I apologize for the overdue BLOG posting, but our museum has been involved in some very labor-intensive and exciting prospects over the past month and we are so happy to finally share them with you!
Caitlin Dockery, Deanna Brandenberger, Mary Helen Wyatt pose in front of Moore’s Springs Manor, the venue for Ava’s exclusive event!
Janet Cobb prepares Ava’s costume from The Sun Also Rises.
For Valentine’s Day, a small contingent of our museum staff took on the monumental task of conducting our flagship traveling exhibit effort in partnership with the Stokes County Arts Council! The four members of our party were myself (Executive Director), my intern Ms. Caitlin Dockery (who is also a museum docent), Ms. Mary Helen Wyatt (Board of Directors Chairwoman), and Mr. Rick Lotz (former Board Chairman and current Board Member). A fifth person was an integral part of the team, our bookkeeper and curation intern Ms. Janet Cobb. The event was organized largely by Mr. Eddy McGee and Ms. Ellen Peric, along with the rest of their dedicated Stokes County Arts Council Board and staff. Although our museum has previously participated in the Retroback Festival in Spain last year, this year’s event was our first official traveling exhibit dedicated to promoting Ava and our museum. This was an all-inclusive event which consisted of a romantic evening in the idyllic mountain splendor of Westfield, North Carolina on the Moore’s Springs Manor estate complete with a museum showcase, singing and dancing entertainment provided by The Carolina Crooner Eddie Fedora, and heavy hors d’ouevres by Chef Adam Andrews with a moderate selection of wines.
The museum showcase consisted of an exhibit of five unique Ava artifacts: a wood block poster print of Knights of the Round Table, the black “Sinatra” dress that Ava wore on their first public engagement together, the 1968 oil Bert Pfeiffer painting of Ava’s iconic
Deanna Brandenberger and Caitlin Dockery fit Ava’s dress to the mannequin so that it bears her legendary hourglass measurements.
Hollywood glamour, Ava’s orange dress suit from the 1957 film The Sun Also Rises, and a Bakelite statue from One Touch of Venus. To prep this small artifact transport, it took four people more than 40 hours to accomplish curation which demonstrates the level of care and conservation required to bring such treasures to a traveling event. The showcase also featured a short documentary and special guest speaker Mary Helen Wyatt, who shared her personal memories of Ava when she visited her hometown of Smithfield. I also had the privilege of speaking at the event to share our museum’s mission and goals as well as to speak about the significance of the items that we chose to feature in the showcase. All of this took place in the estate’s banquet hall, with romantic lighting, a warm fire as tall as a person stands, and the gentle fluttering of snowflakes against the mountain backdrop.
The assembled exhibit and banquet room.
I have to say that I was beyond impressed with the turnout of our guests. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was dressed to the nines in vintage clothing. Some had dug out heirloom designer clothing, hats and hairpieces, and many gentlemen were looking dapper in full suits, fedoras and wing-tip shoes; others rented vintage clothing from a niche industry clothing rental store in nearby Winston-Salem. The one exception was a gentleman who came in the character of cult film icon “The Dude” from The Big Lebowski,
Our comic relief: The Dude!
much to the amusement of most guests, and to the horror of others who didn’t get the cultural reference of a man dressed in boxer shorts and a bathrobe while holding an open carton of half-and-half. For my part, it was the moment I finally breathed and was able to laugh and embrace the jovial part of the evening rather than the overwhelming task that lay before us. It was a fantastic and fun icebreaker!
Romance abounded for couples from their teens to their 90s! Everything from a glamorous date night to three different couples celebrating their wedding anniversaries made this night so very special and humbling for those of us participating because they chose to spend an evening in retro with Ava Gardner’s legacy and to hear the stories of her own life passions, from her career to Frank Sinatra to her family and friends. Speaking with our guests, it was clear that one of their favorite things was to hear the personal account of Mary Helen Wyatt’s private experiences with Ava and who she actually was when the camera wasn’t rolling. It made Ava accessible to people who admired her and gave them a glimpse of her personal life: the real life in North Carolina, away from Hollywood, the press, and drama.
Mary Helen Wyatt shares her personal memories of Ava with our guests.
After we closed down for the evening, our ladies of staff returned to our beautiful riverside rental cottage in the hamlet of Danbury that was kindly donated by the Danbury General Store. The charming Dan River Cottage is a full-size house featuring a living room, two bedrooms, a full kitchen, laundry room, deck and bathroom (complete with a slop jar!).Yes
Dan River Cottage, Danbury, NC.
folks, it was then that this California girl realized she was truly in the South when Mary Helen Wyatt explained the function of this homestead relic. If you aren’t familiar with the delightful utilities of a slop jar, I highly recommend you become acquainted with it. It’s positively Shakespearean, in the best way possible! Thankfully, it’s purpose there was purely ornamental. Our escort for the evening, the singular gentleman of our number, was lodged at another donated cabin from the good folks at nearby Hanging Rock State Park.
After an evening of defrocking, makeup removal and girl talk, the next morning found us very saddened to be leaving behind the heartwarming mountain retreat and loving people of Stokes County. The experience was enriching not only as our flagship event but on a personal level, it allowed us to experience sharing our art and history and receiving the same in return. It also gave us encouragement that there are fans of Ava’s out there that may not be able to travel to our museum but would like to in future and in the meantime, we can bring a little bit of stardust to them. In addition, it could even ignite the interest of new fans and make people aware of our own jewel of North Carolina, located just down the way in Smithfield. We have begun receiving requests to put on similar events elsewhere and are seriously considering these prospects. Do you belong to a town, county, or organization which would like to host a similar event? If so, we’d love to hear from you!
Executive Director Deanna Brandenberger, Board Member Rick Lotz, and Board Chairwoman Mary Helen Wyatt.
Before leaving the Northwestern part of North Carolina, we did make a quick trip down to Mt. Airy which many of you probably know as TV’s apple-pie community of Mayberry. It is home to the Andy Griffith Museum and a vibrant downtown culture that is centered on the wholesome family atmosphere for which The Andy Griffith Show was known. In the Downtown Historic District you can also visit the Historic Earle Theater & Old-Time Music Heritage Hall where concerts and impromptu bluegrass musician gatherings are always being held, much to our enjoyment!
A bluegrass group assembled at the Historic Earle Theater & Old-Time Heritage Hall, Mt. Airy, NC.
While visiting, we couldn’t pass up the chance to try the pork sandwich at the Snappy Lunch restaurant which had just been featured on the cover of Our State Magazine. Delicious! There is definitely so much to love about the North Carolina Mountains!
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and as anyone who has ever looked at a photograph of Ava knows, this is a true statement. I would therefore like to share with you some candid shots from our Facebook album of our visit to Stokes County which you can view by clicking here. We hope you enjoy them and we’d love to hear your comments and ideas. I would like to end this post by sincerely thanking our friends at the Stokes County Arts Council, Moore’s Springs Manor Venue and Lodging, Artists Way Café, Danbury General Store, Hanging Rock State Park, and the Kooken Foundation for their generous contributions without which none of this would have been possible. There is a line from Ava’s film One Touch of Venus where she sings, “Speak Low When You Speak Love.” For us, this event was simple and elegant, not over-the-top and garish; it was formal yet personal and allowed us to emulate Ava’s understated and unique style which truly gave people the experience of An Evening With Ava. We spoke softly with love and it was wonderful time. Thank you to those who celebrated with us and continue to do so by supporting us every day!
Ava with the love of her life, Frank Sinatra.
~Deanna Brandenberger, AGM Executive Director
