December 18, 2024

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Gari Melchers Home and Studio Awarded $15,000 by Stafford Tourism

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Gari Melchers Home and Studio will host Art After Hours on Thursday, September 26 from 6-8 p.m. GMHS received $10,000 from Stafford Tourism for the program, as well as another $5,000 for its group marketing program.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio will host Art After Hours on Thursday, September 26 from 6-8 p.m. GMHS received $10,000 from Stafford Tourism for the program, as well as another $5,000 for its group marketing program.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio has been awarded $15,000 in tourism sponsorships by Stafford County. The sponsorships were made available as part of Stafford County’s tourism policy and program.

Established in December 2018, the program invites profit and nonprofit organizations to design programs or events that encourage visitors to Stafford. GMHS’s group marketing program received $5,000 in tourism sponsorships, while its Art After Hours Expanded events received $10,000.

Taking place on September 26 from 6-8 p.m., the next Art After Hours features live music by a local band on the lawn. Guests can take a stroll through the gardens and grounds, tour the art galleries and enjoy local food trucks, beer and wine. The event is free, but registration is required. For more information, please visit  https://www.garimelchers.org/news/calendar-of-events/.

Legacy, Music of James Monroe Highlighted at Arts Club of Washington

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Scott Harris, director of the James Monroe Museum, and Heidi Stello, editorial assistant for the Papers of James Monroe, provided the program for the annual Monroe Dinner at the Arts Club of Washington on Saturday, April 8. Their presentation, titled “James Monroe: Theme & Variations,” explored Monroe’s half-century of public service, and was supplemented by music drawn from pieces found in the 1818 music book belonging to Monroe’s daughter, Maria. Featured pieces included “Washington’s March at the Battle of Trenton,” “President Monroe’s March,” “Blue Eyed Mary,” and Jean Latour’s “A Favorite Air with 6 Variations.”

The Arts Club of Washington is housed in the I Street townhouse where Monroe lived during his tenure as Secretary of State and War from 1811-1817, as well as during the early months of his presidency, as the White House was undergoing continued repairs from the British attack on Washington in August 1814.  The original music book, as well as Monroe’s 1803 Astor pianoforte, are held in the collections of the James Monroe Museum at 908 Charles Street in downtown Fredericksburg.