Summer at Victoria Mansion | |
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In this newsletter:
- Victoria Mansion Receives Competitive Grant from the Institute of Museum & Library Services
- Docent Appreciation Party Recap
- Member Events
- Upcoming Public Events & Programs
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Victoria Mansion Receives Competitive Grant from the
Institute of Museum & Library Services
| Gianfranco Pocobene (left) and Corrine Long (right) of Gianfranco Pocobene Studio take infrared photographs of the decoratively painted surfaces on the second floor Stair Hall in September 2022. | 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. In the first week of August, we were notified that we had received a matching grant from the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS)* through their Museums for America grantmaking initiative. | |
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The stunning painted surfaces throughout Victoria Mansion represent the last intact commission by artist Giuseppe Guidicini (1810-1868), an Italian immigrant who painted many of the United States' first opera houses. The majority of his interior commissions have been lost to time, with only one work on canvas and a fresco in a New York City church still remaining beyond the work in Victoria Mansion. Since the mid-1980s, we have been fortunate to be able to consult and work with some of the country's top conservators to fully restore areas such as the Dining Room ceiling, the Turkish Smoking Room, the Pompeiian Bathroom Suite, the Vestibule ceiling, and, most recently, the Reception Room and Parlor, two principal rooms on the Mansion's first floor.
New scaffolding was purchased in 2020 to allow conservators to work in narrow spaces without significantly impacting the flow of tours through this most public space in the museum. Throughout 2021-2023, conservators have been stabilizing and cleaning painted surfaces in the first floor Hall, with the west side reaching completion in summer 2023. Restoration of the wood grained wainscoting on the first floor began in early 2023, with projected completion in 2024. Conservation of the painted canvases on the west wall and the space’s elaborate decorative plasterwork will continue throughout 2023-2024.
Following a series of tests and consultations, we are now able to begin stabilizing and conserving the painted surfaces on the second floor of the Stair Hall, 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.
About IMLS: The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
*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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Above: Paintings conservator Corrine Long of Gianfranco Pocobene Studio cleans a section of the west side of the first floor Stair Hall, March 2023. | |
Docent Appreciation Party Recap |  | |
Every summer and winter, we like to hold a reception for our knowledgeable and dedicated corps of volunteers and staff tour guides, who are at the heart of our mission to share Victoria Mansion with the widest possible audience. Whenever we can, we like to hold these events offsite at other unique Portland-area locations, and this year we were delighted to host our summer Docent Appreciation Party with down-the-street neighbors at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI)!
Caterers Bird & Co. provided an excellent spread for our team, and we were fortunate to hear from GMRI's founder, President & CEO Don Perkins. Don spoke about GMRI's integrated approach to research, education, and sustainability, and opened the floor to docent questions. Check out GMRI's website to learn more about the important work they are doing in and for Maine and the world.
Victoria Mansion's Executive Director, Tim Brosnihan, and Director of Education & Public Programs, Staci Hanscom, also spoke at the event, expressing their thanks for the enthusiasm and support of our docent corps. Beyond giving daily guided interpretation of Victoria Mansion, many of our docents also engage in research initiatives or give lectures on Victorian-era or Portland-related subjects for further professional development.
Thank you to all of our volunteers and guides, your work is truly invaluable to all that we do here at Victoria Mansion!
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GMRI staff member Margaret (far left) discusses the local marine life in GMRI's teaching aquarium for Victoria Mansion docents. | |
Victoria Mansion docents enjoy catering from Bird & Co. at the Appreciation Party at GMRI. | |
GMRI President & CEO Don Perkins speaks to Victoria Mansion docents about GMRI's initiatives and mission. | |
Victoria Mansion Executive Director Tim Brosnihan offers thanks at the Docent Appreciation Party at GMRI. | |
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In addition to our public educational and fundraising events, Victoria Mansion hosts frequent events for our members. Earlier this month, we welcomed members for a rare Open Shutters tour. Once or twice a year, we open up the Mansion's shutters to allow natural light into the rooms, providing an even more accurate glimpse of how the rooms would have looked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Thank you to those of our members who joined us!
Our next members' event will be a reveal of some of the Mansion's Library collections - a rare look behind the glass cases in the Gothic Revival Library, representing books from the Morse and Libby family collections as well as books and keepsakes collected during the early years of the Victoria Society's stewardship of the house in the 1940s and 1950s.
Become a member today to learn more!
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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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For the first time since 2017, our outdoor Victorian Fair will return to the Mansion lawn this October, with an "odd" twist! Join us for A Bizarre Victorian Bazaar: An Exhibition of Oddities and the Obscure. This one-day fair kicks off the Halloween season with an educational (and entertaining!) take on Victorian folklore, camera trickery, Spiritualism, and more.
Learn how two girls tricked several newspaper readers into believing they had captured photos of fairies, how purported mediums conducted séances, and why some elite Victorians held mummy unwrapping parties. Have your palm read, create Victorian crafts, and much more! This fair is designed for all ages, with activities and games for kids throughout the day. Plus, a visit from Charles Dickens, performances from Portland Ballet's production of Tales by Poe, and live music by the Shank Painters!
We'll also have the Pink Waffle food truck onsite for guests who'd like to grab a bite to eat while they enjoy the crafts and performances on the lawn.
This event is designed for visitors ages 8 and up. We encourage caregiver discretion for younger and more sensitive children.
Keep an eye on our Events webpage, and our Facebook and Instagram pages, as we announce Bazaar happenings over the coming weeks. A full schedule of events will be available onsite on the day of the event.
Tickets: $21/adults, $8/college students, $6/children 6-17, $3/Museums for All (SNAP/EBT cardholders with valid EBT & ID), free for children 5 and under, & free for Victoria Mansion members.
Tickets are on sale now!
Victoria Mansion will not be running regular tours on October 7th, but the house will be open for event attendees to tour.
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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. | |
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We are looking for docents to join us for 2023!
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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