"Colors of the Season" Opens Friday, November 24th! | |
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In this newsletter:
- New England Museum Association Conference Recap
- "Colors of the Season" Opens Friday, November 24th
- Upcoming Public Programs & Events
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New England Museum Association Conference Recap
November 8-10, 2023
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The 105th New England Museum Association (NEMA) annual conference took place in Portland this year from November 8th - 10th. Victoria Mansion staff and volunteers led sessions, hosted rare off-season open hours for NEMA conference attendees, and attended sessions and demonstrations while connecting with and learning from our New England museum peers.
On Wednesday, Director of Education & Public Programs Staci Hanscom led a panel with Alessa Wylie of Greater Portland Landmarks entitled "Creating Community, One Docent at a Time." The panel focused on the approaches to docent recruitment and off-season engagement done here at the Mansion and through the Portland History Docents program. Also leading the panel was Victoria Mansion docent John Aden, who joined the Mansion through the Portland History Docents program, and who has participated in several Mansion docent activities including our Docent Research Committee and being a mentor to new volunteers.
On Thursday, Michelle Josephson and Hannah Field, both Mansion staff members and the lead researchers for our Backstairs Lives Initiative, led the workshop "Invisible? Finding Your Domestic Servants (When You Don't Think You Have Any Records)". This workshop was filled to capacity, and brought colleagues here to the Mansion to learn research and interpretive techniques from Hannah and Michelle. Through the Backstairs Lives Initiative, in partnership with the Maine Irish Heritage Center and the Portland Bridget Project, Michelle and Hannah have connected with several descendants of people who lived and worked as domestic servants at Victoria Mansion in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Also on Thursday, Staci and Development & Communications Coordinator Brittany Cook joined Meghan Gelardi Holmes of the Gibson House in Boston to facilitate an informal off-site meetup with colleagues interested in the NEMA Community of Practice focused on "Interpreting Histories of Enslavement and Freedom." This Community of Practice connects museum and other historic site professionals who are working on interpretive programs, exhibits, research, or other initiatives relating to the history of enslavement in New England, how the domestic slave economy wove into the history of Northern historic sites, and Black history in our New England communities. This Community of Practice grew out of a panel led by Staci and Meghan at the 2022 NEMA conference, along with co-facilitators Erika Slocumb (Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Wistariahurst Museum's Black Holyoke project) and Marla Miller (University of Massachusetts - Amherst, Porter-Phelps-Huntington House). Through our Unwilling Architects Initiative, Victoria Mansion has been actively researching the lives of Black individuals who had been enslaved by Ruggles and Olive Morse in New Orleans between 1848-1860.
On Friday as the conference drew to a close, Executive Director Tim Brosnihan led the session "Conservation in a Fish Bowl: Welcoming the Public While Work is Happening at Your Site." As many who have visited Victoria Mansion over the past several years will know, conservation and restoration projects are often happening in the public eye. Since most of Victoria Mansion's visual art is painted onto the walls and ceilings of the house itself, our conservators not only clean, conserve, and restore decorative art in situ, but are also very generous with sharing their process with our visitors. (Stay tuned for upcoming and ongoing conservation projects in 2024.)
Thank you to everyone who attended one of our sessions or visited the Mansion from the conference! We look forward to next year's NEMA conference in Rhode Island.
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Michelle Josephson (foreground left) and Hannah Field (foreground right) lead NEMA participants in their onsite program, "Invisible? Finding Your Domestic Servants (When You Don't Think You Have Any Records)". Photo by Jean Haney. | |
"Colors of the Season" Opens November 24th |  | |
During the holiday season, many of our community’s leading and up-and-coming florists, designers, artists, and fellow non-profit organizations use the backdrop of the Mansion’s interior design to create unique decorations that emulate Victorian-era splendor. Now in its fourth decade, this annual event welcomes thousands of visitors each year from the end of November through the beginning of January.
This year, our designers have found inspiration in the Colors of the Season, as well as colors from within the Mansion itself! Join us for a self-paced tour of the Mansion from November 24, 2023 – January 7, 2024 to see the house decked out in colorful seasonal décor.
Tickets are available on our website. Victoria Mansion's holiday season runs from Friday, November 24th, 2023 through Sunday, January 7th, 2024. Open 10am-4pm Tuesday through Sunday, tours on the half-hour with final admission at 3pm. Final admission at 12pm on December 24th and 31st. Closed Mondays, closed December 25th and January 1st.
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Upcoming Public Programs & Events | |
Keep an eye on our Events page for tickets and more information about upcoming programs. | | |
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Our holiday gala returns after a three-year hiatus!
The Colors of the Season Gala is a festive evening of food, drink, and friendship to mark the opening of the 43rd annual Christmas at Victoria Mansion. This year's theme, Colors of the Season, celebrates the colorful world that hides behind the Mansion's somber exterior.
From 5:00-5:45, gather at Victoria Mansion for a champagne toast set against the colorful backdrop of the Mansion in all of its holiday finery.
Then, from 6:00-8:30, gather at the Cumberland Club to taste, sip, and celebrate the magic of the season. You'll also enjoy holiday musical selections by Goldenwood Ensembles.
Tickets are $90/person. Space for this event is limited and registration closes December 1st.
For more information and to reserve tickets, please visit the Gala event page on our website.
Proceeds from this festive, social evening support the Mansion's mission to preserve this nineteenth-century treasure and share it with visitors from all over the world.
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Merry Madness
Saturday, December 9th | 2pm-7pm
Carriage House Museum Shop Only
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Our Carriage House Museum Shop* is joining Portland Downtown's annual Merry Madness shopping event this December!
Grab your ticket at Portland Downtown's website to enjoy an exclusive party at the historic U.S. Custom House, then follow your map to all the great locations in the Old Port and Arts District offering shop discounts, entertainment, and food specials. We're excited to welcome shoppers to the Carriage House for this fun event this year!
*Extended shop hours open to all shoppers, but discounts are available to Merry Madness participants only. Merry Madness specials are available for the shop only. The Mansion will close at its regular time of 4pm.
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Ruffi Stuffie Sleepover!
Stuffie drop-off and story time Wednesday, December 13th at 4:30pm, pick-up Thursday, December 14th at 9:00am
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A brand new program for our youngest visitors, their caregivers, and their stuffed animals!
Would your child’s stuffie like to explore the Mansion with host Ruffi the (stuffie) Museum Cat? Bring your stuffed friend from home to join us for a story time and a sneak peek at the Mansion’s holiday decorations on December 13th at 4:30pm.
Then leave your stuffed animal with Ruffi and our museum staff for a Mansion stuffie sleepover! Photos of all their fun activities will be shared with participants when they pick up their stuffies in the morning on December 14th.
This program is $5 per group (1 child, 1 stuffed animal, and an accompanying adult). Reservations are required due to Mansion capacity. Tickets available on our website (while they last!).
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Our other holiday events, Mr. Dickens and His Carol with Andrew Harris and Night of the Nutcracker with Portland Ballet, are SOLD OUT. Thank you for your support! | |
Support Victoria Mansion's Annual Fund! | |
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Victoria Mansion relies on the support of our community near and far to help us realize our mission to conserve, maintain, and restore this one-of-a-kind property and share its history with the public. Our mission is put into practice every day, with preservation often happening in the public eye. Ongoing research initiatives help us better represent the Mansion within the context of its period to scholars, students, and our everyday visitors.
Support from our community helps us fund the much-needed care this historic structure requires, allowing us to consult with some of New England's top experts in historic preservation, as well as to bring our history curriculum, A Century of Change, to Maine classrooms at no cost to schools.
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When you give to the Annual Fund, 100% of your gift goes directly to support Victoria Mansion, making the greatest possible impact on our educational and curatorial programs, restoration initiatives, and ongoing maintenance—all while allowing us to move the Mansion’s top priorities forward. | |
Support Victoria Mansion's Stair Hall Matching Fund! | |
Above: Paintings conservator Corrine Long of Gianfranco Pocobene Studio cleans a section of the west side of the first floor Stair Hall, March 2023. | |
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As conservation of the decoratively painted surfaces on the first floor of the Mansion's Stair Hall continues apace with breathtaking results, we have been setting our sights on continuing this project onto the second floor of the hall. Following a series of tests and consultations, we were fortunate to receive a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services*, and we need our community's support to help us continue this important work. A gift of any size to our Stair Hall Matching Fund brings us closer to our goal of $148,043 to match the generous funding from this grant.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, grant number MA-253203-OMS-23.
*The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
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We are looking for docents to join us for 2024!
For more information or to sign up, please email Stacia Hanscom, Director of Education & Public Programs at shanscom@victoriamansion.org.
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Members enjoy year-round free admission, discounts in the Museum Shop, and invitations to exclusive events. Become a member today to assist in our conservation efforts and receive the first news about upcoming Victoria Mansion events and programs. | |
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The Staff of Victoria Mansion
Timothy Brosnihan, Executive Director
Ann O'Hagan, Director of Development
Stacia Hanscom, Director of Education & Public Programs
Siobhan Lindsay, Conservator
Brittany Cook, Development & Communications Coordinator
Molly Kingsbury, Museum Shop Buyer & Merchandiser
Sue Flaherty, Visitor Services Coordinator
Michelle Josephson, Senior Site Manager
Sarah Coughlin, Scheduling Coordinator
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