Stratford Chairs moved back to Collections April 2020
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou  
 
 
 
Dear Members and Friends of DMFAH, 
 
These are unprecedented times for most of us. COVID-19 has upended life as we know it as we watch its progression across the globe. After much careful consideration, the DMFAH has decided to close to the public effective in March 2020, and will reopen on recommendation of the Virginia Association of Museums. All on-site classes, tours, and events scheduled during this window are canceled or will be postponed to a later date yet to be determined.  
 
However, DMFAH remains a very busy place with a lot of new exciting programming unfolding that we would like to share with you. Last week Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History brought on board two National Historians: Grace Hale and Fitz Brundage; one Local Historian: Gary Grant; one UVA University Fellow: Asher Caplan and Videographer Josh Lucia from  Smokestack  to work on a comprehensive new Visitor Service Video. This video will be about the Sutherlin Family, but also include “omitted” histories about the Museum campus in pre-colonial and Native American context; tobacco and industrial context, as well as reveal the civil rights histories of the 1960 - 70’s when the Museum was a segregated public library.  
 
We are currently also launching new virtual programming to make our collections more accessible to public schools and university research. The DMFAH’s mission is to bring people and art together for discovery, learning, and enjoyment. Our staff offices will remain open during this time and we plan is to continue furthering our mission by providing a number of free, virtual, educational offerings over the next month. 
Our website platforms will all be updated during the month of April to hold all this new content information and to make it more accessible for museum members and families currently at home during the COVID-19 quarantine. Check our web site and social media pages regularly for updates on those offerings, which will include the VR360 video as well as education packet for the Camilla Williams: 
 
 
A video tour of the house museum led by CB Maddox will also be uploaded and an audio tour of the house museum produced by Evince editor Joyce Willburn and radio-reporter David Hutcheson will be ready in next week. 
 
DMFAH plans to partner with arts and culture organizations from across our region to provide you with continued quality educational programming delivered online from the Museum. Examples include interactive education packages based on the life and times of Camilla Williams, performance video clips by the Storytelling Festival performers and Fred Motley, as well as a local history harvesting project by Karen Williamson called  I am… Danville Legacies , which we will upload to the website next week April 22.  
 
 
The Stratford Chairs have been moved out of the Research Center House 126, and returned to collections storage to make way for a possible new Green-screen Studio!!!!
 
As always, we are grateful for your continued support, especially during these trying times. We wish each of you health, happiness, and well being until we see you in the galleries again. 
Stay Safe, Sane and Sanitized!

Elsabe Dixon
Danville Museum of Fine Art's and History
www.danvillemuseum.org

Phone:434.793.5644
Danville Museum of Fine Art's and History | www.danvillemuseum.org