November 7 OPEN HOUSE and MORE... |
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A New Danville Museum Exhibition featured in River District
Beginning in November 22, 2020, the 536 Craghead Street Gallery will present two DMFAH fine arts exhibitions in Danville’s River District, to complement the Museums regular programing at its Main Street facility. Rick Barker Properties has recently restored the Venable Building’s (c. 1899) commercial storefront at 536 Craghead Street. Before this space is made available for lease, it is being offered as a gallery space featuring a solo exhibition by David A. Douglas from November 22, 2020 to March 28,2021 and a photography exhibition called Blue Muse by Timm Duffy from June1-August 28,2021 . The DMFAH’s Craghead Street Storefront Gallery will present two fine art exhibitions in to promote the visual arts in Danville, Virginia. This collaboration is consistent with the artistic rhythm of The 500 Block, a development project focusing on the restoration of eight antique commercial buildings.
The photo above features the work of David Douglas and is titled:Hanging On.
You can see more of David's work HERE.
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Upcoming OPEN HOUSE on Friday November 6, 2020 from
4:30-7:30pm
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We are extremely happy to announce our OPEN HOUSE for the Museum, Swanson Studio and House 126 with our very own Crema & Vine offering the best wine and pizza in town. House 126 Sutherlin Avenue( Behind the museum) – Is home to Dan River Nonprofit Network, Smokestack Theatre Company and Lucia Video as well as the DMFAH Research Hub– and will open its doors to the community, while showcasing their programs for the Dan River Region.
During the hours of our Open House, The Danville Museum will be offering free tours of the Museum, highlighting the Camilla Williams exhibit, along with the Civil Rights exhibition as well as the Civil War and Tobacco exhibitions. Get a sneak peek at Smokestack Theatre Company’s upcoming production of "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play." The cast will be rehearsing in the Museum Auditorium beginning around 6:30pm.
Swanson Studio will be showcasing work by local potter and instructor Jonathan Scollo. This is a good time to pick up that unique, one-of-a-kind holiday gift. Information about arts classes offered at the studio will also be available.
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A Call for Volunteers! As interns move to the new Gallery on Craghead we need more volunteers to join our ranks at the Museum so that we can welcome visitors to the museum and assist with the day-to-day running of new programming. Volunteer shifts are usually 2 hours. Please contact us if you are interested in being part of the museum during this exciting time. We hope to expand our volunteer program to accommodate at least 15 new team members and need your help to get the word out. For more information about the volunteer program please contact info@danvillemuseum.org
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The Mural is COMPLETE but needs one more touch...
Artists Felice McWilliams and Anna Timm will facilitate an audience interaction for the November OPEN HOUSE event. Come on out and make your mark on the mural, be part of the DMFAH community and get to know the artists who have worked on this mural for the past months. Felice Mcwilliams, Director of Make Danville Smile, has been known in Danville for her interactive audience engagement project using “message” rocks placed throughout the city. "Small, happy things like positive messages on a rock can change the mood in a day," she said. As a persistent agent for positive and supportive messages, Felice put her paintings skills in action on the entrance portal to the DMFAH information hub occupied by Smokestack, Dan-River Nonprofit Networks, Lucia Video and the Museum research offices.
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Anna Timm understands that age should not hold anybody back from participating in larger meaningful art projects underway in the Dan River Region. Anna says she was given a lot of freedom while growing up to explore the world of art history through books and to enjoy the process of creating artwork on her own. She is inspired by the psychedelic art of the 60s and 70s, and especially by the surreal works of M. C. Escher. She enjoys painting most of all, but is not afraid to pick up a pencil or a pen. She finds that being a young artist growing up in the age of social media makes it easier to get her art out there into the world, and it presents more opportunities to connect with her local immediate community, too. In the future, she hopes to get more involved with local projects; she is always be open to learning what it means to be an artist. |
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Harriet's Mysterious Portrait Revealed! |
The identity of the mysterious woman in a Harriet Fitzgerald painting, recently gifted to the museum, was revealed this week when Mr. James Shirley sent us photographs of his grandmother Wileen “Woody” Fauley Shirley, who is believed to be the sitter for this Harriet Fitzgerald portrait (1965). The resemblance can clearly be seen.
"Woody" Shirley’s husband James Armistead Shirley Jr. was the great grandson of Thomas Benton (T.B.) Fitzgerald who served as the first president of the Dan River Power and Manufacturing Company, chartered in July 1895.
Harriet Fitzgerald and "Woody" Shirley were 1st cousins, about the same age. Harriet was the daughter of H.R. Fitzgerald, who was also the president of Dan River Mills.
James Shirley’s grandparents and Harriet were close throughout their lives, and all of them lived in New York during Harriet’s time there. Harriet painted many portraits of the family.
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Aidan Thomas Completes 300 Hours!! |
Next week Aidan will be completing an additional two online courses (COVID19 preparedness and Equity formats) before receiving the first DMFAH certificate of completion for 300 hours of museum training. During the summer, Aidan worked with the VMFA Artmobile team on community outreach and group scheduling. She was trained on Collections Maintenance procedures for our museum digital program PAST PERFECT by Kate McDannold from UNC-G. Aiden has already begun the second phase of the internship: actively training others, while continuing to work with Annie Chappell from Emory University on best practices for collection maintenance. She has assisted with visitor service procedures while working with Smokestack on the 2020 Ghosts & Gravestones Historical performance. We feel fortunate to have Aidan lead this year's team of Interns. |
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The Public Votes have come in on FaceBook for the Pumpkin Carving Contest:
Thank you to all who came out for our community pumpkin carving last weekend and thank you for our community partners who came out for the pumpkin carve off. It was a tight vote but the FB tallies were counted twice over and Midtown Market pumpkin carved by Michelle Nance came in first, Crema & Vine’s white pumpkin with cat, carved by Steve and Isabel Delgiorno came in second, Smokestack’s strong logo carved by Josh came in third, and Dan River nonprofit’s pumpkin with a starry sky and illuminated cat carved by Evelyn Riley and Nathan came in fourth while the DMFAH trailed last – but still up for another pumpkin challenge next year!!!
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A Spotlight on Quilt-maker Harriet Powers (1837-1910) |
This week is the birthday of the folk artist and quilt maker Harriet Powers, born into slavery outside Athens, Georgia (1837). Through her quilts, she recorded legends and biblical tales of patience and divine justice. Only two pieces of her work have survived: Her Bible quilt of 1886, which she sold for $5 in the aftermath of the War, now hangs in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Her Pictorial quilt of 1888 is displayed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Powers’ work is now considered among the finest examples of Southern quilting from the 19th century.
The city of Athens held a centennial celebration in her honor in 2010, and the mayor officially declared October 30th as Harriet Powers Day. (Writers Almanac, October 27, 2020)
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Abelia Removed to Reveal Rose Garden |
The removal of Abelia shrubs this past week from the Museum grounds is part of a larger landscape plan under discussion by the DMFAH Development Committee, whose next meeting, on November 2, features Landscape Architect Trenda Leavitt.
This Italian shrub made a fine hedge, barrier, mass, or foundation plant that was originally placed in the DMFAH garden to combat erosion when planted along a bank next to the Perkinson Rose Garden. By removing the hedge and planting a studier lower shrub visitors to the museum can now have better access to our spectacular rose garden from Magruders Alley. It no longer is hidden by the Abelia.
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Voting at Swanson Studio on November 3, 2020 |
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Virginia allows all voters to request a ballot by mail in federal elections. You can also vote in person. Virginia offers early voting. Swanson Studio will yet again be a voting poll for the next national election. Polling hours throughout the Commonwealth are from 6am to 7pm, Tuesday. As long as the voter is in line by 7pm, the voter will be able to vote. If you have any questions about elections, please check the Virginia Department of Elections webpage: https://www.elections.virginia.gov/registration/election-voter-faq/
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A Danville Art League CALL FOR ENTRY |
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A Winter Virtual Exhibition |
DAL President, Jerry Franklin, is pleased with the growth and excitement that continues for this local Danville community organization, nurturing the arts and artists in our area.
The Virtual Exhibition will be posted, starting November 22 on the DAL Facebook page and the DMFAH Facebook page as well as the DMFAH website.
For this year’s Virtual Show there will be NO ENTRY FEE We ask that those who want to participate, send the following to Felice McWilliams at fefee.fm30@gmail.com:
- Jpg images of up to three pieces of work – all genres. If 3D, we request, in addition to a photograph, a 10 second video showcasing the piece.
- For each piece include (1) your name (2) the title of the work (3)medium used, (4)size and Dimensions (5) Date the Work was created (5) whether it is sold framed or unframed (we imagine it is as shown in the photograph) and (6) price.
- Submission dates are October 30 through November 7
- The DAL will receive a commission of 10% of the selling price.
Purchases can be made directly though the DAL Facebook Site and will come to the DAL.
IN MEMORIAM: The DMFAH would like to note the contributions of Danville Art League Member Nadine Wright Thomasson, 90, of Calabash, N.C., who died on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, at her residence. She was born in Danville, Va., on February 1, 1930 and taught art in the Danville Public School System, as well in her home studio. Thomasson was a former President of the Danville Art League.
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