Member Feature - Rachel Kiskaddon

By: Daniella Snyder, Communications Manager at Woodmere Art Museum

Rachel Kiskaddon is the Education & Public Relations Manager at the American Swedish Historical Museum (ASHM), a small museum in FDR Park. 

The museum, which was built in 1929, features twelve exhibition galleries designed to highlight Scandinavian influences in America. Visitors can learn about Pippi Longstocking, the New Sweden Colony, women’s history, Scandinavian innovations, and holidays like Midsommar and St. Lucia. 

Before June of 2021, ASHM could have been considered a quiet museum with an average of 20,000 visitors annually. 

However, once the Convention Center had been transformed into a COVID vaccination clinic, and the Philadelphia Horticultural Society decided FDR Park would be the newest venue for the Philadelphia Flower Show, things changed for this history museum in South Philly. 

ASHM became a partner of the nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event. In June of 2021, they saw over 34,000 visitors come through the museum’s doors. Almost two years’ worth of attendance, in the 10 days of the flower show’s run! 

In 2021, the museum hosted several competitive class displays in their galleries, including photography, pressed plants, and jewelry. Kiskaddon recalls her favorite part of last year’s show, which was the Scandinavian-inspired pressed plants that featured motifs of Dala Horses or kurbitz style. “It was cool to see that they were making that connection with the institution that they were in,” Kiskaddon said.

“[Being a partner of the Flower Show] raised our awareness exponentially,” Kiskaddon remarked. “People are coming to Philly from all over and are looking for things to do. Now our name is popping up on their radar.” ASHM’s partnership with the Flower Show also led to some new accolades and media recognition, most notably Metro Philly’s “Best Museum” in 2021.

In 2022, as the pandemic continues to increase uncertainty around indoor events, PHS has announced that the 2022 Flower Show will again be held in FDR Park. And yes, you can expect to find numerous floral displays in ASHM’s gallery spaces. 

Kiskaddon, who considers ASHM to be a “true hidden gem” of Philadelphia, is excited to be a part of a museum experiencing so much growth and development.