The Palmer Museum of Art will travel back in time tomorrow when it hosts An Evening of Swing, kicking off a new, two-month exhibit of art from the 1920s and 1930s.

The free event, which starts at 7 p.m. and is open to the public, will feature jazz music from the Dan Yoder Quartet, along with a sampling of hors d'oeuvres provided by Wegmans and prohibition "martinis," minus the alcohol.

The Dan Yoder Quartet is expected to perform standard tunes of the '20s and '30s like "I Got Rhythm" by George Gershwin, along with music by Duke Ellington and other musicians from that time period.

Dana Kletchka, museum educator, said there is a revived interest in music of that time period.

"Swing is infectious music," said Dan Yoder, saxophonist for the quartet and head of the university's jazz program.

Joyce Robinson, museum curator, hopes the artwork will be just as infectious. "This is an effort to engage students," Robinson said.

Robin Seymour, coordinator of membership and public relations at the museum, said one of the goals of tomorrow's event and the exhibit itself, which runs through May 22, is to attract more first-time visitors.

"We want people to be comfortable here," she said.

Regular museum visitors, however, will also be in for a treat, event organizers say.

The prints featured in the exhibit come from a period of time when the art community in this country was making a break from Europe and trying to establish its own American identity, Robinson said.

The subject matter of the original prints focuses on aspects of American life, from rural depictions to city outlines.

The way the prints were created also has some interesting history behind it. Some artists etched a design onto a hard surface and then transferred it to paper with ink.

The prints were later signed by the artists and sometimes numbered, allowing each work of art to be produced in multiples and maintain its originality and authenticity. The reproductive technology became more sophisticated in the 1920s and 1930s, Kletchka said.

Some of the artwork in the gallery comes from artists who were commissioned by the government under the Works Progress Administration, a program instituted by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression to help revive the economy.

Other showcased prints are gifts from various private donors and Friends of the Palmer Art Museum.

During tomorrow's event, Robinson will also be leading an informal talk about the exhibit and its rich history and will be available to answer any questions.

"This is a very strong collection of works on paper," she said.

Kletchka said the display would be an enjoyable and an informative experience.

"Learning and fun don't have to be mutually exclusive," she said.