Dear Branch Friends and Supporters,

There’s a lot happening at The Branch as we gear up for our big December 19th celebration at the end of our Centennial year. We had an opportunity to extend our current exhibition Hiding in Plain Sight: The Architecture of Charles M Robinson through February. This is exciting because this the first exhibition The Branch has produced on our own in some time. If you haven’t seen it, you should, as you will come to a deeper appreciation of many architectural treasures that we see everyday in Virginia. In particular, in the early 20th century, Robinson had a profound impact on colleges and universities across the state. Right here in Richmond we have some beautiful examples of how Robinson advanced the public good through his open air designs at a time when the population was dealing with tuberculosis. Be sure to grab a gallery guide when you come, as our young curator Brenden Bowman had lots of information that couldn’t fit on the gallery walls!
Penelope C. Fletcher
Executive Director
Branch Centennial Celebration
Thursday December 19, 2019
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Step back in time to 1919 and celebrate as the Branches would have on their first Christmas in the house. The 18th amendment for Prohibition was passed in January of 1919 and was going into effect a year later. As Christmas approached people would have been celebrating like it was their last. The Branches had preparations underway...think false walls and hidden storage in an elevator shaft.

A hundred years later, let's take their holiday spirit and party like it's 1919!

Help us celebrate this architectural gem with libations, vintage decorations, returning treasures and a few surprises. Join us in the support and preservation of the Branch House.


Tickets: $100
The Michael Spencer lecture has been postponed until after the New Year. Check back for a new date soon.
Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See
with author/architect Frank Harmon, FAIA

Harmon is a graduate of the Architectural Association in London and a popular professor of architecture at the North Carolina State University College of Design. He has taught at the Architectural Association and has been a visiting critic at Harvard University, Yale University, and the University of Virginia. He continues to serve as a visiting critic at Auburn University’s renowned Rural Studio.

Lecture & Book Signing: Thursday, Nov. 21, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Native Places , the book, is a collection of 64 of Harmon’s watercolor sketches – of buildings, landscapes and cityscapes, everyday objects and ordinary places -- paired with brief essays inspired by those sketches. The sketches, some as much as 30 years old, convey the delight he finds in each subject. 

Urban Sketching Workshop: Saturday, Nov. 23, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Frank has conducted Urban Drawing Workshops for the American Institute of Architect’s National Convention; for various city, state, and regional AIA chapters and sections; and at Auburn University’s renowned Rural Studio in Hale County, Alabama. 
He shows participants how to look more closely at the particulars of a place and the nuances of objects within that place, then express their observations more clearly through sketching. 

Ticket Options:
Lecture Only : $20
($10 for Branch Museum Members)
($30 for Branch Museum Members)
($40 for Branch Museum Members)

Discount codes will be sent to members in a separate email
Branch House Tour
Saturday November 9th
10 a.m.

Join The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design for an architectural tour of its historic home, the Branch House. See rooms rarely opened to the public and discover the distinctive architectural features that make this Tudor-Revival home, designed by renowned architect John Russell Pope, an important historic and cultural landmark.

Register Here ; $10 per person; free for members 
Join DesignVA for DesignHOUR
Thursday, November 14th
5:30 P.M. at Dell Anno Home Design
designVA is an organization for young professionals who share a passion for architecture and design. Membership is open to individuals ages 21 to 40 of all backgrounds and skills.

The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement. A global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and celebrate. 

On Tuesday December 3, 2019, charities, families, businesses, community centers and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.  
This year The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design asks everyone to participate in a day long Membership drive! It’s simple.  Buy a Branch Membership for yourself or gift a Branch Membership to a friend, colleague or family member this holiday season on December 3, 2019!  

Membership at The Branch not only provides access to a list of wonderful benefits, it directly influences stewardship, programming, exhibitions and operations of The Branch Museum. It’s thanks to our loyal supporters that we are able to continue successfully impacting the community around us.
Palladio in Southern England and the American Connection with Calder Loth
December 12th
6:00 p.m. light refreshments, 6:30 p.m. Program Begins
Architectural Historian Calder Loth recently toured southern England with The Center for Palladian Studies, exploring a dozen major 18 th  and 19 th  -century landmarks inspired by Andrea Palladio’s buildings and his 1570 treatise  I Quattro Libri dell’Architettura , This masterwork   greatly influenced the character of English classicism as royalty, nobility and gentry built grand buildings to signal their prominence and display their wealth. Additionally, Mr. Loth will compare these buildings with American and specifically Virginia architectural works also influenced by Palladio’s  Four Books.

Tickets: $20
($10 Branch Museum Members and The Center for Palladian Studies Members)
Gingerbread House Workshop
Sunday, December 15
2:00 p.m.
Families can help design Santa’s Village at the North Pole with gingerbread houses and other sweet structures of their making. Participants can literally feed your imagination with tasty treats as they build! Holiday snacks included. Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult. 
$15 per person.

The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design
2501 Monument Avenue
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 655-6055
frontdesk@branchmuseum.org
www.branchmuseum.org