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March 9, 2011

Guests to the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg Can Map Directions to Participate in New Programs This Spring

Guests to the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg don’t need to ask for directions to find two new programs this season – “Focus on Maps” and “Maps and Migration.” The “Focus on Maps” tour showcases rare and important 17th- and 18th-century American maps and is offered at 2:15 and 3:30 p.m. Mondays, April 4-June 6. “Maps and Migration” illustrates transatlantic migration routes in British North America on a guided tour of 17th- and 18th-century maps. The tour takes place at 4 p.m. on Thursdays, May 5-June 9.

These programs are in conjunction with the new exhibition, “More than Meets the Eye: Maps and Prints of Early America,” which illustrates how maps and prints aided colonial expansionists by conveying attitudes and values that swayed public opinion.

The following tours will be given at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum:

  • “Introduction to Folk Art” introduces guests to the whimsical and fascinating paintings, sculpture, textiles and more from Abby Aldrich Rockefeller’s original collection for which the museum was founded. The tour is available at noon and 2 p.m. daily through June 12.
  • The “Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Tour” offers a tour of paintings, sculpture, schoolgirl art and more as well more about the woman behind the art. The program is at 3:30 p.m. on March 14, 21 and 28.

    The following tours will be given at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum:

  • “Focus on Furniture” is an in-depth tour of 18th- and early 19th-century furniture including the rare baroque, rococo and neo-classical tables, chairs, chests and desks from the museum’s collection. The program is at 2:15 and 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays through June 7 and Thursdays through June 9.
  • “Textiles Up Close” provides a tour of the textile gallery to learn about the latest textile exhibitions on view and to examine accessories, costumes and needlework in the textile study drawers. Guests can join a museum volunteer at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays through June 8.
  • “Decorative Arts Highlights” is an overview tour of masterworks on display including paintings, ceramics, textiles, furniture and silver. The program is available at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily through June 12.
  • “Ceramics Up Close” gives a tour of rare ceramic forms from Europe, America and the Orient. Guests can join a museum volunteer in the ceramic study room at 2 p.m. Fridays through June 10 and Sundays through June 12.
  • “Who, What, & Ware” explores earthenware, stoneware and porcelain originating in Europe, America and the Orient through interesting stories of their craftsmen, their creations and the functions for which they were used. The program is presented at 1:30 p.m. Fridays through June 10 and Sundays through June 12.
  • “Women in Portraits” examines how women have been depicted in 18th- and 19th-century portraits. The tour is available at 10:30 a.m. on March 21, 28 and April 4.

    The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg offers a wide range of programs for the spring season. “America’s Music” features a different performer and featured instrument or country each week and examines music that came from distant shores to become our music. The concert will be held at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, March 22-June 7.

    Guests enjoy live music in the galleries performed by members of Governor’s Musick on period instruments during “Music at the Museums.” Substitutions to the performer schedule may be made. The program is available at 3 p.m. on Thursdays, March 24-June 9.

    All programs and exhibitions at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum are supported by the DeWitt Wallace Endowment.

    A Colonial Williamsburg admissions ticket, museum pass or Good Neighbor Card provides access to these tours.

    The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg include the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum is home to the nation’s premier collection of American folk art, with more than 5,000 folk art objects made during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum exhibits the best in British and American decorative arts from 1670–1830.

    The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg are located at the intersection of Francis and South Henry Streets in Williamsburg, Va., and are entered through the Public Hospital of 1773. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday through March 13. On March 14, museum hours will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. For museum program information, telephone (757) 220-7724.

    The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the not-for-profit educational and cultural organization that preserves and operates the restored 18th-century Revolutionary capital of Virginia as a town-sized living history museum, telling the inspirational stories of our nation’s founding men and women. Williamsburg is located in Virginia’s Tidewater region, 20 minutes from Newport News, within an hour’s drive of Richmond and Norfolk, and 150 miles south of Washington, D.C., off Interstate 64. For more information about Colonial Williamsburg, call 1-800-HISTORY or visit Colonial Williamsburg’s website at www.history.org.

    Media Contact:
    Penna Rogers
    (757) 220-7121



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