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http://www.maryhillmuseum.org

NEWS RELEASE Media contact:

Colleen Schafroth, Executive Director

(509) 773-3733, colleen@maryhillmuseum.org

 

 

Celebrate "The Good Life" at Maryhill Museum of Art
Car is King Weekend kicks-off opening of The Good Life Exhibit


(GOLDENDALE, Wash., May 21, 2009) – Spending time with friends and family. Taking pleasure in nature. These are just a few of the time-honored impulses celebrated in the exhibition The Good Life: From the Collections of Maryhill Museum of Art, on view from September 26 to November 15, 2009. A gallery walk will take place on Saturday, September 26 from 2 to 3 pm; it is free and will be followed by a reception. The opening weekend of the exhibit coincides with the museum’s annual Car is King Weekend, which will take place on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27.

 

The Good Life features approximately 30 paintings, drawings and prints created between 1600 and 1980 by American and European artists, all drawn from Maryhill’s permanent collections.

 

“The works are full of spontaneity, joy and a sense of nostalgia for a time when leisure was a central part of everyday life,” says Colleen Schafroth, Maryhill’s executive director.

 

The Good Life is divided into three sections: gatherings where family and friends are depicted dancing, playing music together, sewing, socializing and enjoying each other’s company; still life paintings, that show tableaux that were created not only for the sake of painting, but to celebrate abundance and to be consumed and enjoyed; and, people in the landscape, relishing nature and relaxing out of doors.

 

RELATED EVENTS:

 

Exhibit Opening & Car is King Weekend

Taking place September 26 & 27, 2009, this weekend celebration features an heirloom festival and programs for kids, and Car is King Weekend, which pays tribute to autos past and present with an open car show, races for kids and the highlight of the show – the grand entry of the vintage race cars competing in the Hill Climb race on Sunday. On Saturday, the Maryhill Café will be available inside and out with food, wine and beer.

Saturday, September 26
Heirloom Festival in the Sculpture Garden, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Learn more about objects you love, from family heirlooms to garage sale treasures, as leading art dealers and appraisers donate their time and expertise in the areas of Native American art and objects, prints and paintings and decorative arts. Opinions and appraisals are offered for educational purposes only. $10.00 for the first item; $25.00 for three (limit three items per person). Be prepared to wait in line and be entertained by all you hear.  Proceeds support Maryhill Museum of Art.

 

Concours de Maryhill, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The museum’s east lawn is transformed into the Concours de Maryhill with dozens of classic, sport and customized cars on view. Competition categories include best original, classic, hot rod and muscle car. This is an open car show and anyone with a special car may enter. The day concludes with the presentation of the car show awards. Organized by the Goldendale Motorsports Association.


Public Drive the Maryhill Loops Road, Noon to 2 p.m.

In honor of Sam Hill, the historic Maryhill Loops Road will be opened for automobiles and the public is invited to take a spin down this majestic byway – one of the first modern roads in the Northwest. FREE.

 

Family Fun: Classic Veggie Car Races, 1:00 p.m.
Join in the fun at the 6th annual Classic Veggie Car Races just for kids. Fantastically engineered cars, designed and fabricated by children from fruits and vegetables, compete on a 12 foot ramp for thrills and chills. Kids of all ages are invited to participate in this fun outdoor activity. Family Fun activities and admission to the museum are free for children under 17 with one adult admission.

 

Gallery Walk, 2 to 3 p.m.
Take a guided tour of The Good Life, a special exhibit drawn from the remarkable collections of Maryhill Museum of Art. Reception to follow.

 

Sunday, September 27:
Maryhill Loops Hill Climb, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Vintage sports cars from the 1930s to 1960s race singly in a three-mile timed race up the historic Maryhill Loops Road. Spectators can view the hill climb race from the Highway 97 Overlook and from designated viewpoints along the race route. Organized by the Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts of Seattle; only their approved cars and drivers will be competing.

 

November 1:

The Good Life Harvest Festival, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All are invited to Maryhill for art demonstrations by regional artists, special Halloween art activities for kids, storytelling and more. Family Fun activities and admission to the museum are free for children under 17 with one adult admission.

 


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ABOUT MARYHILL MUSEUM OF ART:

Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting cultural destinations.  Founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, Maryhill opened to the public in 1940; today the museum boasts a world-class permanent collection, rotating exhibitions of the highest caliber, and dynamic educational programs that provide opportunities for further exploration by visitors of all ages.

The museum’s collection includes more than 80 works by Auguste Rodin, European and American paintings, objects d'art from the palaces of the Queen of Romania, Orthodox icons, unique chess sets, and the renowned Théâtre de la Mode, featuring small-scale mannequins attired in designer fashions of post-World War II France. Baskets of the indigenous people of North America were a collecting interest of Sam Hill; today the museum’s Native American collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from prehistoric through contemporary.  

 

Maryhill’s Outdoor Sculpture Garden features work from the permanent collection by Tom Herrera, Mel Katz, Heath Krieger, Alisa Looney, Jill Torberson, Julian Voss-Andreae, Jeff Weitzel and Leon White.  Each year the museum also hosts an Outdoor Sculpture Invitational showcasing artists of the Northwest. The Maryhill Overlook is a site-specific sculpture by noted Portland architect Brad Cloepfil; nearby are Lewis and Clark interpretive panels. Four miles east of Maryhill is a life-sized replica of Stonehenge, Stonehenge Memorial, which Sam Hill built to memorialize local men who perished in World War I. Nearby, the Klickitat County War Memorial honors those who have died in service of their country since World War I.

 

The museum was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 2001 the museum was listed as an official site of the National Historic Lewis and Clark Trail and in 2002 was accredited by the American Association of Museums.


VISITOR INFORMATION:

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 maryhillmuseum.org.


Above: Edgar Bundy. The Musical Trio, 1897, oil on canvas. Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art.

A selection of 300 dpi images is available for use by press - click here.

Maryhill Museum of Art | 35 Maryhill Museum Drive | Goldendale, WA 98620 | 509-773-3733
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