COURTHOUSE GALLERIES SPRING EXHIBITION

COURTHOUSE GALLERIES SPRING EXHIBITION 2007

Courthouse Galleries of the Portsmouth Museums
420 High Street
Portsmouth, VA 23704

757.393.8543

EXHIBIT

April 20 – July 29, 2007 14 weeks - Entrance Galleries

WITH PAINTBRUSH & SHOVEL: Watercolors by Bessie Niemeyer Marshall

Bessie Niemeyer Marshall, a Portsmouth native was a gifted Virginia artist who received scant recognition during her lifetime. Marshall’s paintings are the primary surviving record of a unique WPA project that put women to work creating a wildflower sanctuary in Petersburg, Virginia during the 1930s. As part of the New Deal programs, communities were taking steps to bridge social problems, preserve local history, protect the environment and promote artistic expression. The herbarium garden collection was an outgrowth of all of these trends.

With a subtle palette and in exquisite detail, Marshall produced 238 watercolors of native flowers, shrubs and trees for the Lee Park collection. Offered from the collection are eighty watercolors that contain a variety of wildflowers, flowering shrubs and flowering trees, many of which are native to Virginia. Some rare and imperiled species on the federal list of threatened species are featured.

Reception: April 20, 6 – 8 p.m.

RELATED PROGRAMMING

Saturday, April 21^st from 10:00 am-5:00 pm

PORTSMOUTH VA HISTORIC GARDEN TOUR Featuring Linda Pinkham of the Elizabeth River Garden Club.

Fee: $25 for tour, children ages 6-12, $10 for tour; single site admission $10, available through the Garden Club of Virginia.

Registration: Advanced tickets encouraged.

Saturday, April 28^th from 10:30 am-3:30 pm

WATER THE FLOWERS: Painting Virginia Native Wildflowers in Watercolor With Art Instructor Susan Check.

Fee: $25 ($20 for members) -does not include materials, but does include museum admission.

Registration: Deadline 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 24, 2007.

*First Weekend Sunday, May 6^th at 2:00 pm

WITH PAINTBRUSH & SHOVEL: A Gallery Talk with Author Nancy Kober and Dr. Donna Ware.

Fee: Free admission in conjunction with the Olde Towne Business Association’s First Weekend Series.

Registration: No registration required.

Saturday, May 19^th from 10:30 am-3:30 pm

STRANGE GARDEN: A Seminar on Virginia’s Curious & Fascinating Native Plants Featuring Theresa Augustin.

Fee: $5 per person, includes museum admission.

Registration: Deadline 5:00 PM ob Tuesday, May 15 2007.

*First Weekend Sunday, June 3^rd at 2:00 pm

GARDEN OF BEES: Learning About the American Honeybee With Local Beekeepers Mr. Robert Schwartz & Mrs. Judy Ferguson.

Fee: Free admission in conjunction with the Olde Towne Business Association’s First Weekend Series.

Registration: No registration required.

Satuday, June 23^rd from 10:30 am-3:30 pm

BLUE SKIES & BLUE CYANIDE: Cyanotype Printmaking with Plants featuring artist and instructor Martine Strohmeyer.

Fee: $60 ($50 for members) includes all materials and museum admission.

Registration: Deadline 5:00 PM on Tuesday, June 19, 2007.

Saturday, June 30^th from 10:30 am-3:30 pm

TROPICAL BONSAI TREE: Little Tree Growing Class with Ronnie Baum of Tiny Tree Bonsai.

Fee: $45 ($40 for members) includes all materials and museum admission.

Registration: Deadline 5:00 PM on Tuesday, June 26, 2007.