On loan from private collectors, Melchers painted The Crimson Rambler at his residence in Holland sometime around 1915. The subject of the painting is an intimate view of the artist’s garden, its chief features being a rose arbor, neighboring tree and lawn statue.
“Free of other pictorial concerns, Melchers wholly gave in to the broken brushwork and chromatic possibilities of a lush garden in sunlight, rendering the sensation of a garden as opposed to a literal reproduction of one, a key objective of impressionism,” said Curator Joanna Catron. “Because of his preference for figure painting, The Crimson Rambler was to be Melchers’ first and last experiment with a pure garden portrait.”
Gari Melchers Home and Studio is a 28-acre estate and former residence of the artist Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne. The property, which is operated by the University of Mary Washington, is both a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. Located at 224 Washington St. in Falmouth, Va., a quarter mile west of the intersection of U.S. 1 and U.S. 17, it is open daily with an admission charge. The museum also serves as the official Stafford County Visitor Center. For directions and other information, call (540) 654-1015 or visit garimelchers.umw.edu.Artist’s Painting Returns to Gari Melchers Home and Studio
January 26, 2015 by
The Crimson Rambler, a painting unique to Gari Melchers’ body of work, will make a special appearance at the Gari Melchers Home and Studio beginning Saturday, Feb. 28 through Sunday, June 7, 2015.
On loan from private collectors, Melchers painted The Crimson Rambler at his residence in Holland sometime around 1915. The subject of the painting is an intimate view of the artist’s garden, its chief features being a rose arbor, neighboring tree and lawn statue.
“Free of other pictorial concerns, Melchers wholly gave in to the broken brushwork and chromatic possibilities of a lush garden in sunlight, rendering the sensation of a garden as opposed to a literal reproduction of one, a key objective of impressionism,” said Curator Joanna Catron. “Because of his preference for figure painting, The Crimson Rambler was to be Melchers’ first and last experiment with a pure garden portrait.”
Gari Melchers Home and Studio is a 28-acre estate and former residence of the artist Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne. The property, which is operated by the University of Mary Washington, is both a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. Located at 224 Washington St. in Falmouth, Va., a quarter mile west of the intersection of U.S. 1 and U.S. 17, it is open daily with an admission charge. The museum also serves as the official Stafford County Visitor Center. For directions and other information, call (540) 654-1015 or visit garimelchers.umw.edu.
On loan from private collectors, Melchers painted The Crimson Rambler at his residence in Holland sometime around 1915. The subject of the painting is an intimate view of the artist’s garden, its chief features being a rose arbor, neighboring tree and lawn statue.
“Free of other pictorial concerns, Melchers wholly gave in to the broken brushwork and chromatic possibilities of a lush garden in sunlight, rendering the sensation of a garden as opposed to a literal reproduction of one, a key objective of impressionism,” said Curator Joanna Catron. “Because of his preference for figure painting, The Crimson Rambler was to be Melchers’ first and last experiment with a pure garden portrait.”
Gari Melchers Home and Studio is a 28-acre estate and former residence of the artist Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne. The property, which is operated by the University of Mary Washington, is both a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. Located at 224 Washington St. in Falmouth, Va., a quarter mile west of the intersection of U.S. 1 and U.S. 17, it is open daily with an admission charge. The museum also serves as the official Stafford County Visitor Center. For directions and other information, call (540) 654-1015 or visit garimelchers.umw.edu.UMW Commemorates Anniversary of Religious Freedom Statute
January 8, 2015 by
The University of Mary Washington will commemorate the anniversary of the enactment of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom on Thursday, January 29 with a lecture “Religious Freedom and the Culture Wars” given by Douglas Laycock, one of the nation’s leading authorities on the law of religious liberty.
The presentation will take place in at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium and is open to the public free of charge.
A Robert E. Scott Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia, Laycock has testified frequently before Congress and has argued many cases in the courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He is the author of the leading casebook Modern American Remedies; the award-winning monograph The Death of the Irreparable Injury Rule; and co-editor of a collection of essays, Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty. He recently published Religious Liberty, Volume I: Overviews and History and Volume II: The Free Exercise Clause, the first half of a four-volume collection of his many writings on religious liberty.
The UMW Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion has sponsored the annual Jefferson Lecture on Religious Freedom since 2002, bringing scholars and public figures to the stage to enlighten students and visitors about religious freedom and the significance of Jefferson’s impact. Jefferson’s statute was enacted by the Virginia General Assembly on January 16, 1786 and established the legal right to complete freedom of worship in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The statute also was a significant step toward the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The presentation also will recognize the winners of a middle school essay contest on the theme of religious freedom, co-sponsored by the UMW Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion and the Fredericksburg Coalition of Reason. Each winner will receive a certificate on-stage before the lecture.
For more information about the event, please contact Craig Vasey, professor and chair of the Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion at (540) 654-1342.
The presentation will take place in at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium and is open to the public free of charge.
A Robert E. Scott Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia, Laycock has testified frequently before Congress and has argued many cases in the courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He is the author of the leading casebook Modern American Remedies; the award-winning monograph The Death of the Irreparable Injury Rule; and co-editor of a collection of essays, Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty. He recently published Religious Liberty, Volume I: Overviews and History and Volume II: The Free Exercise Clause, the first half of a four-volume collection of his many writings on religious liberty.
The UMW Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion has sponsored the annual Jefferson Lecture on Religious Freedom since 2002, bringing scholars and public figures to the stage to enlighten students and visitors about religious freedom and the significance of Jefferson’s impact. Jefferson’s statute was enacted by the Virginia General Assembly on January 16, 1786 and established the legal right to complete freedom of worship in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The statute also was a significant step toward the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The presentation also will recognize the winners of a middle school essay contest on the theme of religious freedom, co-sponsored by the UMW Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion and the Fredericksburg Coalition of Reason. Each winner will receive a certificate on-stage before the lecture.
For more information about the event, please contact Craig Vasey, professor and chair of the Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion at (540) 654-1342.UMW Presents 2015 Great Lives Lecture Series
January 8, 2015 by
The University of Mary Washington will present its 2015 Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series beginning Thursday, January 15.
Now in its twelfth year, the four-month series examines the lives of historical figures told through lectures by nationally prominent biographers and authors. The talks will be held at 7:30 p.m. on selected Tuesdays and Thursdays in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium and are open to the public free of charge.
“Great Lives speakers are often the foremost authorities on their subjects,” said William B. Crawley, director of the series and distinguished professor emeritus of history at UMW.
The speakers are only half of the equation though, according to Crawley. The series is known for its wide range of subjects with broad popular appeal. “This year’s schedule has an extremely diverse array of topics with something for everybody,” said Crawley.
The series will open with a lecture on Alfred Hitchcock by Tomas Leitch, the co-editor of A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock. Including a total of 18 lectures, the Great Lives series will present major historical figures such as John F. Kennedy and Charles Darwin, as well as notable people from entertainment and the arts including Shirley Temple, Mathew Brady and Robert Ripley.
Each program includes a Q&A session with the audience and book signing by the author or speaker. Books will be available for purchase on site.
For more information and a complete listing of lectures, visit www.umw.edu/greatlives or call the Office of University Events and Conferencing at (540) 654-1065.
Now in its twelfth year, the four-month series examines the lives of historical figures told through lectures by nationally prominent biographers and authors. The talks will be held at 7:30 p.m. on selected Tuesdays and Thursdays in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium and are open to the public free of charge.
“Great Lives speakers are often the foremost authorities on their subjects,” said William B. Crawley, director of the series and distinguished professor emeritus of history at UMW.
The speakers are only half of the equation though, according to Crawley. The series is known for its wide range of subjects with broad popular appeal. “This year’s schedule has an extremely diverse array of topics with something for everybody,” said Crawley.
The series will open with a lecture on Alfred Hitchcock by Tomas Leitch, the co-editor of A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock. Including a total of 18 lectures, the Great Lives series will present major historical figures such as John F. Kennedy and Charles Darwin, as well as notable people from entertainment and the arts including Shirley Temple, Mathew Brady and Robert Ripley.
Each program includes a Q&A session with the audience and book signing by the author or speaker. Books will be available for purchase on site.
For more information and a complete listing of lectures, visit www.umw.edu/greatlives or call the Office of University Events and Conferencing at (540) 654-1065.UMW Philharmonic Hosts Holiday Pops Concert, Dec. 5
December 1, 2014 by
The University of Mary Washington Philharmonic will host its annual Holiday Pops Concert, “Home for the Holidays,” tonight, Friday, Dec. 5.
The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium, located in George Washington Hall on the university’s Fredericksburg campus. Tickets are $10 per person, and admission is free to children under eight years old.
Show highlights include a live performance of “Frozen” and the original John Williams score to the film “Home Alone.” Mary Katherine Greenlaw, mayor of Fredericksburg, will narrate a stirring rendition of “Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus.” Finally, a special troupe of Highland dancers from Baffa Academy of Irish Dance in Stafford and Richmond will perform two numbers from Celtic Woman.
The orchestra is welcoming back UMW faculty baritone In Dal Choi, who will sing “Ave Maria” and “O Holy Night.” Before joining the UMW faculty, Choi was a music director of the James Madison University Chorus.
Past holiday concerts have featured some of the Philharmonic’s best efforts including last year’s Beethoven’s Ninth, a Polar Express segment in 2012 that actually had a train rolling through the auditorium, and “A Fiddler’s Holiday” in 2011 that became a national PBS pledge show.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the Holiday Pops Concert, call (540) 654-1324 or visit philharmonic.umw.edu.
The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium, located in George Washington Hall on the university’s Fredericksburg campus. Tickets are $10 per person, and admission is free to children under eight years old.
Show highlights include a live performance of “Frozen” and the original John Williams score to the film “Home Alone.” Mary Katherine Greenlaw, mayor of Fredericksburg, will narrate a stirring rendition of “Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus.” Finally, a special troupe of Highland dancers from Baffa Academy of Irish Dance in Stafford and Richmond will perform two numbers from Celtic Woman.
The orchestra is welcoming back UMW faculty baritone In Dal Choi, who will sing “Ave Maria” and “O Holy Night.” Before joining the UMW faculty, Choi was a music director of the James Madison University Chorus.
Past holiday concerts have featured some of the Philharmonic’s best efforts including last year’s Beethoven’s Ninth, a Polar Express segment in 2012 that actually had a train rolling through the auditorium, and “A Fiddler’s Holiday” in 2011 that became a national PBS pledge show.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the Holiday Pops Concert, call (540) 654-1324 or visit philharmonic.umw.edu.UMW to Open Veteran Resource Center
December 1, 2014 by
The University of Mary Washington will open its Veteran Resource Center on Monday, December 1 to serve more than 400 veteran, active duty and veteran-affiliated students at the institution.
The center, which will be located in the basement of Combs Hall, will provide a central campus meeting space for veterans to get assistance. It will also offer office space for the Veteran’s Administration work study students who will be responsible for office management.
“Our veteran community is very important to UMW,” said Douglas Searcy, vice president of student affairs. “We want to ensure that we provide support and service at the highest level.”
Services for students will include providing information on using Veteran’s Administration and Department of Defense benefits here at UMW, helping students locate the appropriate office to answer specific questions, collecting data on UMW veteran student numbers and concerns and providing peer-to-peer counseling and general support.
The space was a collaboration of the several organizations within the university, including the Veterans Working Group and the Association of Student Veterans, who identified the need and provided recommendations on requirements.
The Veteran’s Administration work study students will begin office hours on Monday, January 12, the first day of classes for the spring semester.
The center, which will be located in the basement of Combs Hall, will provide a central campus meeting space for veterans to get assistance. It will also offer office space for the Veteran’s Administration work study students who will be responsible for office management.
“Our veteran community is very important to UMW,” said Douglas Searcy, vice president of student affairs. “We want to ensure that we provide support and service at the highest level.”
Services for students will include providing information on using Veteran’s Administration and Department of Defense benefits here at UMW, helping students locate the appropriate office to answer specific questions, collecting data on UMW veteran student numbers and concerns and providing peer-to-peer counseling and general support.
The space was a collaboration of the several organizations within the university, including the Veterans Working Group and the Association of Student Veterans, who identified the need and provided recommendations on requirements.
The Veteran’s Administration work study students will begin office hours on Monday, January 12, the first day of classes for the spring semester.
UMW Philharmonic Receives National Endowment
November 24, 2014 by
The University of Mary Washington Philharmonic has received a $2,850 grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts that will bring the Richmond Ballet to Fredericksburg after more than 20 years.
A joint concert featuring Richmond’s professional ballet company and the UMW Philharmonic will be held April 24, 2015. The event will feature the ballet’s performance of “Ancient Airs and Dances,” by Respighi at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium on the Fredericksburg campus.
“We are excited to be collaborating with the Philharmonic,” said Brett Bonda, managing director of the ballet. “I recall dancing with the ballet in Dodd Auditorium in the early 90’s. It will be great to be back because I know that Fredericksburg is a terrific arts town.”
The collaboration will result in multiple performances in the coming years. The UMW Philharmonic has already traveled to Richmond to attend a ballet performance and will return again in December for a special performance of the Nutcracker and in April for rehearsals with the ballet.
In 1984, Richmond Ballet became the first professional ballet company in Virginia and was designated the State Ballet of Virginia in 1990, by then Gov. Douglas Wilder. The UMW Philharmonic, in its 44th season, is comprised of both UMW students as well as talented community musicians. The orchestra, under the direction of Kevin Bartram, achieved national acclaim in 2009 with the American Prize, an award given to the top nine collegiate orchestras in the nation.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit philharmonic.umw.edu or call (540) 654-1324.
A joint concert featuring Richmond’s professional ballet company and the UMW Philharmonic will be held April 24, 2015. The event will feature the ballet’s performance of “Ancient Airs and Dances,” by Respighi at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium on the Fredericksburg campus.
“We are excited to be collaborating with the Philharmonic,” said Brett Bonda, managing director of the ballet. “I recall dancing with the ballet in Dodd Auditorium in the early 90’s. It will be great to be back because I know that Fredericksburg is a terrific arts town.”
The collaboration will result in multiple performances in the coming years. The UMW Philharmonic has already traveled to Richmond to attend a ballet performance and will return again in December for a special performance of the Nutcracker and in April for rehearsals with the ballet.
In 1984, Richmond Ballet became the first professional ballet company in Virginia and was designated the State Ballet of Virginia in 1990, by then Gov. Douglas Wilder. The UMW Philharmonic, in its 44th season, is comprised of both UMW students as well as talented community musicians. The orchestra, under the direction of Kevin Bartram, achieved national acclaim in 2009 with the American Prize, an award given to the top nine collegiate orchestras in the nation.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit philharmonic.umw.edu or call (540) 654-1324.UMW Breaks Food Donation Record
November 21, 2014 by
The University of Mary Washington collected 4,729 pounds of food in its 2014 STOP Hunger Food Drive, breaking last year’s record of 3,500 pounds of donated food. The food drive donations are given to the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank to help feed the local community.
UMW Dining Services, Sodexo, has sponsored the STOP Hunger Food drive every November since 2005. As part of Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow commitments, the Stop Hunger program mobilizes Sodexo’s employees, consumers, clients and suppliers to join forces to end hunger.
As part of the food drive, UMW’s Department of Athletics collected 3,242 pounds, a new record for the department. The softball team alone contributed over 1,100 pounds, the largest contribution from any UMW organization this year.
UMW Athletics has been a partner sponsor since 2008 and also participates in a conference-wide food collection competition to see which university’s student-athletes can collect the most pounds of food in a one week time period.
Collection bins were placed in all campus dining facilities, the Simpson Library and the UMW Bookstore. The bookstore supported the drive by giving discounts to customers who make food donations in the store. UMW Dining Services also sold discounted canned food items during the drive, and coordinated a curb-side collection outside Seacobeck Hall. Student-athletes solicited donations at local food stores and from neighborhood residents, in addition to weighing the donations and loading them into trucks for transportation to the food bank.
UMW Dining Services, Sodexo, has sponsored the STOP Hunger Food drive every November since 2005. As part of Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow commitments, the Stop Hunger program mobilizes Sodexo’s employees, consumers, clients and suppliers to join forces to end hunger.
As part of the food drive, UMW’s Department of Athletics collected 3,242 pounds, a new record for the department. The softball team alone contributed over 1,100 pounds, the largest contribution from any UMW organization this year.
UMW Athletics has been a partner sponsor since 2008 and also participates in a conference-wide food collection competition to see which university’s student-athletes can collect the most pounds of food in a one week time period.
Collection bins were placed in all campus dining facilities, the Simpson Library and the UMW Bookstore. The bookstore supported the drive by giving discounts to customers who make food donations in the store. UMW Dining Services also sold discounted canned food items during the drive, and coordinated a curb-side collection outside Seacobeck Hall. Student-athletes solicited donations at local food stores and from neighborhood residents, in addition to weighing the donations and loading them into trucks for transportation to the food bank.UMW Student Emily Young Chosen as College Tour Peer Advisor
November 17, 2014 by
University of Mary Washington student Emily Young was selected to be one of the first ever Virginia ABC College Tour peer advisors, who will motivate students to live a healthy lifestyle without alcohol.
The Virginia ABC College Tour is a series of one-day events that provide students with the necessary alcohol education to help reduce underage and high-risk drinking, while promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Young, 20, is an English major and is focusing on pre-law at UMW and loves to swim. Part of her role as a College Tour peer advisor is to help develop and plan five College Tour regional conferences and work on-site during the events. She also will update Virginia ABC about alcohol-related issues on college campuses and offer suggested educational tools that will assist student’s progress through the academic year.
“It’s a really good way to get involved on campus with other students who live the sober life,” said Young, encouraging students to attend one of this year’s regional conferences. “It’s great to work with others who want to stop drug and alcohol use on campus.”
This year, the tour will visit James Madison University, the University of Richmond, Virginia Tech, the College of William and Mary and George Mason University and will provide students knowledge about dangerous drinking trends and strategies to prevent harms.
Young was one of seven students chosen to be a part of this program.
“These seven were selected because of their continued efforts with alcohol prevention and peer leadership at the college level,” said Virginia ABC Education and Prevention Manager Katie Weaks, “and because of their interest in helping us take this message to campuses across Virginia.”
The Virginia ABC College Tour is a series of one-day events that provide students with the necessary alcohol education to help reduce underage and high-risk drinking, while promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Young, 20, is an English major and is focusing on pre-law at UMW and loves to swim. Part of her role as a College Tour peer advisor is to help develop and plan five College Tour regional conferences and work on-site during the events. She also will update Virginia ABC about alcohol-related issues on college campuses and offer suggested educational tools that will assist student’s progress through the academic year.
“It’s a really good way to get involved on campus with other students who live the sober life,” said Young, encouraging students to attend one of this year’s regional conferences. “It’s great to work with others who want to stop drug and alcohol use on campus.”
This year, the tour will visit James Madison University, the University of Richmond, Virginia Tech, the College of William and Mary and George Mason University and will provide students knowledge about dangerous drinking trends and strategies to prevent harms.
Young was one of seven students chosen to be a part of this program.
“These seven were selected because of their continued efforts with alcohol prevention and peer leadership at the college level,” said Virginia ABC Education and Prevention Manager Katie Weaks, “and because of their interest in helping us take this message to campuses across Virginia.”UMW Presents “Sing-A-Long-A Sound of Music”
November 12, 2014 by
The University of Mary Washington Department of Theatre and Dance will present “Sing-A-Long-A Sound of Music,” a special two-show performance, on Saturday, Dec. 6.
Performances will take place at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium, located in George Washington Hall on the university’s Fredericksburg campus. Tickets are $20 for standard admission and $15 for children and students with a UMW or Germana Community College ID.
“The Sound of Music” will be performed in interactive mode as audience members will have the opportunity to sing-a-long, dress up in costume and join the choruses of “My Favorite Things.” The performance will begin with a vocal warm up to encourage the audience to join in with the musical.
“Sing-A-Long-A Sound of Music” first premiered in 2000 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan. In 2001, the production appeared at the Hollywood Bowl where over 18,000 people attended the performance, including the film’s director and writer. The drama has toured internationally since 2005 in cities such as London, Amsterdam, Dublin, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne, Stockholm and many other major cities.
For further information and to purchase tickets, contact the Klein Theatre Box Office at (540) 654-1111 or visit umw.tix.com.
