Ventfort Hall events through end of 2009
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According to Executive Director Jeffrey Folmer, “We’re one-half about the historic mansion and one-half a performance venue, usually focused on the Gilded Age. Visitors from around the world enjoy our terrific programs, world-class exhibits, Picnics on the Porch, tours of the beautifully-restored areas and even enjoy seeing the restoration in progress.”
Leading the events this year is Ventfort Hall’s annual summer play. Opening June 26 with an Opening Night Reception is a world premiere of a work commissioned by Ventfort Hall and written by Pittsfield playwright, Juliane Hiam. Titled “ Paris 1890 – Unlaced!” the play will once again be produced by Ventfort Hall in cooperation with Shakespeare & Company.
The story is a lighthearted take on the gay and glamorous life in the French capital during one of its most brilliant eras. What the Gilded Age was to Ventfort Hall and the rest of America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Belle Epoque was to France, give or take a few years. Anne Undeland returns to star under the direction of Sarah Taylor, who directed Ventfort Hall “Morgan O-Yuki, Geisha of the Gilded Age”.
Folmer says that, “In an effort to help in these difficult economic times, we’re actually lowering our play ticket price slightly this year. Every little bit helps and we hope it will allow even more folks to enjoy another of our fabulous productions.”
This year’s lectures in the newly-restored library range from life at Sagamore, the Vanderbilt Adirondack retreat; to Evelyn Nesbit and Stanford White, central figures in “The Crime of the Century”; to the social whirl at the grandly built mansions of the Gilded Age; to the special relationship between poetess Emily Dickinson and Boston Brahmin Thomas Wentworth Higginson; to the lecture reunion of Cornelia Brooke Gilder and Richard S. Jackson Jr., co-authors of the popular “Houses of The Berkshires 1870 – 1930” who will relay the exciting Berkshire connections in “The Race for the North Pole.”
Other highlights include special family events planned for Fathers Day, “Ventfort Hall Green Girls” Summer Sessions, a new Ventfort Hall nature program “Ventfort Goes Wild”, and more. Ventfort Hall’s Annual Historic Houses Tour will be held the second Saturday in August. Nonstop into the fall and holiday season are a “Weekend of the Gilded Age”, a Medieval Faire, Halloween events, and the annual “A Home for the Holidays.”
Ventfort Hall manages to make room on the busy roster for private rentals too. Events Coordinator Janice Robinson says, “As more people discover us, and see how far the restoration has come, we find we’re doing many more private parties, weddings, corporate meetings, and other events. We recently received an increase in our certificate of occupancy which allows for much greater flexibility in all our events.”
Folmer adds that “The exhibit of Les Petites Dames de Mode (The Little Ladies of Fashion) continues to be an enormous hit and has been extended with no closing date planned. We also have a couple of other exciting announcements that will be forthcoming within a few weeks. The successes and surprises will keep on coming.”
For more information, contact Ventfort Hall at 413-637-3206.
Upcoming Events 2009
Sunday, Nov 1 - Halloween Party
Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8 - Needlelace Making Seminar with Hanka Robertson
Saturday, November 21 - Marzipan Workshops with Expert Cile Bellefleure Burbidge
Fri, Nov 27-mid Jan2010 - A Home for the Holidays Opens - holiday events and decorations - details TBA
Sunday, December 6 - American Dance Institute Ballet performance followed by Holiday Victorian Tea
Saturday, December 12 - Theater Street Productions presents: Glitter and Gold – An Afternoon of Operatic and Holiday Favorites followed by Holiday Victorian Tea
Saturday, December 26th - “Paris 1890 – Unlaced!” returns for one week only! through Thursday, December 31st
* Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum is Open Daily year-round 10am – 3pm weekends, 10am – 5pm weekdays (and evenings for special events.) Through Oct 31, guided tours are daily at 10, 11, 12, 1, and 2. Self-guided tours are available year-round anytime from 10am to 3pm weekends and from 10am to 5pm (as staffing allows) After Oct 31st, guided tours are available weekends only (self-guided remain available daily)
* Admission is to the first floor, or the second floor, or both as detailed below:
-- First Floor: Member Free for first floor, $12 for Adults, $5 for Children 5-17 (Children under 5 are free). First floor admission includes either a guided or self-guided tour of the ground floor, and the world-class exhibition, Les Petites Dames de Mode (the Little Ladies of Fashion) 60 exquisite 29-inch tall costumed Victorian Ladies – each a work of art!
-- Admission to the second floor with the special exhibit of “Something Old Something New: 200 Years of Berkshire Brides” is $11 for Members, $12 for Adults and $6 for Children under 5 – 17, Under 5 is free.
-- A combined ticket for both the 2nd floor special exhibit and the first floor is discounted at $20 for Adults, $11 for members, and $11 for children 5-17.
* Become a “Ventfort Volunteer” and enjoy free admission to most events, guest passes for friends and family, discounts for “Picnics on the Porch,” Museum Shop discounts, and more. We have volunteer opportunities to suit everyone!
A Not-Too-Spooky Day-After-Halloween Party At Ventfort Hall
Ventfort Hall will be hosting a Not-Too-Spooky Day-After-Halloween Party for the whole family on Sunday, November 1 from 3pm to 5pm. Enjoy an extra chance to wear your costume and share in the Halloween spirit! Admission is $5 for kids and $12 for adults and includes special guests, refreshments, games, crafts and a pumpkin contest – so be sure to bring along your carved pumpkin for judging.
The party will include a reading by renowned children’s book illustrator Denise Brunkus, of the hit Junie B. Jones series and Read All About It! by Laura and Jenna Bush among many others. Party-goers can also look forward to a special appearance by Dracula (from the Ballet Metropolis appearing at the Colonial Theatre).
Crafts and Games will be run by Jessica Pollard, of the Lee Public Schools and the coordinator of Ventfort Kids after-school and summer programs.
Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling (413) 637-3206. Ventfort Hall Mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.
An official project of Save America’s Treasures, Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum offers tours of the historic mansion as well as lectures, concerts, teas, theater and other programs. This elegant Elizabethan-revival Berkshire “cottage,” listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is open to the public year-round and is available for private rental. Built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan (sister of financier J.P. Morgan), Ventfort Hall has undergone substantial restoration, which continues.
Something Old, Something New
200 Years Of Berkshire Brides
Those who are in the Berkshires region of Western Massachusetts beginning Memorial Day weekend, will have the rare opportunity to view a collection of historic wedding gowns and related accessories that are as much as two centuries old! The Berkshire Historical Society is partnering with Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum, and Naumkeag, a Gilded Age mansion belonging to the Trustees of Reservations, to present “Something Old, Something New: Two Hundred Years of Berkshire Brides”.
“We are very excited about this exhibit,” exclaimed Betsy Sherman, Executive Director of the Berkshire Historical Society. “We will be emphasizing the extensive Berkshire history in our collection and the timelessness of wedding apparel. We have focused our energies on this project for the last year. The total collection is spectacular with more than 50 wedding gowns and hundreds of accessories. The hardest part was choosing which ones to display”!
“Something Old, Something New: 200 years of Berkshire Brides” will be displayed on the second floor of Ventfort Hall Mansion and Museum of the Gilded Age. “The synergy of this partnership allows us all to shine a bit brighter,” said Jeffrey Folmer, Executive Director of Ventfort Hall. “The second floor of our Gilded Age mansion will be open to the public for the first time in decades. The beautifully restored bedrooms provide the perfect backdrop for the gowns and accoutrement”.
According to Rebecca Smith, Berkshire Historical Society board member and owner of the Thaddeus Clapp House in Pittsfield, the exhibit showcases more than two dozen wedding gowns –the oldest from 1815—along with shoes, veils, gloves, invitations and photographs. “All of these things are well-maintained and tell wonderful stories. When you tell the stories, but lack tangible items from the occasions, they are fantasies. Here, everyone will be able to see the clothing.”
One example cited as not to be missed, is a wedding gown by famed designer, Charles Frederick Worth. Born in London, Worth moved to Paris, where he made “high end women’s fashions,” said Sherman. “He was the first couturier, the Versace of that day. His gowns sold for $10,000 each in the Gilded Age when the average American family was earning $30 per week.”
Ventfort Hall is also home to another exhibit – the separate, but related Les Petites Dames de Mode (The Little Ladies of Fashion). This exhibit nicely complements “Something Old, Something New: 200 years of Berkshire Brides” and features 60 exquisite 29-inch tall costumed Victorian Ladies. The creation of John R. Burbidge, retired senior designer of 40 years at the prestigious bridal gown firm Priscilla of Boston, it includes eight petite wedding gowns among the 60 dresses. In addition, Mrs. Cile Bellefleur-Burbidge, a renowned wedding cake designer, will unveil a new 3’ high creation made specifically for this exhibit. Her cakes which sell for up to $20,000, have been exhibited at the Smithsonian, Tiffany’s, and the Peabody-Essex Museum.
Naumkeag was the Stockbridge estate of Joseph Hodges Choate, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom from1899 to 1905. The home was bequeathed to the Trustees of Reservations by Choate’s daughter, Mabel, and is operated as a non-profit museum.
An 1895 wedding breakfast is the inspiration for the Naumkeag exhibit in its dining room. As Miss Mabel Choate recalled the marriage of her cousin Carl, “We were all elated by the engagement between Carl de Gersdorff and Suzette Crowninshield. They were wonderfully suited to each other and Suzette was not only an outstanding personality, but very charming and we were all thrilled at the thought of having her in the family... Later in September the wedding took place. The day was superb, and both families turned out in full force – Grandmothers, Uncles and Aunts, children galore and all our closest friends appeared, though no invitations were sent out…They were married in St. Paul’s Church, and afterwards the wedding breakfast at Naumkeag. It was a delightful and simple affair…” Thomas Hayes of Real Gustavian Antique Shop, Great Barrington, will decorate the dining room using the original glass, porcelain, and silver from Naumkeag’s collections.
Ventfort Hall is open daily, year-round. “Something Old, Something New: 200 Years of Berkshire Brides” will be on display there from May 23, 2009 through January 15, 2010.
