Tag: Gari Melchers Home and Studio

Gari Melchers Home and Studio will host a spring open house on Sunday, April 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public who will have the opportunity to experience the formal gardens exploding with color as well as the verdant woodland paths and trails. Both the house museum and studio will be open for tours throughout the day.

Amateur and professional artists are invited to use the grounds of Belmont as their own plein-air workshop.  Artists in all media are welcome, as well as photographers and those who want to enjoy the day as observers.  Picnicking on the grounds is also encouraged.

Bird Song: No Idle Chatter  

Sun, March 11, 2 p.m.
Illustrated Presentation
Dr. Andrew Dolby, University of Mary Washington Biology Department Chair and Virginia Society of Ornithology President will introduce the anatomy, physiology, and ecology of bird song and will explain the modern tools that biologists are using to decipher their hidden messages. Bird song may sound like nature’s pleasant background music to our ears, but for the birds, singing is serious business. The lecture will be held at Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont and is free for members of Friends of Belmont or included with regular museum admission.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont recently installed 10 interpretive markers at key sites along its 1.5 miles of public trails.

The markers feature descriptions and photographs detailing important trail sites, including the locations of a 19th-century ice pond and springheads and the ruins of an electric pump station artist Gari Melchers installed to bring water uphill from underground springs to a cistern near the main house. Additional marker topics include the Melchers’ farming practices, the early canal along the Rappahannock River that helped power 18th- and 19th-century mills in Falmouth and a gravesite for members of the family of Joseph B. Ficklen, the Civil War-era owner of Belmont. The George J. and Effie L. Seay Foundation provided funding for the project.

In Corinne Melchers’ will deeding Belmont to the Commonwealth of Virginia, she expressed a desire that the property be developed into a public park for the enjoyment of local residents.

“We are excited about this long-awaited opportunity to increase the appreciation of local history for walkers exploring our network of trails,” said Site Preservation Manager Beate Jensen.

Belmont’s trails are open year round without charge. Trail maps are available on the museum’s website and in the museum shop. Markers at the trail entrances also illustrate the various routes available.

Volunteers from the Virginia Master Naturalists program hold free guided hikes for the public on the last Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. These hikes focus on native plants and animals, as well as Belmont’s historic features.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont is featured in the February 2012 issue of the New England Antiques Journal. The article, “Art, Love and the House of their Dreams: The Virginian Home of Artist Gari Melchers,” shares the history of Gari and Corinne Melchers’ home and includes photos of the building and grounds.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont will offer daily “Holidays with the Melchers” 30-minute guided tours of the artfully decorated Georgian house throughout December. The museum is open daily, except Wednesdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours run on the hour, starting at 10:30 a.m. and are included in the regular admission price of $10 for adults. Students 18 years old and younger are admitted free with an accompanying, paying adult, limit two. Current UMW faculty, staff and students are admitted free.

The tour will showcase imaginative decorations and vignettes that interpret life at the Melchers’ cherished Falmouth country retreat. All exterior decorations are provided courtesy of the Rappahannock Valley Garden Club.

The museum gift shop, decked out for the season, will offer a wide selection of books, advent calendars, art supplies and gift items.