Volume I | December 4 2020
Bringing Art, History & Best Museum Practices to you this Season
Happy and Healthy Holidays to All!
 
Season's Greetings from the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History. We hope everyone is staying safe and masked during the holidays. Thank you so much for staying connected; we are truly grateful for your support. Due to recent updates, Executive Order 67, issued by the Governor, we have lowered our capacity limits accordingly to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for our members and also our visitors. Please also see Governor Northam’s phase 3 guidelines.

The Museum will be closed December 24th and December 25th. Please remember that the hours and dates are Thursday/Friday/Saturday(12pm-8pm) and Sundays(12pm-5pm) for the Gallery on 536 Craghead Street in River District. 

While 2020 has been challenging, shining moments have come through in the ways the Museum has stayed connected with our community throughout the difficult months of the pandemic:
·      We are finding innovative ways to serve visitors with a new Storefront Gallery on the 500 Craghead Block in the River District, which makes great art available for all who walk by. The DMFAH aims to bring the gallery experience to you during the Covid-19 winter.
·      We are also making available interactive multimedia education units and tours of the Sutherlin House Museum, the Camilla Williams Exhibit and the Civil Rights Exhibition. Now you can access our exhibitions online.
·      We are engaging all of Danville with a focus on populations that are not always part of the traditional historical record. Take a look at the programming made available by our December visiting artist, Veronica Jackson, who addresses social justice issues on December 16,2020.
·      We have been doing extensive collections inventory and maintenance to ready our 20th Century Art Collection for comprehensive exhibitions in 2021. Thank you to the many interns and university fellows involved in this project.
·      The DMFAH has also created a 300-hour Internship program to provide best Museum Practices to High School Seniors and undergraduate students.
·      The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History has worked closely with the Danville Community Foundation to open a $10,000 Agency fund for legacy gifts in order to better serve you. It is important for you to know that the gifts you give the museum are gifts that will keep on giving.

We are grateful for the tremendous support we’ve received, and we invite you to stop by and see Shadows of Place by David A. Douglas, in our new storefront gallery that is a socially distanced-friendly exhibit. Your Museum is part of the renewal that we believe lies just ahead for the River District. The Museum is a vital community resource and your continued support helps the museum plan for creative ways to serve Danville during and after the pandemic. You can also take a peaceful stroll through the Main Street museum’s multiple galleries and wander through the Perkinson Rose garden and grounds. We invite you to participate in Danville’s past, present, and future by staying engaged. We have a lot to look forward to, and we want you to be a part of it. Thank you! 
 
From the Writers Almanac
It was on this date in 1867 that Oliver Hudson Kelley founded the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, also known as The Grange. It's the oldest national agricultural advocacy organization. Kelley was born in Boston in 1826, and moved to Itasca, Minnesota, to become a farmer when he was 23. After the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson sent him to the Southern states to report back on the condition of the farms there. It was during this trip that Kelley began to think about a fraternal organization, similar to the Freemasons, that would work to improve conditions for farmers and bring the North and South back together in a common cause. So he formed the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry for this purpose, and his organization was unusual for the time in that it encouraged women and teenagers to participate. In fact, the charter required that four of the elected positions must be held by women. The Grange represented the interests of farmers in disputes with the railroads, it established free rural mail delivery, and it helped farmers improve their lives through research-based education. It also championed non-agricultural causes like temperance and women's suffrage.

The DMFAH Gift Shop is Open for the Season
Visit the DMFAH Shop —at the museum or visit the gift shop online—for unique gift ideas for history and art lovers and everybody in-between. The museum will be focusing on promoting “buying local” and invite you to peruse the many local crafter items for unique gifts this season. At present we are selling gift baskets for the history lover and art baskets for the art lover. We also have Kid's baskets with history books and games ready for the young at heart. You will find something for everyone. If you have friends and family interested in history and art, this is a must stop- gift shop for you. We have many great gift ideas in the DMFAH gift shop that might interest you. So, stop by and take a look at what we have.Or, visit our shop on the DMFAH website.
If you would like to buy your gifts over the phone we can have them ready for curbside pick-up. We can also mail your gifts out for you!
Vote for the DMFAH Tree!
Take a look and please vote for the museum tree. We will split our winnings between three Organizations! This Tree has been Knitted by the DMFAH volunteers, interns, staff and members. Thank you so much to everyone who helped and participated in knitting and decorating the tree this year. This knitted tree outside the museum is the prototype for a bigger project yet to come called Wanderlove- A Stitch in Time!! This exhibition will be installed along the River Walk in June of 2021.

Please vote on the Institute for Advance Learning and Research on Facebook. Leave a heart or a “like” for the holiday tree you like the best.
WANDERLOVE - A Stitch In Time
New Projects Coming up: WANDERLOVE – A Stitch in time.
The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History will be working with the Chamber, Parks and Rec, as well as the River District and many other civic organizations on one of the largest and most ambitious community knit projects in the region. We are inviting the whole community to participate in a large and very comprehensive “Community Knit” that will culminate in an Art Installation on the River Walk in the summer of 2021. If you are a knitter (or if you do crochet) and you are interested in participating, please contact the museum so we can put you on the list of “knitters.” And if your organization is interested in participating, please contact the Museum at info@danvillemuseum.org or call us at (434) 793-5644.

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We need Volunteers: Come for the Content, Stay for the Community!
If you are interested in art or history the DMFAH would love to bring you on board to help out with the new gallery on Craghead in the River District, at the Main Street Museum and the Gift Shop.
Please make an appointment at the museum to see how you can participate in the exciting new programming offered by the Museum. You can also contact us at info@danvillemuseum.org or (434) 793-5644. We look forward to telling you all about Covid-19 procedures and safe museum practices, and how YOU can help us keep everybody safe by keeping the number of visitors in the galleries low, while effectively giving visitors great experiences.
DMFAH aims to help keep your holidays merry and bright. We also aim to keep you safe. When home gatherings aren’t an option, consider meeting your loved ones at the new DMFA gallery on Craghead. To find out more about this gallery please read the latest Register and Bee article by John Crane or the Star Tribune Article by Jeremy Moser.
Smokestack is going virtual this holiday season.

We are thankful for all of your support through this challenging year!


Stay tuned for more information on show dates. Put on your slippers and a comfy gown to enjoy “It's a Wonderful Life: A Life Radio Show” from your very own living room couch or your bed.

Swanson OPEN STUDIO December 6
Open Studio Sunday from 2-5pm
Wrap that one of a kind unique holiday gift in a one of a kind gift-wrapping paper. Stop by the studio on Sunday, December 6 from 2-5pm to watch clay demonstrations by Harper and Jonathan Scollo and paper paste demonstrations by Elsabé Dixon. 

Also come and take a look at our new light table and find out what a light table can be used for. Information on our studio classes, and the local crafter gifts currently available in the Museum Gift Shop, will be accessible to visitors stopping by with masks.

But this will be a time to look at the Swanson Studio, and think about techniques and possibilities to explore while you are home during the holidays. Ceramic instructor Jonathan Scollo will have ceramic vessels available for sale.