Comic Catharsis: A Gift of Cartoons

by William Steig

on view through March 11

Although best known today as the creator of Shrek, William Steig (1907-2003) first achieved fame for his cartoons and covers for The New Yorker and his published books of drawings such as The Lonely Ones (1942), Small Fry (1944), and Dreams of Glory and Other Drawings (1953). His situational gags are humorous and offer keen observations on various aspects of human relationships.  Steig’s drawing style in early works show emphatic, incisive lines and tonal washes.  Gradually he moved to simpler contour line drawings of figures inspired by the art of Pablo Picasso and the free-flowing dream-like images of Marc Chagall.  Late in Steig’s career he began creating children’s books that explore, in a lighter vein, many of the same themes as his cartoons for adults.  Steig wrote and illustrated over 30 acclaimed works for children, including the  Caldecott-winning Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969) and Shrek! (1990).  The exhibition will feature over 100 works donated to the Brandywine River Museum in 2010 by Jeanne Steig  from the artist's estate, as well as selected works for children on loan from the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and private collections.

Read-Aloud Tours

Thursday mornings, February 2 through March 8, 10:30 a.m.

This popular program includes a story, a brief gallery tour and an art activity for children ages 3 to 6 accompanied by an adult. The programs, offered on Thursday mornings from February 2 through March 8, are free for members and included with regular museum admission. Registration is requested by contacting the education office at 610-388-8382 or education@brandywine.org. For details, please click here.

Native Plants, Birds, Bees, Butterflies, and Healthy Watersheds - What’s the Connection?

February 12, 2-3:30 p.m., at Penn State Brandywine, Tomezsko Classroom Building Auditorium (room 103).

Mark Gormel, the Conservancy's native plant horticulturalist present a talk about the critical relationships between specific native plants and the wildlife and habitat zones they support. He will discuss strategies for creating environmentally sound gardens in which wildlife, birds and butterflies thrive. 

The program, is offered by Penn State Brandywine in conjunction with the Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association (CRC).   Admission to the lecture is free, although space is limited.  Please contact CRC at 610-892-8731 or crc@nni.com to preregister.

Read-Aloud Tours

Thursday mornings, March 1 and 8, 10:30 a.m.

This popular program includes a story, a brief gallery tour and an art activity for children ages 3 to 6 accompanied by an adult. The programs, offered on Thursday mornings from February 2 through March 8, are free for members and included with regular museum admission. Registration is requested by contacting the education office at 610-388-8382 or education@brandywine.org. For details, please click here.

"Art and Nature" Lecture

March 14, 11 a.m.

Associate educator Jane Flitner will present “Art and Nature,” featuring works of art from the museum’s collection.   This is the first of three lectures in the "Art and the Environment" series.  The lecture is free for members and included with Museum admission.  To register, contact the education office at 610-388-8382 or education@brandywine.org.

Scribner's Magazine: The Early Years in Illustration

March 17 through May 20

The exhibition will introduce visitors to the importance of the illustrated magazine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and emphasize the primacy of Scribner’s Magazine during the “golden age of illustration.”  Scribner’s art editors hired the best artists and illustrators, and the exhibition will feature the works of many of these artists, among them Robert Blum, Charles Dana Gibson, Thornton Oakely, Rose O’Neill, Maxfield Parrish, Howard Pyle, Frank Schoonover, John H. Twachtman and N. C. Wyeth.  Scribner’s also kept pace with technological developments in printing, and the exhibition will show the effects of radical changes in printing techniques that occurred between 1887 and 1912.  The earliest illustrations in the magazine were reproduced as wood engravings.  By January 1912, the magazine routinely printed four color reproductions.

"The Brandywine Creek Greenway" Lecture

March 21, 11 a.m.

Sheila Fleming, senior planner for municipal assistance for the Conservancy's Environmental Management Center, will discuss “The Brandywine Creek Greenway: A Regional Planning Initiative of the Brandywine Conservancy.”  This is the second of three lectures in the "Art and Environment" series.  The lecture is free for members and included with Museum admission.  To register, contact the education office at 610-388-8382 or education@brandywine.org.

"Native Plants of the Brandywine Region and

their Liaisons" Lecture

March 28, 11 a.m.

Horticultural coordinator Mark Gormel will present an illustrated look at the beauty of the native plants of the Brandywine region including an expose on the “significant others” in their lives: the animals, birds and bugs who depend on them for sustenance.  The lecture the final one in the "Art and the Enviroment" series and is free for members and included with Museum admission.  To register, contact the education office at 610-388-8382 or education@brandywine.org.

Spring Cleaning at the Laurels Preserve

March 31, 9 a.m. to noon

Bring your family and friends to help Chris Wales clean up our reforestation sites. Work will include cutting vines from tree tubes, pruning trees, cutting small multiflora rose shrubs, and straightening shelters. Please bring pruners and a pair of gloves. Coffee, donuts and water will be provided. Meet in the Laurels Preserve parking lot.

Mammal Hike through the Laurels Preserve

April 14, 9 a.m.

On this walk, Chris Wales will discuss the types of mammals that live on the property and how to identify their signs. Learn about Laurels-specific management goals and what species we are trying to encourage on the preserve.   Limited to 15 people.  Meet in the Laurels Preserve parking lot.  To register, please contact Elissa Kall at 610-388-8340. This event is exclusively for Brandywine Conservancy members.  To join, please click here.

19th Annual Brandywine River Cleanup

April 21, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Please join the Young Friends of the Brandywine Conservancy and help clean the banks of the Brandywine River from Lenape outside West Chester, Pennsylvania to Thompson's Bridge in Delaware,  The Brandywine is the drinking water source for the City of Wilmington and parts of New Castle County, Delaware.  Cleaning up the river and its banks is important to all who use, live near, or are affected by the Brandywine. 

The Young Friends have hosted this annual river clean up each April since 1994.  To date, they have removed approximately 29 tons of trash, including car batteries, ladders, a metal bed frame a surfboard, and hundreds of tires.  To volunteer to help clean or for more information, please contact  Kathy Freney Smith at 610-388-8315 or send an e-mail ksmith@brandywine.org.   Volunteers are advised to wear long pants, heavy shoes or boots, and sunscreen.  Gloves and trash bags will be provided.   This is a family-friendly event.

Catalyst for Conservation Lecture

and Book Signing

April 22, 1-3 p.m.

David Shields, co-author of Catalyst for Conservation: The Brandywine Conservancy’s Success in Saving the King Ranch Lands in Pennsylvania, will sign copies of this fascinating new book. Catalyst for Conservation chronicles the decade-long work by the Conservancy and its allies to assure that the former King Ranch property and the unspoiled Buck and Doe runs that traverse it will remain pristine. The signing will be preceded by a lecture.  Copies may be purchased in the Museum Shop and online at www.brandywinemuseumshop.org.

Spring Bird Walk through the Laurels Preserve

April 25, 9 a.m. to noon

Join Kevin Fryberger, natural resource manager, for a morning of birding in the Laurels Preserve. Limited to 15 people.  Meet in the Laurels Preserve parting lot.  To register, please contact Elissa Kall at 610-388-8340. This event is exclusively for Brandywine Conservancy members.  To join, please click here.

Spring Warbler Walk through the Laurels Preserve

May 2, 8 a.m. to noon

On this walk, Kevin Fryberger, natural resources manager, will look for hard-to-identify early spring warblers. Limited to 15 people.  Meet in the Laurels Preserve parting lot.  To register, please contact Elissa Kall at 610-388-8340. This event is exclusively for Brandywine Conservancy members.  To join, please click here.

Spring Warbler Walk at the Miller Farm

May 9, 7:30 a.m.

Join Kevin Fryberger, natural resources manager, on a search for migrating spring birds at the Miller Farm in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. will look for hard-to-identify early spring warblers.  Limited to 15 people.  Directions will be given to you upon registration.  To register, please contact Elissa Kall at 610-388-8340. This event is exclusively for Brandywine Conservancy members.  To join, please click here.

31st Annual Wildflower, Native Plant and Seed Sale

May 12 & 13, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Celebrate spring at this annual event, featuring a wide variety of regional plants and sees suitable for all types of landscapes.  Native plants are adapted tolocal growing conditions, requiring less water and less intensive care than ornamentals.  Many attract songbirds, hummingbirds and butterflies. 

Bird Walk at the Miller Farm

May 16, 7 to 10 a.m.

Kevin Fryberger, natural resources manager, will lead a morning of birding at the Miller Farm in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Limited to 15 people.  Directions will be given to you upon registration.  To register, please contact Elissa Kall at 610-388-8340. This event is exclusively for Brandywine Conservancy members.  To join, please click here.

82nd Radnor Hunt Races

May 19

A Main Line spring tradition, this race meet held at Radnor Hunt in Malvern, PA, attracts the best runners in steeplechasing to compete for purses totaling $180,000. Be there for the racing excitement. Enjoy the elegance of 19th-century coaching and the beauty of foxhounds parading.  Admission is by advance sale only. To reserve
your spot go to radnorhuntraces.org or call 610-388-8383. Please purchase your race day passes by May 12th. The Radnor Hunt Races are Racing for Open Space. Proceeds from the races benefit the open space and clean water programs of the Brandywine Conservancy.

Volunteers' Antiques Show Preview Party

May 25, 6 to 9 p.m.

Don't miss the preview of the Brandywine River Museum's 41st Annual Antiques Show with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and music. 

41st Annual Antiques Show

May 26-28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This event, features outstanding antiques from across the nation.  Hosted by the Museum Volunteers, the dealers present a variety of American and English furniture, glass, metalware, ceramics, folk art, quilts, Oriental and European porcelain, rugs and other fine collectibles. $15 fee includes museum admission. Proceeds support the Museum Volunteers’ Art Purchase Fund, which has contributed more than 200 paintings, drawings and prints to the Museum's holdings since 1975.

Pierced, Punched, Painted:

Decorated Tinware from Winterthur

May 26 through July 15

Long before the Tin Man character danced in The Wizard of Oz, the profession of tinsmith was an essential one in urban and rural America.  Craftsmen who worked the metal made a wide range of useful household items, including food containers and dining wares, baking tins and cookie cutters, candle holders and lanterns, bathing tubs, toys and whimsical ornaments.  Enormous quantities of plain, shiny tinware produced by manufacturers were used, worn out, and thrown away.  Most of the antique tinware that survives was cherished and preserved because it had lively painting or surface decoration.  This display of decorated tinware selected from the Winterthur Museum collection demonstrates how such humble material might appeal to every taste and delight its users.