Belmont September 2011 Museum Newsletter

September 2011 Newsletter

In This Issue

Welcome New Members

Summer Camp Recap

New Exhibition

Programs & Events

We Need Your Vote

Trip to Holland and Belgium

Preschool Palette

Stay Connected

Visit Our Website

Welcome New Members

Friends of Belmont

Welcome New Members

Jan. 1 - Aug. 31

Connie and Tom Barrow

Sue Bird

Fidelia and Gary Boshears

Sara Broyles

Mary Lou Cramer

Shirley Cullop

Andrea and David Doehler

Brad and Katie Furrow

Kathleen and Everett Geno

Ann and Joseph Howard

GySgt. and Mrs. Jeremiah M. Johnson

Atle Lima

Trudy Monroe

Mr. and Mrs. E. R. Morris, Jr.

Mrs. Joan Cuccias Patton

Jamie and Bill Percival

Ms. Winifryde A. Perry

Gabriella Pribble

Rosella R. Reif

Blake and Laurann Robertson

JoAnne and Leon Rose

Bill Rush

Ann and Ted Sniffin

Sophia Sperry

Elizabeth Stevens

Joy Taylor

Ann and Ron Tebbutt

Elizabeth S. Valentine

Robert Worthy

Summer Camp Recap

Our morning session did a wonderful job working together to recreate Gari Melchers' painting Belmont.

The afternoon session completed the same project, except on a much larger scale.

These works of art will be on display at Belmont during our many public events.

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.

New Exhibition Opens September 10

"William H. Johnson: An American Modern"

September 10 - December 4

Jitterbugs, 1941 The migration of African Americans from the rural south to the urban north changed the face of the country. In

Harlem, Johnson's work was inspired by the jazz

cadence of the street, as well as the music and dance at

the Savoy Ballroom.

Courtesy Morgan State University

This new exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) will feature rare paintings by William H. Johnson, from the collection of the James E. Lewis Museum at Morgan State University. An essential figure in modern American art, Johnson (1901-1970), a virtuoso skilled in various media and techniques, produced thousands of works over a career that spanned decades, continents, and genres.

The pivotal stages of Johnson's career as a modernist painter are assembled in this group of rarely seen paintings. Every step of his artistic development is conveyed,from his post-impressionist and expressionist works of the 1920s, to his vibrant vernacular paintings from the end of his career in the 1940s.

The Belmont stop on the exhibition tour is made possible by contributions to the Melchers Advisory Council Exhibition Fund. Read the SITES blog post explaining how this important exhibition came to be.

Join the Friends of Belmont now and receive free admission to the new William H. Johnson exhibition, plus discounts on educational programs and museum shop purchases, year round! Memberships start at $45.

Programs & Events

Fall Bulb Workshop
Sunday, September 11, 2 p.m.

Please join us in the Pavilion for an illustrated presentation on fall bulb planting by Grounds Preservation Supervisor Beate Jensen.

Free; Please register by calling 540/654-1839.

Dr. Leslie King-Hammond

Illustrated Presentation and Reception
Sunday, September 18, 2 p.m.

"William H. Johnson: Modernist Master of New World Realities"

Please join us for an opening reception and illustrated presentation about William H. Johnson by Dr. Leslie King-Hammond, graduate dean emeritus and founding director of the center for race and culture at the Maryland Institute and College of Art.

Free; Includes exhibition admission

The Smithsonian Community Grant program, funded by MetLife Foundation, is proud sponsor of this program.

Woodland Hike
Sunday, September 25, 2 p.m.

Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers lead this informative hike that covers a mile of trails in both woodlands and fields and touches on the historic ruins of Belmont's past. Please wear sturdy footwear as the terrain in uneven. Meet outside the Visitor Center. Free.

We Need Your Vote

staircase small house bride

Belmont's wrought-iron staircase has been nominated as one of Virginia's Top Ten Endangered Artifacts by the Virginia Association of Museums (VAM).

Watch our nomination video.

The public is invited to vote through September 20 for their favorite endangered artifact. VAM's independent peer review panel will take public votes into consideration when determining the "Top 10." Winners will receive assistance launching a fundraising campaign to restore their artifact.

We need your help. Vote for our entry by selecting Gari Melchers Home and Studio from the drop-down menu and hitting "submit." See all of the entries here.

Trip to Holland and Belgium

Gari Melchers (right) with artist friends and costumed model.

April 16 - April 28, 2012
ONLY A FEW SPACES LEFT

This wonderful trip combines the fascinating and beautiful sites of Belgium and Holland with a focus on places where Gari Melchers spent his time in Holland.

Trip brochure and registration form .

For more information, please contact Special Events Coordinator Betsy Labar at 540/654-1848.

Preschool Palette

Nature Art is September's theme.

We will walk the grounds and look for shapes in nature. Afterwards, we will make a nature painting.

Monday, September 5
Tuesday, September 13

Friday, September 16

For more information, including the schedule through the rest of the year, visit our website.

Classes run from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Contact Education Coordinator Michelle Crow-Dolby at 540/654-1851 to pre-register.