Release Date: April 9, 2009

"A Weekend in the Dutch Republic"
Family Weekend Explores Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age at National Gallery Of Art

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

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"A Weekend in the Dutch Republic" Family Weekend Explores Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age at National Gallery Of Art

"A Weekend in the Dutch Republic"
Family Weekend Explores Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age at National Gallery Of Art