Afternoon Gallery Talks on February 6 and 8 to Highlight Fashion on View in Face to Face Portraits from the Julian Wood Glass Jr. Collection.

Afternoon Gallery Talks on February 6 and 8 to Highlight Fashion on View in Face to Face Portraits from the Julian Wood Glass Jr. Collection

Winchester, VA 02/05/15…Special gallery talks highlighting the eighteenth-century fashions depicted in the recently opened exhibition Face to Face: Portraits from the Julian Wood Glass Jr. Collection will take place at 2 p.m. on Friday, February 6, and Sunday, February 8, in the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV).

Led by exhibition organizer and MSV Deputy Director of Arts and Education Nancy Huth, the 30- to 40-minute programs are part of a series of monthly gallery talks offered through March. All talks will begin at 2 p.m., and different aspects of the portraiture on display will be highlighted each month.

Opened in mid-November and on view through May of 2016, Face to Face examines the world of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century portraiture with the display of 35 British, American, and Dutch portraits from the collection of MSV benefactor Julian Wood Glass Jr. (1910–1992). The exhibition also includes eight mirrors from the Glass Collection and dating from 1735 to 1840.

Titled “Dressed for Excess,” February’s talks will include a discussion of what was considered to be the ideal body shape in the 1700s and how this ideal influenced clothing designs, children’s clothing, suitable attire for unmarried women, eighteenth-century hairstyles, menswear of the 1700s, and the radical changes in women’s dress in the years leading up to 1800. Works by Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788), Sir John Hoppner (1758–1810), and George Romney (1758–1810) are among those that will be featured in the gallery talks.

The winter gallery talks are geared toward ages 16 and older, and registration—which includes MSV admission—is free to MSV Members and $10 for all others. Those interested in attending the talks are encouraged to register online at www.theMSV.org or by calling 540-662-1473, ext. 240. As Friday’s tour is nearly filled to capacity, only telephone reservations are being accepted for the February 6 program. Both online and phone registration options are available for Sunday’s gallery talk. Advance registration is suggested for all tours; however, walk-in registrations will be accepted if space is available. Click HERE to register for the February 8 program.

In the event of inclement weather, the snow date for Sunday’s gallery talk is Sunday, March 8. Registrants will be contacted in the event the talk is rescheduled.

Following this week’s programs, the series of gallery talks will conclude on Friday, March 20, with “Painters of the Rich and Famous,” during which Huth will discuss some of the most famous painters represented in Face to Face.

The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley is located at 901 Amherst Street in Winchester, Virginia. The MSV complex—which includes galleries, the Glen Burnie House, and six acres of gardens—is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The Museum galleries are open year-round; the house and gardens are open April through October. Admission is $10 or $8 for seniors and youth ages 13 to 18. General admission is always free to youth ages 12 and under and to MSV Members, and thanks to generous sponsorship from Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc., it is free to all every Wednesday. Details about additional youth and adult programs related to Face to Face are available online at www.theMSV.org or by calling 540-662-1473, ext. 235. –END–

About Nancy Huth

Nancy Huth is the MSV’s deputy director for arts and education, overseeing the collections, education, and exhibitions departments. With more than 25 years of museum experience, Huth was formerly the curator of education at the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati, Ohio. Huth’s previous experience includes managing adult programs at the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland, and serving as assistant director and curator of education at Ball State University Museum of Art, Muncie, Indiana. Huth’s degrees include a master of arts in art history from Oberlin College, Ohio, and a bachelor of fine arts in art history from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.