2014 O L D S T U R B R I D G E Spring VILLAGE Edition Visitor Painting Images of OSV Curators’ Favorite Artifacts A Discovery in “Bucket Town” OSV’s Costumed Historians Health Care Hazards in the 1800s OSV Mills Harness Water Power Heirloom Gardening at OSV a member magazine that keeps you coming back Old Sturbridge Village, a museum and learning resource of Growing Success New England life, invites each visitor to find meaning, pleasure, Planting the Seeds of Knowledge relevance, and inspiration through the exploration of history. t’s spring again here in New England and as the days grow warmer, gardens are planted —sown with seeds that will, with nurturing and proper care, become beautiful flowers or delicious vegetables and fruits in time. It’s easy for me to think of our educational programs offered through the Village as a garden, too. We sow the seeds of learning, providing our youngest generation with an important understanding of our country’s past. We sow this knowledge in many ways—by offering a fantastic education experience VOLUME LIV, NO. 1 to more than who visit the Village each year and through special 65,000 schoolchildren SPRING 2014 programs we take to their schools, like History on the Road. As an example of just how big our “garden” is, I recently had the chance to visit the ON THE COVER: Welcome to the SPRING EDITION INTERPRETER ROB LYON PLAYS THE FIFE Crane Country Day School in Santa Barbara, California, with Deb Friedman and Tom Kelleher, of our VISITOR magazine. We hope that you will learn for their Colonial Fair. This school, located more than 3,000 miles away, brings its fifth grade class new things and come to visit the Village soon. There is to Massachusetts for a week every year to learn about American history, including a full day at the Village. During our visit, the students learned how to churn butter and about 19th-century always something fun to do at Old Sturbridge Village. coopering techniques, among other aspects of the Village that were shared with them. It was a day that I look upon proudly as our expert staff shared our museum and our collective history with Jim Donahue, President and CEO In This Issue: Greg Dixon, Vice President of Marketing students from across the nation. and Communications 4 Renowned Artist Paints Images of Doreen St. John and Yellow Inc., Design Closer to home, in nearby Providence, Rhode Island, a Catholic school has its junior high OSV: Dinotopia Creator James Laura Chilson, Marketing and Communications Coordinator school students create a three-dimensional model of OSV based on research the students do online. Gurney Captures Village Ann Lindblad, Communications Consultant Blacksmiths at Work Teams of students work on individual buildings, learn about architecture and history, and then The Old Sturbridge Village Visitor is visit the Village for the day to see if their work was accurate. I had a chance to visit this school a published three times a year for the 6 Treasures from the Friends of Old Sturbridge Village as few years ago and I can assure you the results of this project were impressive. The Village also has OSV Collection: a benefit of membership by Old Sturbridge Inc., vocational partnerships with Tantasqua Regional High School and Killingly Vocational—allowing Curatorial Staff Share 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, students to learn their trade while supporting the ongoing maintenance efforts here at the Village. Favorite Artifacts Sturbridge, MA 01566. 8 Famous Mural Artist Led YEARLY MEMBERSHIP: These examples remind me of how important it is that we continue to nurture and grow $50 for Individual educational opportunities around history both at the Village and in our schools. As I reflect on an Inventive Life: The $80 for Individual Plus One and Dual Fascinating Story $90 for Family these efforts, I’m also grateful, as these educational opportunities would not be possible without the $120 for Family Plus One of Rufus Porter support of the many businesses and foundations which give generously to ensure these programs Family membership benefits are extended to 10 Hingham’s Hersey Workshop: two adults living at the same address and their continue. Our Country Bank Education Center, perhaps the best example of this support, is children or grandchildren under the age of 18. Discovering a Lost Treasure Individual Plus One includes a complimentary celebrating its 40th anniversary of hosting schoolchildren who visit the Village. guest admission with each visit. Dual As we head toward warmer and longer days, let’s remember how important tending our 12 Bringing History to Life: membership is for two adults living OSV’s Costumed Historians at the same address. Family Plus One includes “garden” of history-based education is here at the Village. two adults, one guest, and their children/ grandchildren under 18. 14 Staff Profile: A Conversation with Jean Contino MEMBERS ENJOY: • Free, unlimited daytime admission 15 Business Partner Profile: • 25% discount on guest admissions H • 10% discount at museum shops G&F Industries: Generations of • 10% discount on food services H Support for OSV • 10% discount on purchase of ach year, Memorial Day through Labor Day, a stirring display gift memberships • Discounts at partner living history of flags greets visitors as they enter the Village. Because of our 16 Bleeding, Blistering, Puking, Purging: museums The Hazards of Health Care in the • Free monthly members-only events generous members and donors, the Field of Flags campaign allowed • Annual members recognition event E 19th Century • Advance notice of Village programs for 4,335 military members and their families to visit OSV for free in and events 2013, a value of $104,040. Let’s top that in 2014! Every $25 donation 18 History of the OSV Mill Neighborhood: • Member rates for many fee-based events Harnessing Water Power with • Member rates at the Old Sturbridge Inn allows for one flag to be planted and provides support for complimentary and Reeder Family Lodges Ancient Technology • Periodic e-mails, newsletters, and daytime admission to military members. updates on Village happenings 20 Preserving Living Artifacts: • Members-only Dog Days Heirloom Gardening at Please send your gift in the enclosed envelope today. To join, to subscribe, or to provide Old Sturbridge Village a change of address, write the H Membership Department, Upcoming Events e-mail [email protected], 22 or call 800-SEE-1830. 2 OSV VISITOR SPRING 2014 OSV VISITOR SPRING 2014 3 Renowned Artist Paints Images of OSV Dinotopia Creator James Gurney Captures Village Blacksmiths at Work illions of people love the work of author and illustrator James Gurney, best known for the realistically rendered fantasy world depicted in his beloved Dinotopia book series. The first book, A Land Apart from Time, published in 1992, went on to sell more than two million copies. Today, there are more than 20 Dinotopia books in print. Despite their popular success, the Dinotopia series is just one of Gurney’s many artistic endeavors. Others include magazine articles and illustrations, lectures, art exhibits, Paintings of OSV blacksmiths at work by James Gurney. videos, blogs, and plein-air painting, which is what brought him and fellow artist Garin Baker to Old Sturbridge Village on a recent painting excursion. He featured the Blacksmith Shop painting session in a video and on his blog, the Gurney Journey. Read a few excerpts on the opposite page. A Conversation with James Gurney Q. Why do you enjoy painting at Old Sturbridge Village? The Many Challenges of Painting in a Blacksmith Shop A. Sturbridge is a favorite because there is so much to draw—so many people doing things in By James Gurney an authentic way. And there is so much artificial light in the modern world, it’s rare to get natural window light, and it has such a special quality. A visit to the Village is a unique chance to get in the blacksmith shop in a living history museum time machine and go back. A is a challenging location for plein-air painting. It’s dark, gritty, noisy, and crowded. Worst of all, the blacksmiths are in constant motion: hammering, Q. What do you enjoy most about sketching? working the bellows, and leaving the building for My sketchbook is always with me. I’ve always loved anything about the 19th century and breaks. But my friend Garin Baker and I were A. sketching is a form of observation rooted in the 19th century. Sitting, observing, and drawing slow determined to take a swing at it. down the clock—something you don’t get to do INSpiRATION – I thought it would be like a time travel experience to paint people working at through the lens of a camera. And animals and kids authentic historical trades in period costumes using don’t pose—you have to be fast to capture them! traditional tools and methods. Making a picture is a magical thing—or making DESIGN STRATEGY – I approached the portraits MATERIALS – I used flat and round brushes and anything is magical—starting with a raw material and of the two blacksmiths separately, since the workers casein, a water-based paint, which has tremendous transforming it into something different. S kept changing places and taking breaks. My strategy opacity and flows off the brush more easily than E lm was to include just enough of the background to acrylic. When a layer dries you can paint over it HO Q. Are more Dinotopia books planned? L URE convey the atmosphere of the setting and the color without the dry paint lifting up. That allowed me A L temperature of the two main light sources.