TheBrandywine.com Newsletter for December 2010

Brandywine Valley, December 2010

Come and enjoy all the colors.

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Happening In December

Candlelight Christmas in December (Saturday, December 4, 1-6PM)
Several private homes from the Chadds Ford area will be on display along with the Barns-Brinton House. Advance tickets for the annual tour are $16, tickets are $20 the day of the event. For more information, call 610-388-7376 or visit www.chaddsfordhistory.org.

@ The Attractions

Winterthur

Winterthur Yuletide Calendar

Through January 9
Yuletide at Winterthur
At Yuletide, tour H. F. du Pont’s house decorated for the holidays and enjoy the elegance of du Pont family entertaining. An array of special events, performances, and workshops promises to make your season bright. Unless otherwise noted, the following activities are included with Yuletide admission ($22; $12 children ages 2-11; $5 Members).

Obsidian Jewelry Trunk Show
December 3-5, Galleries Reception Area Bold, beautiful, and truly one-of-a-kind jewelry designed by artist Jeff Kohnfelder from Dallas, Texas. Purchase the perfect piece to give as a gift this holiday season.

Alice’s Cottage Trunk Show

December 9-10, Galleries Reception Area Known for its heartwarming designs that run from traditional to shabby chic, Alice’s Cottage features a wide selection of textile gifts, including scented sachets, petite pillows, towels, mugs, mats, and totes.

In the Museum Stores

December 2-5: Receive a free pashmina scarf with every purchase of $60 or more, while supplies last (one per customer) December 16-19: Spend $100 and receive 25% off your purchase not valid on online purchases

Family Wreath Making Workshop December 4, 10:00 am-12:00 pm

Create one of winter’s greatest decorative traditions using fresh greens and ornamental treasures. $60 adult/child pair; $48 Member pair. Includes wreath and materials. Registration required. Call 800.448.3883 or 302.888.4600.

Breakfast with Santa

December 11 and 18, seatings at 9:00 and 9:30 am Enjoy a delicious buffet breakfast with Santa in the Visitor Center. Then visit the museum to make special crafts in celebration of Christmas and the Betsy Ross exhibition. Enjoy performances of original and classic holiday music by children’s entertainer Silly Joe. $28 adults; $21 Member adults; $18 children ages 1-12. Reservations required. Call 800.448.3883 or 302.888.4600.

Longwood Gardens

A Longwood Christmas A Longwood Christmas is a celebration months in the making-with hundreds of amaryllis, cyclamen, narcissus and literally thousands of poinsettias.

Christmas information.

Holiday Performances
Open Air Theatre Fountain Shows

Brandywine River Museum

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Most weekends through December 19. Daily, December 26-30
Holiday Shops
Beautiful and unique objects created by some of the region’s most talented craftspeople are featured in the museum courtyard. Approximately 12 artisans exhibit and sell their work on a rotating basis, with seven artisans featured each week. Items for sale include dolls, hand-woven scarves, jewelry and pottery. Free with museum admission.

December 4 & 5 – 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Annual Critter Sale
Handcrafted “critter” ornaments made by the museum volunteers are for sale in the museum’s lecture room. Admission is free. Click for more information.

Guided Gallery Tours with Victoria Wyeth
Monday through Friday at 2 and 3 p.m.
No tours December 8 and December 18, 2010 through January 30, 2011. Victoria Wyeth, daughter of Nicholas Wyeth, guides public tours of art by her grandfather, Andrew Wyeth, and by her uncle, Jamie Wyeth. The tours include a discussion of the artists’ media, techniques, subject matter and models. Tours at 2 p.m. will focus on Jamie Wyeth. Tours at 3 p.m. will focus on Andrew Wyeth. Free with regular museum admission.

Tour capacity is limited to 35 people. Tickets are required and must be picked up in person on the day of the tour at the Brandywine River Museum Shop. Tickets are issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Individual reservations for tours are not taken in advance. Please call 610-388-8326 on the morning of your visit as Ms. Wyeth’s schedule is subject to change.

Through January 9
A Brandywine Christmas Extended hours – open until 6 p.m., December 26-30. The museum celebrates the season with fabulous holiday displays including an extensive O-gauge model railroad, an elaborate Victorian dollhouse and thousands of whimsical “critter” ornaments on holiday trees.

Through January 9

The Imaginary Beasts of Royal Lacey Scoville
This special exhibition presents 38 whimsical watercolors that form an original narrative written and illustrated by Royal Lacey Scoville for his daughter Eleanore. Based on the style of Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, and Peter Newell, Scoville tells the story of the Lazy Tom Tompkins and the wizard, Tumblebug, who casts a spell on Tom. Tompkins, startled from an afternoon nap, stares in horror at the gigantic snake with a multi-colored head and gaping mouth. Tom, under the spell cast by the wizard, cannot escape the snake’s coils and joins the 35 other imaginary creatures ensnared by the snake.

Through January 9
Golden Impressions of Andrew Wyeth by Donald Pywell
This exhibition features exquisitely-crafted jewelry inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s paintings. Goldsmith Donald Pywell collaborated with Wyeth on the initial design for each piece of jewelry, and architectural designer T. Mark Cole created the settings for them, which are also based on Wyeth’s paintings.

Hagley Museum

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The Hagley Museum property is a great place to experience the history of the Brandywine Valley, and it is simply one of the most beautiful spots in the area, especially in the spring and summer with the flowers in bloom.

Though December 31, 2010
Nineteenth-Century Patent Models: Innovation in Miniature See more than 100 patent models dating to the nineteenth century. The United States Patent Office required applicants to submit a working model of their inventions no bigger than twelve inches square in addition to supporting documents. The exhibit includes patents created by women inventors, transportation-related models, inventions that help with laundry and other household chores, and more.

Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Admission: Admission $11 for adults, $9 for students and seniors, $4 for children ages 6-14, free for members and children 5 and under.

Through January 2, 2011

“Remember Me: du Pont Family Keepsake Portraits” Exhibit in Eleutherian Mills

The exhibit showcases portrait miniatures and other portraits of du Pont family members which have been cherished over the years. Of special interest are portrait miniatures depicting the founder of the DuPont Company, E. I. and his wife Sophie, as well as his brother Victor’s family. This exhibit is on display in the du Pont family ancestral home, Eleutherian Mills. Included in regular admission and tour. Free for members. Use Hagley’s main entrance off of Route 141 in Wilmington, Delaware. More information.

Delaware Art Museum

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Through January 2, 2011
On Assignment: American Illustration 1850 – 1950
Classical literature, romantic best-sellers, cowboy adventures, historical fiction, frothy short stories about high society-all these and many more were the assignment of the working illustrator during a century of profound cultural change. Illustrations captured telling moments of the written narrative, and individual illustrators were often sought out by editors and recognized by readers. More information.

Through January 2, 2011
A Belief in the Power of Beauty: A Selection of Works by May Morris Although May Morris (1862 – 1938) was the daughter of William Morris — the founder of the British Arts and Crafts Movement — her stunning landscape watercolors, unique embroidery and hand-made books capture her versatile artistic abilities and individualism. Drawn from the Delaware Art Museum and other public and private collections, the exhibition will present approximately 25 of May Morris’ works, many of which have rarely been on public view. Hours: On view during regular hours. Admission: Free with paid admission on Saturday. Free on Sundays.

More information.

Through January 9, 2011
Leonard Baskin: Art from the Gift of Alfred Appel, Jr. In the 1950s, Leonard Baskin (1922-2000) emerged as an important American artist. Placing the human figure at the center of his work, Baskin set himself against the abstraction and formalism that dominated art production and criticism at the time. Prodigiously talented in several media, Baskin explored his interests-artists, birds, tragic literary figures, human suffering-deeply returning to them over many years in drawings, prints, sculptures, and books. This exhibition celebrates 50 works of art generously donated to the Delaware Art Museum by Dr. and Mrs. Alfred Appel, Jr. Hours: On view during regular hours. Admission: Included with general admission. Free on Sundays.

More information.

Through January 16, 2011

Ultra-Realistic Sculpture by Marc Sijan Ultra-Realistic Sculpture by Marc Sijan Marc Sijan creates incredibly lifelike figures, based on individuals he knows well. His interest goes beyond anatomy and anecdote, as he attempts to convey character and movement.

More information.

Through January 23, 2011
Different Views: Painters of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute This juried exhibition features individual paintings from 38 members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Delaware’s Wilmington campus (formerly the Academy of Lifelong Learning).

More information.