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| NewsroomHeadline: Living History Day at the MAC Contact: Ginger Ewing
Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC)
Direct Phone: (509) 363-5311 Switchboard: (509) 456-3931Fax: (509) 363-5303
Travel back in time at the MAC’s annual Living History Day. Wander the MAC campus and enjoy performances and activities from days gone by.
The Town Crier will alert you of the Civil War and fur trapper re-enactors and demonstrations. Be hands-on and up close to fire trucks, mining technology, photography, and print making. Listen for drumming, cannons, and big band music. And, don’t miss re-living history by touring the beautiful Campbell House.
One highlight will be a fully restored 1912 battery driven Baker Coupe sitting along side the revolutionary Tango, a high-performance battery operated commuter car.
KPBX's Jazz Director and Producer of Big Band Era Jazz program, Brian Flick, will be displaying and playing records from the Big Band Era – check out the Victrola.
Author, Jane Fritz, will be available all day to discuss and sign her new book Legendary lake Pend Oreille - Idaho’s Wilderness Water. At 3:00 pm, Fritz and Francis Cullooyah, Cultural Program Director, Kalispel Tribe, will host a program with book readings and discussions about the early history of the lake from the Kalispel’s perspective. (n the Eric A. Johnston Auditorium at the MAC)
The Museum exhibits, café and store will all be open for visitors.
Saturday, March 27, 2010 11 am – 3 pmSpecial $15 family admission
Free to MAC members
Living History Day is underwritten by Spokane Teachers Credit Union The Campbell House is reopened in October 209 after a nine-month closure. This historic house museum, beloved by the public since 1926, is the largest artifact and most permanent exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC). Although state budget cuts precipitated the closure last January, the MAC board and staff have since expanded the volunteer corps and retained the education staff needed to coordinate its re-opening. The guided tour format is refreshed; public tours will be available at the MAC Admissions Desk; and school tours can be scheduled by contacting education@northwestmuseum.org. The house will be decorated for the holidays November 27, 2009 through January 2, 2010. During the months that this restored historic house was closed to the pubic, collection care and building restoration have continued; the exterior carriage house chimney and foundation restoration is nearly complete. The Campbell House is an English Tudor Revival style dwelling, designed by renowned Spokane architect Kirtland K. Cutter. Located in Browne’s Addition, the Campbell House is adjacent to the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) and is the museum’s largest artifact. Cutter provided the Campbells with a handsome exterior of stucco, sandstone, brick and heavy timbers. The large main house, an offset service wing, and adjacent carriage house were carefully designed to suit their particular functions. The restored interior and objects in the house assist docents telling the story of “Changing Times” during guided public tours, which begin in the Carriage House where a horse drawn carriage and an electric automobile symbolize the theme. Guided tours bring the Campbell family, friends, and household employees to life. The first floor, on two levels, provides a sense of drama. To the right of the dark wood-paneled entry hall is a light, gilded French reception room where Grace Campbell received her visitors. To the left, the library’s dark wooden beams and inglenook fireplace provided a cozy atmosphere for informal evenings at home. Four steps lead to a large dining room with a fireplace surrounded by blue and white Dutch tiles. A deep veranda around the back of the house affords a view of the Spokane River below. Other features include a masculine “den,” or game room, well-planned service areas, and four upstairs bedrooms. Visitors are invited to admire the architecture, decorative interior, and imagine the lives of the Campbell family and other individuals as part of the history of the house. Following Grace Campbell’s death in 1924, Helen Campbell (then Mrs. W.W. Powell) gave the house to the Eastern Washington State Historical Society in memory of her mother. Campbell House became a community museum, with historical and art exhibits. After a new museum building opened in 1960 on the Campbell House east lawn, the house began a return to its former “Age of Elegance.” From 1984-2001 a formal restoration project impacted all elements of the Campbell House complex: structures, landscape, interior design, technological systems, and furnishings. Today Campbell House operates as a house museum interpreting life at the turn of the 20th century. This October, the MAC staff and volunteers look forward to reopening the doors to the public. The MAC is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (First Fridays open until 8 p.m.). Several guided tours are available between 11 am and 3 pm; Campbell House tours are included with Museum admission. Contact: MAC Announces Staff Reduction; Core Programs PreservedSPOKANE, WA, June 4, 2009 The painful realities of the national economic downturn and the State of Washington's sobering fiscal challenges came home this week, as 16 employees of the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) were informed their positions have been eliminated in the 2009-10 budget. With a 24 percent decrease in funding and a people-intensive operation, there was simply no choice but to reduce staff. Executive Director Ron Rector said "We are deeply saddened to lose the fine services of these dedicated employees, and we are of course concerned about the disruption to their families and careers. Each has given countless hours above what is required or expected. All will be truly missed. "In facing the MAC's decreased budget, the board of directors sought to safeguard the Museum's core missions of preservation and education. That means most of the cuts were realized in support services. As a result, curatorial, education and remaining administrative staff are stepping up with creative ideas and approaches to fill the gap. We've been fortunate to see experienced volunteer leaders come forward to pick up essential duties. We continue to look for ways of decreasing operational overhead, always with the objective of protecting the MAC's core mission. "Going forward, quite simply, we must all pull together to preserve the cultural treasure that is the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture. Everyone can play a part. I urge you to get involved. Become a member and visit often. Step up to help sponsor or underwrite one of our events or upcoming exhibits, which are increasingly focused on showcasing items from the MAC's own collections and archives. Bring your volunteer leadership and support to one of our committees or activities. I invite each of you to work with your MAC to ensure that when these tough economic times are history, our region's museum will emerge stronger than ever." New Museum Hours Beginning July, 2009SPOKANE, WA, June 4, 2009 The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) welcomes-in the summer season with new public hours. Beginning July 1, 2009, the MAC will be open Wednesday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm. Although the number of days open has been reduced, the new scheduling allows exhibitions and programs to be available to the public for two additional hours each day. First Friday by Donation will continue, the first Friday of each month, 5pm-8pm. This summer's blockbuster exhibition, Out of This World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television opens to the public June 6, with opening-celebration activities on Saturday, June 13, 2009, Noon to 4 p.m.. |
