(Goldendale, Wash., May 6, 2016) – Maryhill Museum of Art will commemorate a royal visit on May 21 during its annual Member Appreciation Day, where the centerpiece will be a Romanian Arts & Culture Festival. Admission to the museum will be free on May 21.
The festival, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., will include performances pop singer / songwriter Abigail Budak from Sacramento, traditional dance and music by Datina Folk Ensemble from Seattle, and the St. Mary’s Romanian Church Children’s Dance Group from Portland.
“A Taste of Romania” will give visitors a chance to sample traditional Romanian fare; the museum café will also be open for those who wish to purchase a meal. Activities for children will also be offered.
The festival is sponsored and presented by the Romanian American Society and the Romanian community. George Cristian Maior, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the United States, will be a special guest during the event.
In 1926, Queen Marie of Romania visited Maryhill, causing quite a buzz in the Columbia River Gorge. The royal visit attracted a crowd of 2,000, including 400 area schoolchildren and an auto caravan from Portland. She came to dedicate the yet-unfinished Maryhill Museum of Art as a personal favor to her dear friend Sam Hill, and to deliver a cache of artwork and personal artifacts that would enthrall visitors for decades to come. Marie brought paintings and sculptures, along with carved furniture, manuscripts, and the gown she wore to the 1896 coronation of her cousins Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia. All of these objects can be seen at Maryhill today.
“Queen Marie anchored a piece of Romania’s heart and tradition here in the Pacific Northwest, where many Romanians now find themselves living, growing and contributing as a Romanian-American community” said Michael Oros, President of the Romanian American Society and a member of Maryhill’s Board of Trustees. “Queen Marie was a Queen of the people – she truly embraced in her heart the place, the people and the traditions of Romania; on this occasion we celebrate and share those very traditions here in the Northwest.”
MAY 21 EVENT SCHEDULE
Curious about what’s going on at the museum? Join us as we fill you in on all the wonderful things we are doing at Maryhill; we’ll also share some of our plans for the future. FREE with museum admission.Romanian Arts & Culture Festival, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Experience the art and culture of Romania, both contemporary and traditional. The festival opens with a kickoff that will include anthems and the introductions of guests. This will be followed by Romanian performances throughout the day that include Romanian pop singer and songwriter Abigail Budak from Sacramento and the traditional dance and music by Datina Folk Ensemble from Seattle and the St. Mary’s Romanian Church Children’s Dance Group from Portland.
Special activities for children and Romanian food are also part of the fun. A Romanian food sampler will include cabbage rolls, Romanian bread and a selection of desserts. (This free taste is not meant to be a meal; the museum’s café will be open for food service from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
Special Guest is George Cristian Maior, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the United States. Sponsored and presented by the Romanian American Society and the Romanian community. A full schedule of the activities will be posted at www.maryhillmuseum.org.
Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art opened to the public May 13, 1940 and today remains one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting cultural destinations. The museum was founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, who purchased the property and began building the house with dreams of establishing a Quaker farming community. When that goal proved untenable, Hill was encouraged by friends Loie Fuller, Queen Marie of Romania, and Alma de Bretteville Spreckles to establish a museum.Maryhill Museum of Art 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. On view are 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 Hill; today the museum’s American Indian collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from prehistoric through contemporary.
Maryhill’s William and Catherine Dickson Sculpture Park features more than a dozen large-scale works by Northwest artists. 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 the 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. In 2012 the museum opened the Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing, a 25,500 square foot expansion that is the first in the museum’s history. The new wing boasts the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center, a collections storage and research suite, a new cafe and terrace, and the Cannon Power Plaza with an installation of sculpture, and sweeping views of the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood in the distance.
VISITOR INFORMATION:
Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $3 for youth age 7-18 and free for children 6 and under. 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, as well as a selection of local wines are available at the museum’s cafe, Loie’s, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily; 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.
Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art opened to the public May 13, 1940 and today remains one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting cultural destinations. The museum was founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, who purchased the property and began building the house with dreams of establishing a Quaker farming community. When that goal proved untenable, Hill was encouraged by friends Loie Fuller, Queen Marie of Romania, and Alma de Bretteville Spreckles to establish a museum.Maryhill Museum of Art 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. On view are 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 Hill; today the museum’s American Indian collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from prehistoric through contemporary.
Maryhill’s William and Catherine Dickson Sculpture Park features more than a dozen large-scale works by Northwest artists. 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 the 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. In 2012 the museum opened the Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing, a 25,500 square foot expansion that is the first in the museum’s history. The new wing boasts the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center, a collections storage and research suite, a new cafe and terrace, and the Cannon Power Plaza with an installation of sculpture, and sweeping views of the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood in the distance.