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Thank you
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Thanks to our visitors who voted Gari Melchers Home and Studio TripAdvisor's #1 attraction in Fredericksburg.
Read their reviews.
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Preschool Palette
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October's theme is Ish Drawing
Thursday, October 11 Friday, October 12 Friday, October 19
Schedule through December.
Classes run from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
$8/child (Members $5), adults free, preregister by contacting Education and Communications Manager Michelle Crow-Dolby at 540/654-1851. |
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Current Exhibition
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"Glimpses of Holland from the Portfolios of Gari Melchers"
Now through Nov. 18 Read about this "small but vibrant" exhibition in the Free Lance-Star's Weekender section. "Its 50 works, drawn from Belmont's collection of Melchers' sketchbooks and preliminary studies, reveal much about the man and his favorite subjects as he made a name for himself in the Netherlands in the last quarter of the 19th century." |
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Programs & Events | |
Sunday, October 28 @ 2 p.m. "Henry Box Brown: Famous Fugitive, Trans-Atlantic Performer"
Jeffrey Ruggles, Art Historian
Henry Brown traveled through Stafford County's Aquia Landing while he escaped from slavery by shipping himself in a box from Richmond to Philadelphia. This bold feat was only the first act of a remarkable career. "Resurrected" from the box as Henry Box Brown, he appeared at antislavery meetings as a singer and speaker. In 1850, Brown produced a moving panorama, a kind of giant painted scroll presented in a theater, called "Mirror of Slavery" and toured it around New England and then across the Atlantic. Trace this remarkable journey with Jeffrey Ruggles, former Curator of Prints and Photographs, Virginia Historical Society, and author of
The Unboxing of Henry Brown, Library of Virginia, 2003.
Free and open to the public
This program has been organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is supported, in part, by the Paul Mellon Endowment and the Jean Stafford Camp Memorial Fund.
Woodland Hike
Sunday, October 28, 2 p.m.
Conducted by Virginia Master Naturalists, this informative, free hike covers a mile of trails in both woodlands and fields and touches on the historic ruins of Belmont's past. Please wear sturdy footwear and meet outside the Visitor Center.
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Chance Encounter Reaps True Rewards
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By Betsy Labar, Special Events Manager
Friends of Belmont members took a trip to Belgium and Holland in April. The trip was focused on the areas in Holland where Gari Melchers lived and painted. On our last night in Belgium, we enjoyed a group dinner at a restaurant near our hotel in Brugge. I was sitting next to an American gentleman who was dining alone and we struck up a conversation. I explained that our group was from Fredericksburg, Virginia. He replied "I know a wonderful art museum there (a.k.a. Belmont!)." His interest increased when I told him our group was entirely comprised of either staff or supporters of the "wonderful art museum." Not only was he acquainted with our museum, but his family owns two of Melchers' original paintings!
| Shocking Corn |
| Still Life with Gloves |
When I returned to work I told my story to curator Joanna Catron. As soon as I mentioned the painting's titles, she jumped. She had an old photograph of Shocking Corn but hadn't been able to locate the painting. The other, Still Life with Gloves, is an entirely new painting to her!
Subsequently, photos and other valuable bits of information regarding the paintings and their provenance have been exchanged through a long string of exciting emails. This wonderful gentleman referred to our chance meeting in the small, but charming, Brugge restaurant as "pure serendipity!"
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Gari Melchers was an American artist who lived and painted at Belmont from 1916 until his death in 1932. Born in Detroit in 1860, Gari Melchers was a world famous portraitist and impressionist painter. He was one of the most successful painters of his time, sought out by the rich and famous. She was a beautiful, young art student, and his biggest fan.
They fell in love on an ocean liner and spent their lives sharing art.
More than a hundred years later, the story of Gari and Corinne Melchers lives on in their home, Belmont. Be a part of this story. Come and explore this unique 18th century estate, tour stunning art galleries and hike the 27 acres of garden and trails. Share it with someone you love!
A National Historic Landmark, Gari Melchers Home and Studio is one of just 30 of America's most significant artists' spaces included in the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Historic Artists' Homes and Studios consortium.
Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont is open daily, except Wednesdays, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The Museum Shop, which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., is also the official home of the Stafford County Visitor Center, where visitors can find information about Stafford County attractions, restaurants, hotels and other amenities.
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