Wilmington, DE: The Brandywine Valley, where Pennsylvania and Delaware meet just thirty miles southwest of Philadelphia, has a full slate of exhibits and special events to delight visitors from the beginning of fall through the new year. Detailed information and images are available through the contacts and websites below.
The Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford presents “Flights Into Fantasy: The Kendra and Allan Daniel Collection of Children’s Illustration” (September 8-November 18). Artists represented include Edward Kemble, Beatrix Potter, Howard Pyle, and Jessie Willcox Smith, among many others. The museum welcomes visitors to “A Brandywine Christmas” (November 23-January 6) with a room-size O-gauge model railroad layout, an elaborate Victorian dollhouse, and thousands of whimsical "critter" ornaments fashioned from natural materials. Also opening November 23 is “Jerry Pinkney: Aesop’s Fables” (through March 9; closed January 7-18), featuring the illustrator’s delightful portrayals of animals. After January 18, additional illustrations from other well-known children’s stories will be included in the exhibit.
They’re ba-a-a-ck! The Delaware Art Museum welcomes home America’s largest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art after an international tour (opens September 23). The Pre-Raphaelites rejected the conventions of their time and focused on the past, particularly the Middle Ages, drawing inspiration from literature, Arthurian legend, Shakespeare, and the Bible. The collection highlights the late work of Dante Gabriel Rossetti as well as the decorative arts of the Arts and Crafts Movement. John Sloan’s images of New York City are on display in “Seeing the City: Sloan’s New York” (October 20-January 20). Paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs focus on people, street life, elevated trains, public spaces, and the pedestrian experience. The museum’s annual exhibit “Precious Spaces: Masterpieces in Miniature” (November 17-January 13) showcases artists’ interpretations of a full-scale work.
The Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts presents Ben Whitehouse’s latest endeavor, “Revolution” (August 17-January 6). Curator J. Susan Isaacs says, “Whitehouse not only creates large-scale individual paintings as well as large installations comprised of smaller paintings, but he has also now entered the world of time-based video...” The Whitehouse exhibit consists of a series of 24-hour, single shot, high-definition digital works that record from a fixed point for 24 hours. Jillian Molettiere’s metal wall sculptures come to the DCCA beginning December 2. Molettiere’s artistic vision incorporates iconographic figures into ultramodern environments. The sculptures of Siyoung Lee will be on display later in the season (opens December 18).
The Delaware Museum of Natural History explores “Microbes: Invisible Invaders...Amazing Allies” (September 28-January 6) with special effects and hands-on displays. The museum celebrates the tenth birthday of its dinosaur skeletons (October 14, 21, 28) with special treats and activities. On Saturday, October 27, visitors can get in a Halloween mood with a visit to “Bats and Other Creatures of the Night.” The post-holiday festival “Dino Days” roars into the museum (December 27-28) with fossil dig, live animals, and more.
Hagley Museum and Library welcomes the “Hagley Car Show” (September 16), focusing on cars of the 1950s in celebration of Hagley’s fiftieth anniversary. Music, food, parades, and a collection of operating jukeboxes accompany the stunning display of 600 cars. On September 29, be a guest at Hagley’s “Golden Pheasants Harvest Party,” with hayrides, bluegrass music, and pumpkin carving. “Hagley’s Craft Fair” (October 20-21) features the wood, pottery, jewelry, fiber art, and metal work of talented artisans. “Christmas at Hagley” (November 23-January 1) welcomes visitors to Eleutherian Mills, the 1803 Georgian-style estate E. I. du Pont built for his family, decked out in seasonal splendor. A retrospective exhibition, “Hagley at Fifty: Exploding with History" remains through December 31. Hagley also runs a fall lecture series; contact the site for details.
The Historical Society of Delaware brings the past to life at its Wilmington and New Castle locations. The 22-room Read House, built in 1801 in New Castle by the son of one of Delaware's signers of the Declaration of Independence, exhibits the height of Federal grandeur.
A highlight of this year’s “Everything Autumn” (September 8-November 18) at Longwood Gardens is the debut of the new Indoor Children’s Garden (opens October 27). Triple the size of its previous incarnation, this horticultural wonderland is resplendent with spectacular water features and sculptures. Young visitors will meet the Drooling Dragon, Spitting Fish, and more. Outdoors, a G-scale model railway travels past miniature Longwood landmarks. Unusual gourds and squashes, as well as creatively carved pumpkins weighing up to a quarter-ton, grace the grounds. Tractors, autumnal treats, and a Pumpkin Playground create a real feel of fall.
Later in the season, more than 20,000 blooming flowers flourish in Longwood’s palatial conservatory during the “Chrysanthemum Festival” (October 27-November 18). Cascades, single-stemmed mums and elaborate “thousand blooms” serve as a perfect backdrop for a full slate of performing arts events.
“Christmas at Longwood” (November 23- January 6) lights up chilly evenings with 500,000 outdoor lights, exquisitely strung in colorful displays that awe visitors. Elegantly decorated trees, holiday music, colored fountain displays, and ice skating exhibitions under the stars make yuletide at Longwood unique and memorable. Indoors, poinsettias, decorated trees, and yuletide surprises appear throughout the Conservatory.
Nemours Mansion and Gardens is closed as it undergoes renovations prior to a 2008 reopening.
Rockwood Park and Mansion hosts a “Holiday Open House” (December 7-9). This Rural Gothic Mansion dresses up in holiday finery that befits its history and status.
Woof! Meow! Chirp! Winterthur Museum and Country Estate presents “Pets in America: the Story of our Lives with Animals at Home” (November 10-January 20). Enjoy this family-friendly look at the history of Americans' relationships with pets from the 1700s to the present.
“Yuletide at Winterthur” (November 23-January 6) brings to life the splendor of childhood holiday experiences combined with the fantasy of Winterthur's spectacular period rooms glistening with decorations spanning the centuries. Take a guided stroll through H. F. du Pont's mansion and delight in holiday atmosphere and festive decorations of yore, including 18 fabulous rooms that interpret holiday celebrations from the 1700s through today.
The Discover Brandywine Valley Public Relations Association (DBVPRA) provides a central resource for journalists. Visit the website www.brandywinetreasures.org or contact Susan M. Maynard, 
302-651-6912
, smaynard@nemours.org for more information.
Discover Brandywine Valley Public Relations Association Members (www.brandywinetreasures.org):
Brandywine River Museum U.S. Route 1, Chadds Ford, PA 19317; www.brandywinemuseum.org. Lora Englehart, 610-388-8337, lenglehart@brandywine.org.
Delaware Art Museum 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 19806; www.delart.org. Dennis Lawson, 302-571-9590, x. 515, dlawson@delart.org.
Brandywine Valley Attractions Invite Visitors for a Fabulous Fall and a Wonderful Winter
