Museum Shop
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During these hot summer days, be as cool and debonair as Gari
Melchersin silk bow ties and pith helmets.
Visit the Museum Shop's brand-new blog.
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Exhibitions
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"Belmont through a Lens:
Photographs by Frances Benjamin Johnston"
This exhibition consists of 18 photographs of Belmont taken in 1927 by pioneering photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston. This show is on display through Labor Day.
The Museum Shop has gathered a fine selection of photography books, including the Bettina Berch biography, The Woman Behind the Lens. |
Save the Date!
November 6
| Caroline County native Secretariat en route to clinching the 1973 Triple Crown with a world-record time in the Belmont Stakes.
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On November 6 Gari
Melchers Home and
Studio will host
Secretariat Saturday: An
Evening with Kate
Chenery Tweedy, author
of the upcoming book,
Secretariat's Meadow:
The Land, the Family,
the Legend, The author is also the daughter of Penny Chenery, the owner of the chestnut-colored winner nicknamed "Big Red."
Invitations will be mailed mid-September. For more information, contact Betsy Labar at 540/654-1848.
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Did You Know?
| Iron gate at Studio entrance | Belmont and The Presbyterian Church on the corner of Princess
Anne and George Streets in downtown Fredericksburg have something in common. Both sites feature iron fencing and
gates that originally came from the grand 1834 house "Smithsonia," located at
the corner of Charles and Amelia streets in downtown Fredericksburg.
Read More ....
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Weddings
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 Planning a 2011 wedding?
Let our event professionals help with your special day.
Weddings at Belmont |
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Grants
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New Grants Received
Three major private foundations have awarded grants to Belmont for the 2011 fiscal year.
The George J.and Effie L. Seay Foundation has given $10,000 toward the development of Belmont's woodland nature trails. The grant will support new interpretive signs, a printed trail map and guide to the landscape features and historic structures, and some physical improvements.
The Peachtree House Foundation has donated $10,000, which will be used to support special exhibitions and general operations.
The Margaret Walker Purinton Foundation has contributed $20,000 toward collection care. This is the 10th consecutive year that the Purinton Foundation has made a significant gift to Belmont.
We are grateful to each of these private foundations for their support in these times of reduced revenues.
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Programs & Events
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Summer Family Tours
Sketching is a popular Family Tour component  | Offered everyday through Labor Day, except Wednesdays, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
This intergenerational experience allows visitors of all ages to engage in a guided tour of the historic house museum and art gallery spaces.
As many as two children visit free with an accompanying, paying adult. Fee is $5 for each additional child.
New Summer Program: Create Your Own Garden Sculpture
Lion atop gate at Belmont
 | This new group program is available through Labor Day and is appropriate for children ages 6-12. This educational experience runs approximately 90 minutes. Starting times are flexible. Picnicking on the grounds is encouraged.
After touring Gari Melchers' stone studio, taking a sneak peek in the historic house, and working on an outdoor scavenger hunt, students will create their very own clay garden sculpture. This program is perfect for summer day camps, day care, and scout groups. Minimum group size is eight. $8 per student; teachers free
A Dawning Point Chatham day camper makes his own garden sculpture.  | Contact Education Coordinator Michelle Crow-Dolby at 540/654-1851 to schedule your tour today.
Woodland Walk
Sunday, August 29, 2 p.m.
 This free tour, which begins outside the Visitor Center, will take place rain or shine. Reservations are not necessary. Thank you to members of the Central Rappahannock Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists who volunteer their time to lead these popular tours. Can't make the August 29 tour? No problem, we have trail guides in the Visitor Center so guests may take a self-guided tour anytime.
"Bird Migration: Nature's Incredible Journey"
Saturday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m. - 12 noon
By Dr. Andrew Dolby, UMW Associate Professor of Biology
American Redstart | Illustrated talk in the Pavilion followed by bird watching on the grounds and in the woods. Free and open to the public; reservations not required.
Members of the Fredericksburg Chapter of the Virginia Society of Ornithology will be on hand to lead informal tours after Dr. Dolby's talk.
 Fall Bulb Planting Workshop
Sunday, Sept. 19, 2 p.m.
Beate Jensen, Building and Grounds Preservation Supervisor, will show how to use bulbs in formal gardens and for naturalizing. Sponsored by Roxbury Farm & Garden Center.
Free and open to the public; reservations not required.
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| The Story of Belmont's Putto
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The bronze putto replica as seen today. | The Garden Club of Virginia has a long history of restoring
important historic gardens. The relationship between GVC and Gari Melchers Home and Studio
at Belmont started in 1994, and their ongoing support is critical to the efforts
of recreating the garden as Gari and Corinne Melchers knew it. The Belmont
archives are rich with information that guides this effort. Photographs taken
by Frances Benjamin Johnston, currently on view in the Studio, are among the materials used to glean garden-related information. A 1927 photograph shows
the Melchers' putto in the garden's southern end. Putto, or putti in the plural, is an Italian
term for a chubby nude boy. Read more..... |
| Art Classes
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Photography: Digital Portrait
 Saturday, August 14, 10 a.m. to
4 p.m.
Glen McClure, Award-Winning
Photographer
For high school students and adults
In this hands-on workshop, learn simple portrait techniques, including
the use of natural light, electronic studio flash, proper backgrounds,
and strategies to help your subjects relax in front of the camera. Weather permitting, we work outside with natural light and create
portraits of our classmates. At the end of the day, images are
reviewed in one-on-one and group discussions. $20 members; $25
non-members. Call 540/654-1851 to register.
The afore-mentioned programs have been organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Office of Statewide Partnerships and is supported by the Jean Stafford Camp Memorial Fund. Workshop Costs: $20 members; $25 non-members. To register, please contact Education Coordinator Michelle Crow-Dolby at 540/654-1851.
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 At Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, see the richly furnished country house and working studio of American Impressionist painter Gari Melchers (1860-1932) as they appeared in the 1920s. Explore the colorful formal gardens and wooded hiking trails of the artist's 27-acre retreat. Enjoy special exhibitions of the art of Melchers and his contemporaries. |
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