Press Release

Reynolda House Museum of American Art to premiere virtual fundraiser in support of educational mission

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (March 29, 2021) — Reynolda House Museum of American Art will premiere its annual fundraiser, Celebrate Reynolda, virtually on April 24 in support of the museum’s educational mission to bring art, learning, and nature to all who visit. Funds will be used to help the museum provide free admission to more than one-third of its annual visitors, including students and youth 18 and under, and to offer multiple free public educational programs to individuals of all ages in support of reading, literacy, and art education.

The fundraiser, which will premiere on the new streaming platform Artarie, replaces the museum’s annual in-person gathering, and offers a series of musical theatre performances inspired by works in Reynolda’s collection and performed by acclaimed UNCSA alumni and Broadway actors.

Celebrate Reynolda’s new format and content was imagined by the event’s musical and creative advisor Greg Walter, Voice, Assistant Dean for External Affairs, Professional Development and Alumni School of Drama, University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), along with event co-chairs Iris Cole, Susan Conger, and Lynn Eisenberg, and features stars such as Isaac Powell, a UNCSA alum most recently cast as Tony in Broadway’s 2020 revival of West Side Story and in the forthcoming Dear Evan Hansen film for Universal Studios and Modern Love for Amazon Studios.

The event’s highlights include performances from Ragtime, Man of La Mancha, The Sound of Music, and The Secret Garden.

This year’s event is a departure from the Museum’s traditional gala format and comes with a lower ticket price of $50. The switch to a virtual format also offers others the opportunity to support the Museum at a distance.

“To my knowledge, this deep and well thought out experience is unique and hopefully will not only inspire lots of people to want to learn more about Reynolda but they will also appreciate the experiences that they will be able to view,” said Lynn Eisenberg, Reynolda House board member and event co-chair. 

Reynolda House’s educational programs include a strong focus on early childhood education, and the Museum produces numerous programs for pre-readers (under five) and their caregivers, as well as programs designed to promote intergenerational learning. The museum’s early childhood programs are designed to promote reading and literacy readiness in young children. This initiative comes alongside similar programs throughout Forsyth County to improve pre-K reading and language development outcomes.

In support of the museum’s strategic directions, each exhibition season features a unique menu of carefully designed symposia, lectures, virtual tours, courses, and other educational opportunities for visitors of all ages, with as many as 50 programs per year designed to promote learning. The museum collaborates with local organizations to present nationally recognized historians, curators, and critics to a general audience, enriching the cultural life and civic consciousness of the region’s citizens. Reynolda House offers a rich selection of virtual and hybrid programs, including Reynolda Read-Aloud, Family First workshops, Reynolda Community Day, Visual Literacy for Caregivers, Let’s Talk About Art, Growga, and Outdoor Discovery Tours. In addition, Reynolda offers at-home art kits and multimedia discovery lessons for teachers and caregivers.

“Over the past year, our staff has learned how to pivot remarkably and meet our audience where they are,” explains Allison Perkins, Executive Director, Reynolda House and Wake Forest Associate Provost for Reynolda House Museum of American Art and Reynolda Gardens. “This year’s virtual fundraiser allows us to use the integration that’s at our core of our identity to inspire others to connect with Reynolda in new ways so that we can continue to offer rich educational experiences and enhance our accessibility.”

Purchase your ticket, and learn about other support opportunities for Celebrate Reynolda, at reynoldahouse.org/celebrate.

Learn more 

Hours and Admission
Reynolda House, located at 2250 Reynolda Rd., is open Tuesday-Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Museum members, children 18 and under, students, military personnel, employees of Wake Forest University and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center with valid ID receive free admission to the museum. Passes to Reynolda House in English and Spanish are available to check out from every branch of the Forsyth County Public Library free of charge. 

Reynolda Gardens is open from dawn to dusk daily free of charge.  The greenhouse is currently closed. Visit reynoldavillage.org for more information on shopping and dining.

About Reynolda
Reynolda, in Winston-Salem, N.C., is a rare gem among the nation’s cultural arts institutions and historic greenspaces. The 53-year-old museum at the center of Reynolda’s 170 acres, Reynolda House Museum of American Art, features a renowned art collection in a historic and incomparable setting: the original 1917 interiors of the country manor of R. J. and Katharine Reynolds. Spanning 250 years, the collection is a chronology of American art, and features artists such as  Georgia O’Keeffe, Frederic Edwin Church, Alexander Calder, Romare Bearden, Stuart Davis, Martin Johnson Heade, Lee Krasner, Jacob Lawrence, John Singer Sargent and Grant Wood. The Reynolda experience includes taking in world-class art exhibitions in the museum’s Mary and Charlie Babcock Wing; exploring  lush formal gardens, nature trails, and even a waterfall at Reynolda Gardens, which are always open and free; self-touring with a free app called Reynolda Revealed; and shopping and dining in more than 25 of the estate’s original buildings in Reynolda Village. Reynolda, located at 2250 Reynolda Road, is part of Wake Forest University. For more information, please visit reynolda.org.

Connect at facebook.com/rhmaa and @CurateReynolda on Instagram.

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Media Contact
Kaci Baez
336.758.5524 or kaci@reynolda.org