Holiday Art Events & Exhibitions

Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA – A Season of Celebration – Bring family and friends for holiday-themed events and activities that are free with museum admission.  The Neapolitan Presepio has been a holiday tradition since 1957.  Handcrafted by artisans between 1700 and 1830, it features lifelike figures and colorful details that re-create the Nativity within a vibrant panorama of 18^th century Italian village life with more than 100 superbly modeled human and angelic figures, along with animals, accessories and architectural elements, Dec. 1-4 and Dec. 9-Jan. 8.  View the Holiday Tree Display, Solid Gold:  Classics that Endure, from Dec. 8 – Jan. 8, with a Preview Party (admission fee) on Dec. 7; and enjoy a Family Holiday Sing-Along on Dec. 10.  www.carnegiemnh.org/holidays.

Milwaukee Art Museum, WI – Gallery Talk:  A Christmas Story, Dec. 13 at 1:30 p.m. – Celebrate the art of the season with Chief Educator Barbara Brown Lee, as she shares stories from religious works in the galleries, including the Neapolitan crèche. Free with Museum admission. www.mam.org.

New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM – Annual Holiday Open House, starring the Gustave Baumann Marionettes, Dec. 18, Free Admission – Join Freckles, Warts and Santa from 1 – 4 p.m.  The afternoon is a round-robin event featuring two short skits by the marionettes, an art-making project for the whole family, holiday music, the “Find Freckles” gallery treasure hunt and more.  www.nmartmuseum.org.

Baltimore Museum of Art, MD – Kwanzaa Family Day, Dec. 28, Free – Inspired by Hand Held:  Personal Arts from Africa (through Feb. 5), this year’s celebration of community and family features a special performance by Keur Khaleyi African Dance Company and fascinating stories brought to life by actress Maria Broom.  Come and create your own African textiles and hand-held treasures, 1-5 p.m. www.artbma.org.

Indianapolis Museum of Art, IN – Christmas at Lilly House, Through Dec. 31 – American Christmas decorations demonstrate both continuity and change in delightful combination from colonial times to the present.  The American country house setting is used to explore the decorative ideas of the 1930-40’s, offering an opportunity to see the ways that familiar motifs such as trees, wreaths and evergreens were enlivened with refreshing touches of newer fashions.  www.imamuseum.org.

Bard Graduate Center, New York, NY – Exhibition: American Christmas Cards, 1900-1960 is the first exhibition to study the images on American Christmas cards of the twentieth century, and it serves as an introduction to a large artifactual and aesthetic field that until now has been largely unexplored.  Presented are 20 of the most prominent classes of card imagery, including everything from candles and poinsettias to coaching and travel, the three kings and visiting for the holidays.  Organized by Kenneth L. Ames, BGC faculty member and author of the book by the same name (Yale University Press).  Through Dec. 31.  www.bgc.bard.edu/gallery.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC - Annual Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche, through Jan. 8 – The Museum continues a long-standing holiday tradition with the presentation of its Christmas tree.  A vivid 18^th Century Neapolitan Nativity scene adorns the candlelit spruce, and recorded music and lighting ceremonies add to the enjoyment of the holiday display.  www.metmuseum.org.

Winterthur, Winterthur, DE – The Best of Yuletides Past, through Jan. 8 – Experience the museum’s most beloved holiday displays from past Yuletides and discover holiday traditions of Americans from the colonial period through WW II, including the introduction of the first Christmas trees decorated with goodies for children by Pennsylvania Germans in the 1800’s.  A myriad of additional special holiday events are planned.  Visit www.winterthur.org.

National Gallery of Art, Washington DC – Seasonal Offerings – The NGA celebrates the holiday season throughout the month of December with festive decorations and an array of free programs including concerts, caroling, gallery talks and a film.  All programs are free and available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.  The Sculpture Garden ice rink offers skaters of all ages an opportunity to enjoy the season on the ice, surrounded by large-scale sculpture (through March 11, weather permitting).  Also, visit the website to enjoy a streaming slideshow that explores The Adoration of the Magi (c. 1440/1460), a complex and colorful masterpiece from Renaissance Florence: www.nga.gov/magi/.  The Gallery and Sculpture Garden are closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.  See the calendar at http://www.nga.gov/programs/calendar/cal2011-12_w49.shtm.

Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA – Exhibition: Norman Rockwell and the Ghost of Dickens, through March 4 – This celebration of the 200^th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth features original Rockwell artworks inspired by the literary giant’s contributions, which were among the artist’s favorite books.  www.nrm.org.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 22, No. 2 — December 2011