful memory sharing with our Distillations podcast team.

“Color Your World” also featured Bonjour Crêperie, Dodo Bakery, and La Llamita Vegana food trucks, as well as music by DJs DuiJi Mshinda and Patrick Smith. Local partners including Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Circular Philadelphia, Fleisher Art Memorial, and Pennsylvania Fibershed were also on site.

Thanks to everyone—our visitors, vendors, partners, sponsors, staff members, and fellows—who made Curious Histories Fest such a massive success! Join us again in June 2025 for our third annual celebration of science, history, exploration, and experimentation with the theme of school lunch.

Images: Science History Institute/Meredith Edlow.

Major funding for Curious Histories Fest provided by chief presenting sponsor the Bolte Family Foundation.

Additional support provided by sustaining sponsors American Chemical Society, Dow, and Arkema Inc.; and contributing sponsor Dr. Zhen Yang, YM American Academy.