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April 2011

In this issue
-- Spencer Finch: What Will He Do?
-- Need A Poem?
-- The Big Read Continues with Talks and a Walk
-- The Dickinson Museum Shop Offers Keillor DVD and more!
-- A Unique Gift for Graduates and Moms
-- A "Brighter Garden" -- Especially for Members
-- "Nosegays of Twilight and ... Nosegays of Dawn" Flower Workshop
-- About the Museum
-- Are you on FacebookŪ? Join us!

When they come back - if Blossoms do -
I always feel a doubt
If Blossoms can be born again
When once the Art is out -
--Fr 1042


HOURS:

The Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Extended summer hours begin June 1, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.


Spencer Finch: What Will He Do?

Not even the Emily Dickinson Museum knows what creation visual artist Spencer Finch will unveil on April 28. The Museum will celebrate the installation of Finch's new work on Thursday, April 28, at 4 p.m., somewhere on the Homestead's property.

On Tuesday, April 26, at 7 p.m., Spencer Finch will give a public talk at the Jones Library, 43 Amity Street, Amherst. Finch's work has appeared in exhibitions and is part of the permanent collections of museums throughout the United States and the world.

Finch has visited the Emily Dickinson Museum several times in preparation for various installations. Most notably, on a summer afternoon in 2004, Finch recorded the light on the lawn of Dickinson's home in Amherst for his installation "Sunlight in an Empty Room (Passing Cloud for Emily Dickinson, Amherst, MA, August 28, 2004)." The work seen here has been installed at MASS MoCA (2007) and at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC (2010) among other places.


Need A Poem?

Need a Poem On Saturday, April 2, as part of The Big Read, the Museum launched Poems Around Town, an innovative program that posts Emily Dickinson's poems around Amherst. Throughout The Big Read, visitors encounter the poet's work in unexpected places as fifteen businesses and organizations in downtown Amherst host her poems. The poems are also read aloud as part of a cell phone audio experience.

Need A Poem right now? Click here or call 413-242-9070.

Complete information about all of The Big Read programs, April through May, is available at The Big Read page on the Museum's website. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.


The Big Read Continues with Talks and a Walk

In May, The Big Read: Emily Dickinson will highlight specific themes in Dickinson's poetry with a three-part discussion series, "Emily Dickinson's Poetry 102: Looking More Deeply." Participants can attend one, two or all three of the sessions free of charge. All programs take place at the Jones Library at 7 p.m. Advance registration is encouraged; please contact Janet Ryan at 259-3223 or the Jones Library Reference Desk at 259-3096.

  • May 3, "Milton's Daughters: Echoes of Browning, Rosetti, and the Brontes in Emily Dickinson Poetry" with Elizabeth Petrino, Associate Professor of English at Fairfield University, Fairfield CT
  • May 10, "Ah-the Sea!" Reading Dickinson Erotically," Martha Nell Smith, Professor of English and Distinguished Scholar-Teacher at the University of Maryland
  • May 17, "Tell Me What is True': Dickinson's Cardinal Themes and Principles," Martha Ackmann, author, journalist and Senior Lecturer in Women's Studies at Mount Holyoke College

The Dickinson Poetry Walk and Open House will take place on Saturday, May 14. The Walk begins at 1 p.m. at the Homestead. This year's theme will be Dickinson's poems in foreign languages. Programs and maps of the Walk's one-mile route will be available at the Museum. Participants are welcome to join the Walk at any point along the route. After the Poetry Walk, the Museum will host an Open House from 3 to 4 p.m. The Homestead and The Evergreens will be open for self-guided tours during that time, and guides will be on hand to answer questions. Admission is free.


The Dickinson Museum Shop Offers Keillor DVD and more!

If you missed the opportunity to see Garrison Keillor's benefit performance, "Face to Face," in December or would like a memento of the occasion, DVDs of the live performance are now available at the Museum Shop and on-line.

The on-line Museum Shop also offers other DVDs, including the first two films in the "Angles of Landscape" series ("A Poet in Her Bedroom" and "Seeing New Englandly"). You will also find exclusive items such as Emily Dickinson posters and the popular "Profile of the Poet as a Cook" cookbook. Ordering items on-line is easy, and members can use their Friends of the Emily Dickinson Museum 10% discount!

The Museum Shop at the Homestead offers a larger selection of Dickinson-inspired gifts. You don't need to purchase a tour ticket to browse the Museum Shop. It's always open to the public during the Museum's regular hours.


A Unique Gift for Graduates and Moms

Friends logo orange If you're looking for an unexpected and fun gift for a graduate or for Mother's Day, a membership in the Friends of the Emily Dickinson Museum is perfect. It's also easy! Just click JOIN NOW! and we will send your membership gift packet anywhere in the world!

In addition to helping to preserve Emily Dickinson's home and promote her poetic legacy, Friends receive discounts on special programs, such as an upcoming Nosegay workshop with Marta McDowell, an invitation to the Friends of the Emily Dickinson Museum Members Day in September, and discounts to other special museum programs.

Household or Individual Membership benefits include:

  • Unlimited free admission to tours.
    Individual: admission for member and a guest
    Household: admission for up to two member adults and two children under 18
  • "A Message from the Meadows" print newsletter
  • Annual Museum program calendar
  • "Emily's E-update," a monthly electronic newsletter
  • 10% discount on Museum Shop purchases (includes online orders)
  • Advance notice and free or reduced fees for Museum programs
  • Invitations to Members Day, special events and previews
  • Two complimentary guest passes good for one-time admission


A "Brighter Garden" -- Especially for Members

McDowell garden leaf Two special members-only events, promise an inside look at Emily Dickinson's outside world, her gardens. The Museum's valued Charter Members will have an opportunity to hear more about the landscape at the Emily Dickinson Museum from a distinguished and delightful Dickinson scholar, as well as to enjoy the company of other members who have helped launch the Friends program this year.

Wednesday, June 16, 9 a.m. to noon, light rain or shine.
Enjoy a summer morning members-only opportunity to work in Emily Dickinson's garden under the direction of Marta McDowell, landscape historian and author of Emily Dickinson's Gardens.

Thursday, June 17, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Join McDowell in a conversation about Emily Dickinson as a gardener and a stroll around the improved gardens. Light hors d'oeuvres from "Profile of the Poet as a Cook" will be served, along with lemonade and May wine.

Come to one or both member events. RSVP by June 10 by e-mail, or phone 413-542-5311.

Not yet a Friend? JOIN NOW and come!


"Nosegays of Twilight and ... Nosegays of Dawn" Flower Workshop

nosegay Saturday, June 18, 2011
Flower Workshop with Marta McDowell
Time: 2-4 pm
Location: Amherst Woman's Club, 36 Triangle Street
Fee (includes materials): $15 (Museum members: $12)

Emily Dickinson made nosegays for her friends and family -- she even used them to send messages. Learn about the history of nosegays and their connections to the poet and her world. Then make a nosegay of your own! Materials will be provided, but please bring scissors, pruning shears if you have them, and your favorite pen to write with.

Join landscape historian and gardener Marta McDowell as she returns to Amherst for her annual garden-related program. To register, contact program coordinator Nan Fischlein by e-mail or at 413-542-2034.


About the Museum

EDM The Emily Dickinson Museum: The Homestead and The Evergreens is dedicated to educating diverse audiences about the poet's life, family, creative work, times, and enduring relevance, and to preserving and interpreting the Homestead and The Evergreens as historical resources for the benefit of scholars and the general public.

The Emily Dickinson Museum is owned by the Trustees of Amherst College and overseen by a separate Board of Governors. The Museum is responsible for raising its own operating and capital funds.

The Emily Dickinson Museum is a member of Museums10, a collaboration of ten museums linked to the Five Colleges in the Pioneer Valley--Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The Museum's Tour Center may be reached at 413-542-2947, Wednesday through Sunday, during museum hours.


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