Volume I | Jan 8 2021
Winter is the Best Time

Winter is the best time
to find out who you are.
Quiet, contemplation time,
away from the rushing world,
cold time, dark time, holed-up
pulled-in time and space
to see that inner landscape,
that place hidden and within.
 
David Budbill, “Winter Is the Best Time” from While We’ve Still Got Feet. © 2015 by David Budbill. The Writers Almanac, January 3, 2021.

VDOE to Feature DMFAH Education Units
New perspectives, sources, and interpretations change how we understand the past.

How did this happen? What societal context led to this moment? How can responsible historians track societal attitudes and actions?

The DMFAH is thrilled to be part of Governor Northam’s African American History Education Commission’s effort to make recommendations to current statewide curriculum for History and Social Science, and to have filled in the omitted histories of the Danville Race Riot of 1883 in particular. We are grateful to the The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for featuring the THINK LIKE A HISTORIAN lesson plan that includes the Danville Riots, in their January Newsletter. We hope that our unit will give many teachers access to this historical chapter that set in motion the series of unfortunate events, which led to the disenfranchised African American voters during the Jim Crow and segregation era in the Dan River region and the South. Thank you to the VDOE Department of History and Social Science and your efforts to highlight the museum and its work on providing resources for educators in your January newsletter.
Stay Connected in the New Year!
There are many ways to stay in touch with the Danville Museum of Fine Art, and to find out what is happening each week and each day. Check in with us regularly on Facebook or on Instagram.
Not only will you find out about programming that the Danville Museum offers, but you will also discover the many offerings of Virginia Museums and History organizations, such as the Virginia Humanities around us. Many offer great online programs and performances that they are ready to share with the DMFAH and with YOU. Explore the programs offered by the Virginia Humanities this month.
 
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM for unique stories about the people of Virginia, the many diverse cultures found here, and the histories that were probably left out of your social studies textbook.
The 2021 General Assembly
Advocating for historic places will look a bit different during the 2021 General Assembly session. This week, the DMFAH joins in on a webinar to hear remarks from Elizabeth S. Kostelny, Preservation Virginia CEO, Julie Langan, Director of the Department of Historic Resources and State Historic Preservation Officer, Trip Pollard, Chair of Preservation Virginia's Public Policy Committee, and Hunter Jamerson of Macauley & Jamerson, for a preview of what to expect during the 2021 General Assembly session, and to learn techniques for educating lawmakers remotely. How do we make sure that the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History’s concerns are heard? Within the next three months, the Danville Museum will be reaching out to Virginia legislators to advocate for the things we need in order to be the best steward of the Dan River region’s histories. We need state historical markers, we need more equitable representation in our collections, and we need operational funds. If you are interested in helping construct letters to go out to our representatives on City Council and on the state level, please contact me at elsabe@danvillemuseum.org
Upcoming DMFAH Events and Museum Winter Hours
As we head into the New Year, the DMFAH staff, Interns and Volunteers continue hard to make the Museum a safe place for all, while social distancing, masking up, washing our hands regularly, and wiping down rails and bathrooms on a regular basis. We look forward to inviting you to the 500 Craghead Block Gallery in the River District for a quiet contemplative experience similar to the gallery experiences you can have in New York City’s Chelsea district. We have taken the gallery out of the museum, and brought it to you during this pandemic winter. Allow yourself to contemplate the many-layered visual narratives present in David A. Douglas’ work. Shadows of place will transport you to places you yourself have dreamt about.

Threads of Connection
WANDERLOVE: A Stitch in Time
The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History is teaming up with the Massey Cancer Center, Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce, Danville Parks and Rec, the River District Association, and the Dan River Basin Association, as well as many other civic organizations, on one of the largest and most ambitious community knit projects in the region.
This fiber, knitting & crochet collaboration by the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, recognizes the building of community found within the age-old practice of gathering to assemble fabric and knitted pieces in small groups. This interactive winter community project, produced from January through June, celebrates and reflects people’s many different backgrounds and experiences. Participants are invited to collaborate in the making of a "Yarn Bombing" installation along the Danville Riverwalk, and share their COVID19 stories.
WATCH FOR OUR SIGN-UP FORM COMING SOON TO THE DMFAH WEBPAGE. If you want to be a part of "A STITCH IN TIME," please email the museum at info@danvillemuseum.org and we will send you the link to register as a knitting/ crochet/ recycle group.
From Chaos to Community - Jan 17th, 2021
3:00-4:30pm
America's Sunday Supper of the Dan River Region
The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History is teaming up with Averett University’s Center for Community Engagement & Career Competitiveness in partnership with Danville Community College, Middle Border Forward, the Commonwealth of Virginia, History United, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and invites you to attend our annual America’s Sunday Supper in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. week on Sunday, January 17, 2021 from 3-4:30pm.

This year’s theme “From Chaos to Community,” will begin with a keynote address by community-organizing powerhouse Ms. Stacey Abrams and end with a chance for all attendees to engage in a crucial conversation on the need for community-building and volunteerism as necessary tools to address race relations, education, economic disparities, political partisanship & healing, COVID’s community impact, food & housing security, and environmental awareness. We will also have additional influencers speaking about diversity, equity, inclusion and community-building within the Dan River Region.
Register for the virtual zoom event here.
 
The DMFAH is a nonprofit art and history museum in Danville, Virginia that inspires and engages the diverse Dan River Region communities and surrounding areas through visual arts and history exhibitions, museum education units and performance programming, as well as offering classes, residencies, internships and volunteer opportunities. The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History is a statewide partner of the Virginia Humanities and the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and is a member of the Virginia Association of Museums and the American Alliance of Museums. Danville Museum programming is partially supported by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History is located at 975 Main Street, Danville, VA. 24541. Museum Winter hours are Tuesday – Friday from 10 am – 5 pm; Saturday from 12 noon – 5 pm, and Sunday, 2-5pm. Admission is free on first weekends, or if you pick up free entry tickets at your closest public library. We do charge a tiered entry admission that support our yearly operating budget. To learn more about the DMFAH, please visit our website at: https://www.danvillemuseum.org/