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NEWS RELEASE Media contact:
Colleen Schafroth, Executive Director
Maryhill Opens 70th Anniversary Season March 15
With “70: Seven Decades of Collecting at Maryhill Museum of Art”
Diverse Collections Define The Washington State Icon
(Goldendale, Washington, February 22, 2010) – Maryhill Museum of Art, one of the Northwest’s most captivating cultural destinations and an icon of the Columbia River Gorge, will re-open for the season on March 15, 2010 with “70: Seven Decades of Collecting at Maryhill Museum of Art,” a celebratory exhibit exploring the museum’s 70-year legacy of collecting.
The exhibition, which will remain on view through May 31, 2010, features more than 100 prime objects, many acquired by the museum’s four founding patrons: Sam Hill, Queen Marie of Romania, modern dance pioneer Loie Fuller, and San Francisco arts patron and socialite, Alma de Bretteville Spreckels.
Opening day festivities take place Saturday, March 20, 2010 (information below) and include an exhibit tour with curator Steve Grafe, a Family Fun activity, dedication of the museum’s Windy Flats Walkway & Viewpoint, and a festive evening reception.
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT:
Among the objects on view in “70: Seven Decades of Collecting at Maryhill Museum of Art,” are architectural drawings and watercolors rendered by the building’s distinguished architects, the Washington D.C.-based Hornblower and Marshall, Eastern Orthodox icons and ecclesiastical textiles, American Indian beadwork, baskets and carvings, rare fur trade tokens, and American and European painting. Visitors will also encounter sculpture by Auguste Rodin, ancient Greek ceramics and 20th-century ceramics by Seraphine Soudbinine, Romanian folk textiles, and a steel chest containing two pieces of wood cut from the Mayflower.
“Maryhill’s diverse collections reflect its unique history and place in the regional landscape,” says Maryhill's curator of art, Steve Grafe. “From art and objects collected by Sam Hill, items from Queen Marie of Romania and her family, art about Loie Fuller and art acquired through her connections, to the many objects from Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, one of the Bay Area’s most influential art collectors, all of the pieces in the exhibit illustrate the story of Maryhill.”
A SHORT HISTORY OF MARYHILL:
How Maryhill Museum of Art came to be is a fascinating story in its own right. In 1907, Northwest entrepreneur Sam Hill purchased land along the Columbia River with dreams of building a Quaker farming community. When that dream proved untenable, Hill’s friend Loie Fuller, a pioneer of modern dance living in Paris, persuaded him to turn his mansion into a museum of art. Fuller’s connections with well known artists helped Hill amass an impressive art collection, including more than 80 works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin; Hill also contributed his own art collection to the museum.
Another friend, Queen Marie of Romania, visited in 1926. She brought with her 15 crates of artwork and artifacts, and dedicated the museum in a ceremony that received national attention and was attended by more than 2,000 people. Hill died in 1931 and progress on the museum stalled until 1937, when Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, the wife of San Francisco sugar magnate Adolf Spreckels and a friend of Hill’s, took up the task of finishing the museum. She joined the board and donated artwork from her personal collection to the project. Under her guidance, the museum opened on Sam Hill’s birthday, May 13, 1940. The museum's 2010 season is a celebration of this 70-year milestone.
RELATED PROGRAMS:
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Family Fun: Create an Art Assemblage | 1 to 4 p.m.
Kids of all ages are invited to help create the Great 70-Object Art Assemblage. The finished piece will be exhibited in the museum's EyeSEE Activity Room. Family Fun activities and admission to the museum are free for children under 17 with one adult admission.
Curatorial Walk | 3 p.m.
Join Maryhill’s curator of art, Steve Grafe, for an informative walk through the exhibit.
Dedication and Opening: Windy Flats Walkway & Viewpoint | 4 p.m.
This magnificent addition to the museum’s gardens features spectacular views of the Columbia River Gorge, native plants, and an art fence designed and created by Gorge artist Tom Herrera, using historic wrought iron originally owned by museum founder Sam Hill. The project was made possible by Cannon Power Group with additional support from Gunkel Construction, David and Roseangela Capobianco, and the Arthur G. Dunn Guild of Seattle.
Reception | 5 p.m.
Raise a glass to Maryhill and the start of the 70th Anniversary Season.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Founders’ Day Program, Celebrating 70 Years | 2 to 4 p.m.
Hear remarks and reminiscences from: Sam Reed, Washington Secretary of State; Bonnie Beeks, president of the Klickitat County Historical Society; Michael Oros, president of the Romanian American Society; Pat Courtney Gold, Wasco Basketry weaver and artist; painter Robert Douglas Hunter, whose work “The Little Leaguer” is in Maryhill’s collections; and Elizabeth Ives Hunter, Executive Director of the Cape Cod Museum of Art, Boston.
Family Fun: Marshmallow Sculptures | 1 to 4 p.m.
Using Maryhill’s collection of outdoor sculpture as inspiration, kids can use toothpicks and marshmallows to create their own sculptural masterpiece. Family Fun activities and admission to the museum are free for children under 17 with one adult admission.
Sculpture Garden Walk | 4 p.m.
Explore Maryhill’s outdoor sculpture collection with a garden walk led by curator Steve Grafe and some of the artists whose work is on view.
Northwest Wine Auction | 6 p.m.
Enjoy a magical evening under the stars on Maryhill’s Grand Lawn, with delicious food and wines, and a chance to bid on a specially curated collection of Northwest wines and other unique experiences. Tickets are $100. To reserve, call 509-773-3733 or email sandra@maryhillmuseum.org
Click here for a full list of events and programs during Maryhill's 70th Anniversary Season.
Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $2 for children age 6-16. Admission to the Stonehenge Memorial is free; it is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily.
Sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks, cold beverages, and freshly baked desserts and pastries are available at Café Maryhill; the Museum Store features art and history books, jewelry, Native American crafts and other mementos.
Maryhill is located off Highway 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington. Drive times to the museum are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. For further information, visit www.maryhillmuseum.org.
Images above, from left to right: 1. Richard Lack (American, 1928-2009), The Concert, 1961. Oil on board. 2. Alfred-Victor Choubrac (French, 1853-1902), Poster for Loïe Fuller performance at the Folies Bergere, Paris, 1892 (detail). Lithograph on paper. Gift of Margaret Haile Harris. 3. Jeanne Lafaurie (French, active 1925-1958), Théâtre de la Mode Mannequin with Draped Dress and Accessories (detail), 1946. Mixed media. Gift of Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. 4. Ellen Curley (Nuu-chah-nulth). Whaler’s Hat, c. 1900-1910. Spruce root, cedar bark and surf grasses. Gift of Samuel Hill. 5. India Counselor and King from Chess Set Depicting Battle between Alexander the Great and King Porus of India (detail), late 19th century. Carved ivory. Gift of Erwin E. Ezzes.
High-resolution for use by the media are available for immediate download here.
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| Maryhill
Museum of Art | 35 Maryhill Museum Drive | Goldendale,
WA 98620 | 509-773-3733 |
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