Out of the Forest: Woodcarvings by Chuck Herrmann
March 15 - May 21, 2016
The Sheldon Museum presents the exhibit Out of the Forest, Woodcarvings by Chuck Herrmann, on view March 15 through May 21, 2016. The exhibit combines the Museum’s founding charter as an art museum and historical society by honoring Chuck Herrmann as a Vermont wood historian, educator, and self-taught artist.
Warren Kimble, All-American Artist: An Eclectic Retrospective
May 19 - October 18, 2015
This exhibit highlights the career of internationally-known Brandon, Vermont artist Warren Kimble, who came to prominence for his folk art, but since has concentrated on diverse themes, inspired in part by his residencies at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont. These themes include his “Sunshine” series, his “Widows of War” paintings and sculpture, and more recent “House of Cards” and “Into the Box,” open faced boxes which feature found objects and architectural assemblages.
Charity & Sylvia: A Weybridge Couple
November 11 - December 31, 2014
Charity Bryant (1777-1851) and Sylvia Drake (1784-1868) first met as young women in Weybridge, Vermont, in February 1807, although they grew up within 10 miles of each other in Massachusetts, south of Boston. For the next forty-four years, they spent every day in each other’s company, with the exception of one month, until Charity’s death at age eighty-four. Together they built their family house, supported themselves running a well sought after tailoring business, were active participants in the local church and charities, and maintained broad contacts with members on both sides of their families. In doing so, they became accepted as a respected couple into the Weybridge community. And there, as in life, they rest together in the local cemetery under a single headstone as any married couple would.
Arthur Healy: A Retrospective
August 26, 2014 - January 3, 2015
The Sheldon Museum of Middlebury, Vermont is pleased to present the exhibit Arthur Healy & his Students. Several generations of area residents and Middlebury College students were introduced to the beauty and benefits of art and art history by Arthur K.D. Healy (1902 – 1978), the College’s first “Artist in Residence,” who later joined the faculty and served as Chairman of the Fine Arts Division.
Circling The Sheldon
March 1 – April 19, 2014
The Sheldon is seeing circles this spring. The new exhibit, Circling the Sheldon, highlights objects in the Sheldon’s collection that feature circles. Visitors will find this distinguished geometric form in historic military and fashion buttons, a wooden peg leg worn by Jonathan Preston who lost his leg in action during the Revolution, Native American baskets, antique leather fire buckets, a colorful yo-yo quilt, and the historic clock face with Roman numerals salvaged from the Middlebury Congregational Church at the time of its 1989 building restoration. Windmill Blades Log Cabin Quilt detail, c. 1870-1899.
From Dairy to Doorstep
May 7 – August 4, 2013
The Sheldon Museum, in partnership with Historic New England, presents From Dairy to Doorstep: Milk Delivery in New England, an entertaining, special exhibit that chronicles over 200 years of dairy history from the family farm through the heyday of home delivery by milkmen. The exhibit features seldom seen historic photographs, advertisements, ephemera, and artifacts provided by Historic New England, the Sheldon, Monument Farms Dairy, and a local collector.
Lost Gardens Of New England And Creative Carvings By Norton Latourelle
May 6 - August 10, 2014
The Sheldon’s current exhibit features both Lost Gardens of New England and the whimsical, colorful wooden garden sculptures of Shoreham, Vermont artist Norton Latourelle.
The exhibit highlights New England’s rich heritage of lost gardens through drawings, watercolors, photographs, and oil paintings. Primarily culled from the unique collections of exhibit partner Historic New England, the images illustrate the major themes of American landscape history.
Fashion & Fantasy At The Edge Of The Forest
August 20 - November 2, 2013
Introducing selections from the museum’s vintage clothing collection paired with the unique, stunning, and imaginative couture creations from nature by Vermont artist Wendy Copp.
George and Lorette: A Civil War Love Story
June 29, 2012 - January 15, 2013
The exhibit tells the story of Captain George G. Howe and Lorette Wolcott who courted through tender love letters during the Civil War and whose correspondence was featured in the Sheldon Museum’s 2011 play “Remember Me to All Good Folks.” The couple’s original letters, George’s uniform, his military accoutrement, women’s clothing, and period household objects, all from the Sheldon Museum’s collection, will be on view.
Treasures From The Sheldon
March 9 – April 20, 2013
As you may know, the Sheldon Museum in Middlebury is the oldest community history museum in the country. What you may not know is that the museum’s collection is much greater than what you may see on any given visit. The staff of the Sheldon is pleased to present a spring exhibit representing a sampling of the historic, sensational, unusual, and some provocative, works from the Museum’s collection and archives.
Shard Villa And Its People
March 6 - April 12, 2012
The fascinating history of Shard Villa in Salisbury is presented in a new exhibition at the Henry Sheldon Museum. Shard Villa and Its People tells the story of one of the most remarkable Victorian-era houses in Vermont, and its equally remarkable and colorful past. Bringing together paintings, sculptures, personal items, and documentation, the exhibit will explore the stories behind the fortune that built the estate, the life style and tragedies of the Columbus Smith family who inhabited it, the architect who built it, the artist who decorated it, and the establishment and ongoing history of the Vermont landmark as a home for the elderly.
Take Me To The Fair: An Addison County Tradition
May 11 - November 10, 2012
It is nearly time for summer weather and county fairs in Vermont. The Sheldon Museum is pleased to partner with Historic New England and Connecticut photographer Markham Starr to present “Take Me to the Fair: An Addison County Tradition”. The exhibition celebrates the rich history of the Addison County Fair and how it has reflected the importance of agriculture in our County for well over 100 years.
Wooden Winter Wonderland
Winter 2012
This holiday season the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History is pleased to present “Wooden Winter Wonderland,” an exhibit featuring Christmas ornaments by local woodcarver Peter Padua, and a private collection of wooden items related to Vermont winter activities along with the Sheldon’s annual train exhibit.
Vermont Landscapes Lost & Found
May 26 - October 22, 2011
Vermont’s iconic landscape is the result of the dynamic intermingling of nature, chance and choice. The exhibit will explore our ever-evolving landscape through a variety of visual images, contrasting historic photographs with their present-day counterparts. The story of Vermont landscape change will also be told through paintings, posters and postcards. In teaching visitors where the landscape comes from, it hopes to inspire them to think about what Vermonters should work to retain and how we can best accommodate the inevitability of change.
The Nature Of Wood: Vermont Furniture And Woodware, 1790–Present
May 6 - October 23, 2010
Vermont was carved from the Northern forest and wood continues to be one of the state’s most precious and versatile natural resources. Generations of Vermonters have been inspired to create beautiful arts and crafts from this warm, malleable and practical material. In celebration of Vermont wood products, the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History is pleased to present “The Nature of Wood: Vermont Furniture and Woodware, 1790-Present.”
Piecemakers: Vermont Country Quilts, 1830 - Present
May 6, 2008 - January 31, 2009
The Henry Sheldon Museum celebrates Vermont’s rich quilting tradition in the new exhibit, “Piecemakers: Vermont Country Quilts, 1830-Present,” on display through January 31, 2009. In the age of homespun, pieced quilts were originally made by elite women who had the leisure time to create bedding that was beautiful as well as practical. Machine-made fabrics led to the democratization of quilting, as more women were able to take part. Quilting became a means of self-expression, as well as a way of stitching female community networks together in common cause. Quilting bees were the social events of the year, as women joined to transform a practical bed covering into a wonderful art form.