Release Date: April 9, 2009
Bedroom of a dollhouse replicating a 17th-century Dutch canal house from the collection of Cookie Ziemba. In honor of Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age, the dollhouse will be on display during "A Weekend in the Dutch Republic" Family Weekend, April 25–26, 2009, at the National Gallery of Art. Photo published in the October 1999 issue of Miniature Collector Magazine; reprinted with permission of Scott Publications.
Washington, DC—On April 25 and 26, the National Gallery of Art celebrates Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age with "A Weekend in the Dutch Republic." The Family Weekend features two days of family-focused programs examining 17th-century Dutch painters and the places that inspired them. Visitors of all ages can create their own Dutch cityscape, admire a dollhouse that faithfully replicates a period Dutch canal house, listen to live Dutch music, and more.
All activities are free. No advance registration is required for these programs; participation in each activity is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information about the Family Weekend, call (202) 789-3030 or visit http://www.nga.gov/programs/family.
Schedule of Events
A Weekend in the Dutch Republic
Saturday, April 25, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 26, 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
West Building, Main Floor
Ages 3 and up
Explore
Saturday and Sunday, all day
West Building, East Garden Court
Two family activity booklets, designed for ages 3–6 and 7–12, will be available
at the entrance to Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of
the Golden Age. Exploring
the exhibition with the help of these booklets, families can examine the unique
Dutch landscape with its windmills and canals, and learn about the growth of
Dutch cities. They can visit important sites such as the town hall of Amsterdam,
the harbors of Hoorn and Dordrecht, a fish market in The Hague, the castle
at Nijmegen, the church and central square of Haarlem, and homes in Delft.
Create
Saturday and Sunday, all day
West Building, Rotunda
Using rubber stamps and colored pencils, visitors can create their own Dutch
cityscape, decorating scenes with stamps inspired by the unique architecture
of canal homes and drawing the sights and activities that bring the 17th-century
neighborhoods to life.
Discover
Saturday and Sunday, all day
West Building, Founders' Room
Discover Dutch 17th-century homes and family life. A special dollhouse that
faithfully replicates a period Dutch canal house will be on display. On loan
from the collection of Cookie Ziemba, the house was created by Peter Mattinson
and based on a house called Dit is Bethlehem in Gorinchem, Netherlands. Ms.
Ziemba envisioned the house as an artist's residence—the imagined home of Pieter
de Hooch, whose paintings are part of the Dutch Cityscapes exhibition—and decorated
it accordingly. The rooms include a bedroom, parlor, kitchen, studio, and apprentice
quarters typical of the era.
A computer station provides the opportunity to play with a virtual Dutch dollhouse by arranging furniture, objects, and people in various rooms. Visit the Dutch dollhouse online at www.nga.gov/kids/zone/dollhouse.htm.
Enjoy
Saturday and Sunday
12:00, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.
West Building, East Garden Court
Enjoy Dutch music. Each performance lasts approximately forty minutes.
At 12:00 and 2:00 p.m.
The
National Gallery Chamber Players, under guest director Anne-Marieke Evers,
present a musical journey through 17th-century Amsterdam. Families will learn
the Dutch children's song "In Holland Staat een huis" (In Holland
Stands a House) and experience daily life in the city through the eyes and
ears of a child.
At 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
David and Ginger Hildebrand bring to life the
sounds of Dutch streets and courts using harpsichord, lute, violin, recorder,
hammered dulcimer, and voices. The program is based on secular song settings,
folk music, and other period pieces.
Family Weekends
Providing visitors of all ages the opportunity to connect with the Gallery's
world-class exhibitions, Family Weekends offer a variety of free activities
for children and adults to enjoy together. Films, musical performances, hands-on
art projects, family activity booklets, and more provide parents with ways
to help their children interact with the art and the ideas behind it.
With an ongoing schedule of family-friendly activities and offerings—including
family weekends, the Film Program for Children and Teens, family workshops,
storytelling programs, teen studios, exhibition discovery guides, the Children's
Shop, and casual dining in the Cascade Café—there are many ways for visitors
of all ages to enjoy the Gallery's many offerings. For more information about
family programming, visit http://www.nga.gov/programs/family.
Family and Teen Programs are made possible in part by the generosity of the Prince Charitable Trusts. The family concerts are made possible in part by the generous support of a National Gallery of Art school docent.
General Information
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times
free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd
and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through
Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information
call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD)
at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov.
Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon
entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and
located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented
at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray
screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances.
For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried
into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot
be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in
the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by
the Gallery or its checkrooms.
For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:
Press Office
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov
Deborah Ziska
Chief of Press and Public Information
(202) 842-6353
ds-ziska@nga.gov
If you are a member of the press and would like to be added to our press list, click here.