The Brandywine Railroad & holiday fun return to the Brandywine Museum of Art on Nov. 18
Beginning Nov. 24, the Museum will be open seven days a week for the holiday season
Chadds Ford, PA, November 1, 2023 — The magic of the holiday season returns to the Brandywine Museum of Art with the opening of the Brandywine Railroad on November 18, 2023. For more than 50 years, the iconic O-gauge model train display has been a cherished holiday tradition for generations of Museum visitors.
On view through January 7, 2024, the Brandywine Railroad features trains running on 2,000 feet of track and includes more than 1,000 pieces, such as locomotives, passenger and freight trains, and trolleys that pass through a small village, a farm, factories, a drive-in movie theater and even a carnival. Interactive components are incorporated into the display, operated by buttons and foot pedals that allow for further engagement. Also on view is a Victorian dollhouse, which features eleven rooms filled with hundreds of miniature objects that will delight visitors of all ages.
In addition to the Brandywine Railroad, museumgoers of all ages can immerse themselves in the colorful and lively works featured in Rooted: Family and Nature in Contemporary Children’s Book Illustration. On view through February 28, 2024, this special exhibition explores the enduring bonds of nature and family through a selection of more than 75 original artworks created with a variety of media for eight illustrated children’s books. The artists represented in this major presentation are Micha Archer, Sophie Blackall, Cozbi A. Cabrera, Joe Cepeda, Devon Holzwarth, Juana Martinez-Neal, Frank Morrison, and Qing Zhuang. Also on view is Abstract Flash: Unseen Andrew Wyeth, which features 37 never-before-seen watercolors that highlight Andrew Wyeth’s surprising interest in the abstract art of his contemporaries and the roots of his own practice in abstract methods.
Adding to the holiday festivities, the Brandywine’s whimsical Critter ornaments will once again adorn the trees in the Museum’s atrium. Each year since 1971, these distinctive ornaments have been carefully handcrafted by a dedicated group of volunteers using only natural materials such as teasel, pinecones, acorns, eggshells, flowers and seed pods. Thousands of “classic Critter” favorites and fanciful new creations will be available for purchase during the annual Holiday Critter Sale, held offsite this year at the nearby Chadds Ford Historical Society on November 30-December 3, 2023. A smaller selection of Critter ornaments are also available for purchase online and can be shipped across the country by visiting www.brandywine.org/critters.
Beginning November 24, 2023 through January 7, 2024, the Museum will be open seven days a week for extended holiday hours, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closing early at 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas day). Support for the Brandywine Railroad is provided by The Davenport Family Foundation Fund for Exhibitions, Chase, and James S. Herr Family Foundation.
About the Brandywine Museum of Art:
The Brandywine Museum of Art features an outstanding collection of American art housed in a 19th-century Mill building with a dramatic steel and glass addition overlooking the banks of the Brandywine River. The Museum is located on Route 1 in Chadds Ford, PA. Current admission rates and hours of operation can be found at www.brandywine.org/hours. Guided tours of the Andrew Wyeth Studio, N. C. Wyeth House & Studio, and the Kuerner Farm—all National Historic Landmarks—are available seasonally (for an additional fee); advance reservations are recommended. For more information, call 610.388.2700 or visit brandywine.org/museum. The Museum is one of the two programs of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.
About the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art:
The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art preserves and promotes the natural and cultural connections between the area’s beautiful landscape, historic sites, and important artists. The Conservancy protects the lands and waters throughout the Brandywine Valley and other priority conservation areas, developing sustainable approaches to emerging needs and assuring preservation of majestic open spaces and protection of natural resources for generations to come. The Museum of Art presents and collects historic and contemporary works of American art, engaging and exciting visitors of all ages through an array of exhibitions and programs. The Brandywine unites the inspiring experiences of art and nature, enhancing the quality of life in its community and among its diverse audiences.
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