Engage with art, beauty, ideas at the museum

ARTS AND CULTURE

Engage with art, beauty, ideas at the museum

written by SARAH J. HALL

DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS – WASHINGTON COUNTY

Start a family tradition this holiday season with a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts — Washington County. Although the pandemic has changed the way we socialize, do business and interact with others, I’m confident the museum provides a safe space (wear your mask, of course) that will add some light to the long winter days as you engage with art, beauty and ideas.

The museum is hosting two temporary exhibitions over the winter months that will delight everyone from families with children in strollers to seasoned art collectors and connoisseurs.

Director Sarah Hall in the museum’s iconic Schreiber Gallery. Submitted photo.

‘The World of Jan Brett’

Running through Jan. 10, “The World of Jan Brett” features more than 70 illustrations by the beloved children’s book illustrator and author. Brett’s enchanting gouache and watercolor works present a host of her favorite characters — hedgehogs, polar bears, sled dogs, foxes and chickens, to name a few — rendered in her vivid style, which combines the fanciful with precise rendering and a vibrant sense of color reminiscent of illuminations. The exhibition features child-friendly texts that introduce world cultures, as well as an appreciation for the environment. We hung the works a bit lower than usual to provide the right vantage point for younger visitors, and we have step stools available so Brett’s fans can pore over every detail. Visit our website for a full schedule of family friendly virtual programs planned to complement the exhibition. ‘The Dutch Golden Age: Prints by Rembrandt and his Contemporaries’

Equally worthy of intense examination is our other temporary exhibition, scheduled for Nov. 8 through Jan. 24, “The Dutch Golden Age: Prints by Rembrandt and his Contemporaries.” Featuring seven prints by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) and others by his precursors, peers and followers, the exhibition provides a fascinating look at the importance of prints during Holland’s Golden Age. The Golden Age roughly encompassed the 1600s, a century after the Protestant Reformation (1517), when a growing middle class became more able to afford material goods, including art. Nonreligious subjects became more common

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MUSEUM HOURS Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. | Closed Mondays Free admission | Free parking

A seasonally appropriate image from Rembrandt, part of the exhibition of Dutch prints at the museum this holiday season. Image details: Rembrandt (Dutch, 1606 – 1669), The Annunciation to the Shepherds, 1632, etching. Collection of Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania

in Protestant areas, and landscapes, portraits and scenes of daily life were popular with a new class of collectors buying art for their homes. Prints are part of this story — allowing popular images to be reproduced in large quantities and for a wide audience. Rembrandt is one of the best-known artists in history, and is also one of the greatest artists to have worked with etching. He is known for his experimental approach to prints, exploiting the ability to alter plates, play with tonality and create different qualities of line. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to see this exhibition. Here at the museum, we love seeing your masked faces in the galleries, but we continue to provide most of our organized public programs online. Go to our website (wcmfa. org) and social-media pages for details. We have concerts, lectures and book readings planned for the coming weeks, as well as a new monthly “talk show” called “Let’s Talk Art,” streamed live, during which I chat with Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Curator Daniel Fulco about art and ideas. I hope to see you at the museum or online soon.

For questions or information about registration, membership and volunteering, call 301-739-5727 or go to wcmfa.org. — Places

Museum director Sarah J. Hall and Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Curator Daniel Fulco host the monthly talk show called "Let's Talk Art" in which they discuss art and ideas. Submitted photo.

FOR THE RECORD

In the Autumn 2020 edition of At Home Places, Rebecca Massie Lane’s retirement date from the Museum of Fine Arts – Washington County was listed as June 30, 2020, which was the date she originally intended to retire. When the hiring process was slowed due to the pandemic, the museum trustees asked Lane to extend her retirement by one month. Lane remained in her position as museum director until July 31.