Press Release Archive

The Springfield Museums are inviting bakeries, schools, individual bakers and young people to submit design plans to create gingerbread houses that will be on view at the Springfield Science Museum as part of the holiday exhibit The Magic of Gingerbread. The exhibit is sponsored by Yankee Candle. MassMutual is the 2013 Premier Sponsor of the Springfield Museums.

The Springfield Museums will host their “Family Fiesta” on Sunday, October 6 from 11 am to 5 pm as part of their Hispanic Heritage Month observance, which is sponsored by Baystate Health. The event is part of the Museums’ Family Fun series, which is funded by the TD Charitable Foundation.

The Springfield Museums’ monthly tour and lecture schedule continues in October with the popular Thursday Museums à la Carte lectures, held weekly at 12:15 pm in the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. Admission is $4 ($2 for members of the Springfield Museums); visitors are invited to bring lunch (cookies and coffee are provided). The programs are sponsored by Big Y World Class Market. For more information about Museums à la Carte, call 413.263.6800, ext. 488. This month’s lectures include:

The Springfield Science Museum’s large rooftop telescope will be open for public sky gazing on Friday, October 4 at 7:30 pm as part of the Stars Over Springfield observatory series. The program takes place on the first Friday of each month from September through May, and features an introductory talk on topics such as space exploration, seasonal sights of the night sky, current astronomical research, or upcoming events like eclipses or comet appearances.

The Springfield Museums will kick off its fourth season of Culture & Cocktails events with Oktoberfest: The Art of the Brew on Thursday, October 3, 2013 from 5–8 pm at the Merrie and Lyman Wood Museum of Springfield History. The event is free for members, and $10 for nonmembers, and is open to ages 21 and up. This month’s event is sponsored by FieldEddy Insurance. The media sponsor for the Culture & Cocktails series is The Republican/Masslive.

The Springfield Museums have received a $10,000 grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, to present their Family Fun Series. The series has been developed to reinforce the Springfield Museums’ mission to “inspire exploration of our connections to art, history and science through outstanding collections, exhibitions and programs.”

The Museum School at the Springfield Museums offers courses and experiential learning opportunities for both children and adults on an ongoing basis. Registration is now underway for fall courses and trips – for complete course descriptions, travel itineraries, fees and to register, visit springfieldmuseums.org or call 413.263.6800, ext. 377 or 382.

The Springfield Museums will once again participate in the Smithsonian Museum magazine’s Museum Day Live! program on Saturday, September 28, 2013. Museum Day Live! is an annual event in which participating museums across the country allow free admission to anyone presenting a Museum Day ticket. Each ticket allows free admission for two people.

The story of the Jewish community in the Pioneer Valley is detailed in a new exhibit at the Springfield Museums titled One Hundred Years of Jewish Life in the Valley: From Shtetl to Suburb. The exhibit is on view in the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History from September 17, 2013 to March 2, 2014. The exhibit is sponsored by Temple Beth El, with generous support from Jewish Endowment Foundation, Harold Grinspoon Foundation, Chez Josef, Dave’s Soda and Pet City, and Jewish Geriatric Services. The media partner for the exhibit is The Jewish Ledger. MassMutual is the 2013 Premier Sponsor of the Springfield Museums.

Next month, the Springfield Museums will play host to an exhibit of evocative watercolors by artist Josie Vargas. The exhibit, titled Fiesta: Flora and Fauna from Puerto Rico, will be on display at the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts from September 10 through May 11, 2014. The exhibit is part of the Springfield Museums’ annual Hispanic Heritage Month events, which are sponsored this year by Baystate Health. MassMutual is the Springfield Museums Premier Sponsor for 2013.