Emily Dickinson Museum Launches Membership Program
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The
Emily Dickinson Museum
announces the launch of a new membership program on September 25, 2010, amid a full day of exhibit-related
programs and the museum's annual poetry marathon. The "Friends of the Emily Dickinson Museum" draws
inspiration from a letter of Emily Dickinson to her mentor Thomas Wentworth
Higginson in which she declared "My Friends are my 'Estate'.
The
membership program offers such benefits as unlimited free admission to
tours for up to two adults and two children under 18, subscription to the print
newsletter "A Message from the Meadows" and a monthly electronic newsletter,
discounts on fee-based Museum programs and shop purchases, invitations to
special events, and complimentary guest passes. Those joining by June 30, 2011, will
become "Charter Members." On September 25, Friends may join on at a rate
of $40, a deep discount from the full membership fee of $65.
The
Friends of the Emily Dickinson Museum will come to life on the same day as the
Museum holds a variety of intriguing programs linked to the Museums10
collaborative theme "Table for Ten: the Art, History, and Science of
Food." On
Saturday September 25, the Emily Dickinson Museum will host
sixteen hours of programming including a workshop, a marathon, and a baking
contest. All the programs will take place at the Emily Dickinson Museum, 280 Main St.Amherst and are
free.
"It
seems especially fitting," said executive director Jane Wald, "that we initiate
this program with its hope to make many new Friends for Emily Dickinson and the
Museum on a day when we read each and every one of her 1,789 poems. We expect
this new initiative will provide an appealing way for friends and neighbors of
the Dickinson Museum and a
worldwide community of Dickinson
followers to celebrate the poet's life
and work with an organization dedicated to the same purpose. The Friends
program will support the Museum's careful stewardship of the Dickinson family
homes and material legacy, curriculum materials and professional enrichment for
teachers, an authoritative website, and inspiring experiences for thousands of visitors each year."
· Beginning at 7 a.m. and
continuing until approximately 11 p.m.: Emily Dickinson
lovers of all ages are invited to join the annual Emily Dickinson Poetry
Marathon a daylong reading of her 1,789 poems.
· From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Landscape historian and gardener Marta McDowell will lead "Put down the apple Adam": The
Dickinsons' Apples and Figs, a workshop about the horticulture of these
fruits and how they were eaten and
preserved. The program will begin with a talk, followed by a tasting of
heirloom apples, figs, and products made from Dickinson-era
recipes.
· From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Preview of
the new exhibition, "Art has a 'Palate'": The Dickinsons and Dining, at The
Evergreens. Drawing on family letters, inventories, and findings from recent
architectural investigations, the museum will re-interpret the public and
private areas of the house related to food preparation and service. The Homestead will be
open for guided tours (regular admission fees apply).
· From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The Emily
Dickinson Museum's first-ever Baking Contest. The Museum provides Dickinson's recipes
for gingerbread, black cake, and coconut cake as well as a category for "Rye and Indian"
Bread. There are separate categories for young people and adults. Those
interested in entering should check the museum web site
(www.EmilyDickinsonMuseum.org) for contest rules and recipes. The Intention to
Enter Form must be submitted by Tuesday, September 21. Prizes will be awarded
at 4 p.m. on the 25th.
The Emily Dickinson Museum, comprising the Dickinson Homestead and The
Evergreens, is devoted to the story and legacy of poet Emily Dickinson and her
family. Both properties are owned by the Trustees of Amherst College. The
museum is overseen by a separate Board of Governors charged with raising its
operating and capital funds. The Homestead was the birthplace and residence of the poet
(1830-1886). The Evergreens was the home of the poet's brother and
sister-in-law, Austin and Susan Dickinson. The official museum website is
www.EmilyDickinsonMuseum.org. Regular museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday
11 a.m. until 4 p.m.,
March 31 through December 31, 2010. The Emily Dickinson Museum is located at 280 Main Street in Amherst.
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