Celebrate spring and new exhibitions at Shelburne Museums Spring Fest, Sunday, May 12 Mothers Day. The opening day festival features indoor and outdoor activities for visitors of all ages.
Garden tours, a scavenger hunt and a Mothers Day doll tea party are just a few of the happenings planned for the day. The museums 400 lilacs in 90 varieties will also be on display. Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions and provide tips on gardening. Local expert Charlie Nardozzi will offer insights into heirloom vegetable gardening. The day-long celebration also marks the opening of several new special exhibitions including Larger than Life: Quilts by Velda Newman, a vibrant and masterful display of contemporary fiber art and Trail Blazers: Horse-Powered Vehicles, which draws parallels between 19th century carriages from the collection and todays automotive culture.
The family-friendly day includes:
Walking Tours of the Museum Grounds. Rick Peters, director of grounds, leads tours of the museums gardens and grounds.
Gallery Tour: Coverlets, Yoder Rugs and Velda Newman. Senior Curator Jean Burks on the new textile exhibitions in Hat and Fragrance Textile Gallery.
Heirloom Vegetable Gardening. Local gardening expert Charlie Nardozzi talks about old-fashioned varieties that are popular today.
Mothers Day Doll Tea Party. Bring a doll along for refreshments, doll hair salon, jewelry-making and games.
Talk: Easy on the Gardener and Gentle on the Earth with Judith Irven. Tips on how to garden sustainably.
Spring Fest is May 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $11 for Vermont residents and $5 for Vermont resident children. Admission for out-of-state residents is $22 for adults and $11 for children. For more information, visit www.shelburnemuseum.org
Below is a list of several new exhibitions that are open May 12 through October 31.
Larger than Life: Quilts by Velda Newman, a vibrant and masterful display of contemporary fiber art.
Trail Blazers: Horse-Powered Vehicles, exploring connections between 19th century carriages from the collection and todays automotive culture.
Ogden Pleissner, Landscape Painter, highlights from the collection of Pleissners watercolor sketches and finished paintings.
On June 22 the exhibition Wyeth Vertigo opens, featuring works by three generations of one of the most influential families in modern American art, N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth.
The Alphabet of Sheep by Patty Yoder, rugs of the noted contemporary rug hooker from the series that celebrates her family and the beloved sheep they raised at Black House Farm in Vermont.
About Shelburne Museum: Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont is one of North Americas finest, most diverse and unconventional museums of art, design and Americana. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in a remarkable setting of 38 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the museums beautifully landscaped 45-acre campus. Shelburnes collection includes works by the great Impressionists Claude Monet, Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas as well as a prized collection of folk art including trade signs, weathervanes and quilts. Shelburne Museum opens on May 12 and will remain open year-round with the opening of the new Center for Art and Education on August 18.
SHELBURNE, Vermont (May 2, 2013)