|
Victoria Mansion will re-open for the regular season on May 1, 2024.
Tickets are now available on our website.
| |
Is this your first newsletter from us? You may be receiving this after signing up to receive e-communications from Victoria Mansion. If you did not intend to sign up or if you received this email in error, you may unsubscribe at any time at the link in the footer. | |
|
In this newsletter:
- A Celebration of National Textiles Day
- Preparing for Opening May 1st
- Preservation Trades Training
- Upcoming Programs & Events
| |
Detail of one of the original Parlor floral drops, ca.1860.
Photo by Gail Dodge. | |
Victoria Mansion is fortunate to have over 90% of the house’s original collection, including samples of beautiful, intricate textiles from nearly every room. These delicate objects are usually housed in our climate-controlled textile storage room on the third floor of the museum and are rarely on public view.
Our community of Mansion Members, supporters, and visitors frequently express interest and curiosity in the textiles, and this May, we’re planning a special, limited exhibition of select objects!
National Textiles Day falls on May 3rd, which coincides with our 2024 regular season opening weekend. Textiles from the collection will remain on view in the Mansion’s rooms from Friday, May 3rd through Sunday, May 5th during regular tours. The exhibit is included with all tour admissions.
An exclusive preview reception will be held for Victoria Mansion Members on Thursday, May 2nd. If you are a current Member, invitations were emailed earlier this month! Not a member yet or need to renew? Join any time on our Membership page.
Victoria Mansion will also be offering free admission to view the museum and textile exhibit during the First Friday Art Walk from 5pm-8pm on Friday, May 3rd. (Capacity limited per half hour, reservations encouraged.)
| |
|
Victoria Mansion will soon be opening its doors for the 2024 regular season. Tickets can be reserved any time via the Plan Your Visit page on our website.
The Mansion closes yearly from January through April, but is far from dormant during this period. Throughout the off-season, conservators have been cleaning, conserving, and restoring painted surfaces throughout the Stair Hall, and the results are breathtaking. Staff and volunteers have been engaged in myriad research projects that will enhance our interpretation of the house, its occupants, its period, and its collections. And preparations are underway for tours and events throughout the season. We hope you can join us!
Victoria Mansion's regular season runs from May 1st through October 31st. Open daily from 10am-4pm, first admission 10:10am, final admission 3:50pm. Closed Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day.
Reserve your tickets and learn more here.
| |
Preservation Trades Training Workshop:
Window Preservation | John Leeke (center) with three Preservation Trades Workshop participants. | |
Our first Preservation Trades Workshop began on April 1st. Out of sixteen qualified applicants, five participants currently working in the building trades were selected for a two-week, paid, onsite training program with preservationist John Leeke. The purpose of this program was to train practicing tradespeople in the special knowledge required to preserve older and historic wood windows. More information about this inaugural workshop is forthcoming in our 2023-24 Annual Report, which will be published to our website this spring. (Members will soon be receiving their Annual Reports in the mail.)
For years, preservationists have lamented the shortage of workers skilled in the special methods and techniques required to work sensitively on historic buildings. While this problem can’t be fixed overnight, we firmly believe that knowledge sharing will be part of the solution.
This pilot training is the first of an annual series of preservation trades workshops designed to provide specialized training to expand the pool of skilled tradespeople qualified to work on historic properties. Victoria Mansion plans to offer these opportunities on an ongoing basis – expanding both the number apprenticeships created, as well as the number of preservation specialties offered.
If you have any questions about this program or future Preservation Trades Workshops, please contact Executive Director Tim Brosnihan at tbrosnihan@victoriamansion.org.
| |
Workshop participants begin cutting glass for historic wood windows prior to moving on to glazing. | |
Workshop participants assess needs for windows above the Ell porch at the rear of the Mansion. | |
Programs & Events Preview | |
Read on to learn about some of the events we have in the works for spring & summer 2024! Keep an eye on our Events page for tickets and more information about upcoming programs. | | |
Parlor tassel detail. Photo by Gail Dodge. | |
|
National Textiles Day falls on May 3rd, which coincides with our 2024 regular season opening weekend, as well as Portland’s First Friday Art Walk.
Join us from 5-8pm on Friday, May 3rd for a FREE self-paced tour of Victoria Mansion, with a rare chance to view original 1860s textiles exhibited in the rooms for which they were designed. Docents will be stationed throughout the house to interpret the rooms and selected objects. Reservations are encouraged due to museum capacity.
| |
ABOUT JANE’S WALK:
Jane’s Walk is a global festival of free, volunteer-led walking conversations inspired by community activist Jane Jacobs. Jane’s Walks combine the simple act of exploring a place with personal observations, local history, and civic engagement. Learn more at MainePreservation.org.
| |
|
Explore Park Street, part of the West End Historic District, a well-preserved time capsule that offers a glimpse into 19th-century Portland. This one-hour stroll will highlight some of the people who helped create this fashionable residential enclave – which at the time was considered “the most beautiful neighborhood in Portland.” We’ll showcase the popular architectural styles of the 19th century and learn more about the people who built them and the movements to preserve them during times of urban renewal. Park Street’s history encompasses working-class and upper-class neighborhoods, culinary endeavors, hot-button issues of 19th-century politics, and more.
The walk will end at Victoria Mansion. For those who would like to continue the conversation, we’ll wind up on Victoria Mansion’s back lawn for a discussion about four decades of intensive conservation and restoration work at this National Historic Landmark.
| | |
The Reception Room in natural light during an open shutters tour. | |
|
As we prepare for the opening of our 2024 regular season, we're also planning several events for our community of Mansion members.
Members not only enjoy discounted rates for our public events, but also receive invitations to exclusive events in gratitude for their generous support of our mission. These include Basement-to-Tower tours showing areas not on view during regular tours, collections spotlights, open-shutters events (rare glimpses of the Mansion in natural light, as it would have appeared during its occupancy), and many others.
With a calendar of exciting opportunities in the works, now is a great time to join as a member! Memberships start at $50 (or $30 for educators and university students).
Learn more about our Membership program and join any time on our website.
| |
The crowd begins to gather for Brownstone Brews & Bites on the Mansion lawn, July 2023. | |
Celebrating our 18-year partnership with Allagash Brewing, our summer fundraiser Brownstone Brews & Bites returns to the Mansion lawn this summer!
Featuring Allagash beer, music by the Pete Kilpatrick Band, and food from Cheese Louise and other local providers, this annual fundraiser helps support our ongoing historic preservation projects, with a special eye on preserving the Mansion's iconic brownstone exterior. Special thanks to event sponsor Bird & Co!
More information will be available soon.
| |
Actor Andrew Harris greets the Bizarre Victorian Bazaar crowd in character as Charles Dickens, October 2023. | |
|
Our Bizarre Victorian Bazaar returns to the Mansion lawn on Saturday, October 5th! This one-day fair kicks off the Halloween season with an educational (and entertaining!) take on Victorian folklore, camera trickery, Spiritualism, and more.
Keep an eye on our Events webpage, and our Facebook and Instagram pages in the coming weeks. A full schedule of events will be available onsite on the day of the event, and a preliminary schedule of events will be available closer to the event date. Tickets will likely go on sale in September. Stay tuned!
| |
|
We are looking for docents to join us in 2024!
For more information or to sign up, please email Stacia Hanscom, Director of Education & Public Programs at shanscom@victoriamansion.org.
| |
|
Help us start the fiscal year off strong with a donation to our Annual Fund!
Keeping the arts alive in our communities helps foster connections while enhancing our quality of life. Victoria Mansion is simultaneously a museum of art, architecture, and the decorative arts, as well as a site rich in social, economic, and political history, offering multiple pathways to connect to the issues of the day. As a nonprofit organization, Victoria Mansion depends on contributions from our community near and far to ensure the preservation of this National Historic Landmark for generations to come.
When you give to Victoria Mansion’s Annual Fund, your contribution directly supports the myriad efforts to conserve, maintain, restore, and share this National Historic Landmark with the public, from historic preservation to educational programming and beyond.
| |
Members enjoy year-round free admission, discounts in the Museum Shop, and invitations to exclusive events. Become a member today to assist in our conservation efforts and receive the first news about upcoming Victoria Mansion events and programs. | |
|
The Staff of Victoria Mansion
Timothy Brosnihan, Executive Director
Ann O'Hagan, Director of Development
Stacia Hanscom, Director of Education & Public Programs
Siobhan Lindsay, Conservator
Brittany Cook, Development & Communications Coordinator
Molly Kingsbury, Museum Shop Buyer & Merchandiser
Sue Flaherty, Visitor Services Coordinator
Michelle Josephson, Senior Site Manager
Sarah Coughlin, Scheduling Coordinator
| |
|
Stay Connected!
Follow Victoria Mansion on Facebook and Instagram:
| | | | |
