DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum

The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum houses a variety of the "finer things," including the world's largest collection of southern furniture and one of the largest collections of British ceramics outside England. Relax in the galleries, attend a lecture or musical event in the Hennage Auditorium, or take part in a hands-on activity in the Education Studio.

Exhibits

A Congressional Curriculum - 1:30 pm Hennage Auditorium
What should a congressman study to become the best statesman possible? Join freshman congressman, James Madison, as he compiles a list of some of the greatest works of political theory and learn the valuable lessons they hold for an enlightened citizenry. (45 minutes)

Constitution Day Event - 6 pm on the Lawn of the Art Museums
Colonial Williamsburg celebrates the signing of the U.S. Constitution with a free event, "To Support and Defend," on the lawn in front of the Art Museums. Through music and the spoken word, the framework of our nation's government and the cherished founding document will be honored on its 235th anniversary. The program features a combined ensemble of members of the USAF Heritage of America Band, the USA Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Band, the USN Fleet Forces Band, and Marine Corps musicians from The Navy School of Music, playing works by eminent American composers. In addition, the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums will perform. The program will feature Colonial Williamsburg interpreters Ron Carnegie as George Washington and Bryan Austin as James Madison. You may wish to bring a lawn chair. (75 minutes)

EXHIBITIONS:
Making Music in Early America - This exhibition will immerse visitors in the musical world of the 18th century. Discover instruments used by the military, the enslaved, instruments to teach birds how to sing and instrument found in churches, homes and taverns.

A Gift to the Nation: The Joseph and June Hennage Collection - This exhibition highlights the focused collecting of the late Joe and June Hennage, who strove to acquire great examples of furniture and silver from important colonial centers including Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, Charleston, and the Connecticut River Valley.

“Every Article… suitable for this Country”: Furnishing Early Williamsburg - This exhibition reveals Williamsburg and vicinity through objects that were made or imported by the people who once lived and worked here.

Upholstery CSI: Reading the Evidence - This exhibition explores the work of Colonial Williamsburg upholstery conservator Leroy Graves and the non-intrusive upholstery method he developed that is now used by museums worldwide.

Artists on the Move: Portraits for a New Nation - On view are more than 30 portraits, some never before exhibited. Each portrait has a story to tell, whether it is the marriage of childhood sweethearts or an artist creating his own selfie.

Other exhibitions include - Keeping Time: Tall Case Clocks - Promoting America: Maps of the Colonies and the New Republic - British Masterworks: Ninety Years of Collecting at Colonial Williamsburg - The Textile Arts of Britain and Early American Faces

Participation in Museum Day is open to any tax-exempt or governmental museum or cultural venue on a voluntary basis. Smithsonian magazine encourages museum visitation, but is not responsible for and does not endorse the content of the participating museums and cultural venues, and does not subsidize museums that participate.