Metropolitan Museum to Add Evening Hours on Dec. 28 and Expand Schedule of Lighting Ceremonies for its Celebrated Christmas Tree
Holiday Dining & Shopping, Films, Concerts, Family Programs, Tours, and More
The Metropolitan Museum of Art will offer an unprecedented roster of Holidays at the Metprograms and activities this season, including extended evening hours during the final weekend of 2006, family programs, and additional holiday offerings in the galleries, restaurants, and shops, from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. At the centerpiece of this holiday celebration, the Museum will continue its traditional Christmas tree and Neapolitan Baroque crèche display, this year adding to its schedule of spectacular tree lightings, with additional lightings daily and during the Museum's popular Friday and Saturday evening hours. Special holiday decorations and programming will also be offered at The Cloisters, the Metropolitan Museum's branch for medieval art in upper Manhattan.
"This holiday season will be an especially festive time at the Met, where we are proud to offer additional hours and a whole spectrum of activities that will delight visitors of all ages from around the world," said Emily Rafferty, President of the Metropolitan. "We will continue our ever-popular Christmas tree and Neapolitan Baroque crèche display, adding more of the beautiful lighting programs that have been appreciated only on weekends in the past. We have added to our schedule programs and films for families, enhanced holiday dining, and special holiday gifts in our shops. A special treat is the addition of Thursday evening hours on December 28, supplementing our ongoing Friday and Saturday evenings that are already so popular with our visitors. 'Holidays at the Met' has something for everyone this year."
Extended Holiday Evening Hours
During the weekend leading up to New Year's Eve, and for the first time in its history, the Museum will remain open late for three consecutive evenings – Thursday through Saturday, December 28-30, until 9 p.m. – to accommodate the anticipated large numbers of holiday visitors. The addition of Thursday evening hours on December 28 this year will enhance the Museum's popular Friday and Saturday evenings, which occur throughout the year and extend for visitors the opportunity to visit exhibitions and the permanent collection galleries, as well as its restaurants and shops.
Additional Special Viewing Opportunities during the Holidays
The exhibition Americans in Paris, 1860-1900 – on view October 24, 2006, through January 28, 2007 – will have extended viewing hours for members. On Tuesdays through Sundays for the full duration of the exhibition, the exhibition will be open to Metropolitan Museum members beginning at 9 a.m. This will offer the Museum's members – at all levels of membership – the special opportunity to view the exhibition before the doors open to the public at 9:30 a.m.
Christmas Tree and Enhanced Schedule of Lighting Ceremonies
The annual Christmas tree and Neapolitan Baroque crèche display will once again be on view in the Museum's Medieval Sculpture Hall (November 21, 2006 – January 7, 2007). The brightly lit, 20-foot blue spruce – with a collection of 18th-century Neapolitan angels and cherubs among its boughs and groups of realistic crèche figures flanking the Nativity scene at its base – will be set in front of the 18th-century Spanish choir screen from the Cathedral of Valladolid, with recorded Christmas music in the background.
Dramatic lighting ceremonies will take place this year on a new and more frequent schedule: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 3:30 and 4:30 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays (plus Thursday, December 28) at 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30 p.m.
The installation is made possible by The Loretta Hines Howard Trust.
The Museum's towering tree, glowing with light, is adorned with cherubs and some 50 gracefully suspended angels. The landscape at the base displays the figures and scenery of the Neapolitan Christmas crib. This display mingles the three basic elements traditional in 18th-century Naples: the Nativity, with adoring shepherds and their flocks; the procession of the three Magi and their exotically dressed retinue of Asians and Africans; and, most distinctively, a crowd of colorful
townspeople and peasants. The theatrical scene is enhanced by a charming assortment of animals – sheep, goats, horses, a camel, and an elephant – and by background pieces serving as the dramatic setting for the Nativity, including the ruins of a Roman temple, several quaint houses, and a typical Italian fountain with a lion's-mask waterspout.
Judaica on View
Images from the Nuremberg Chronicle, one of the first widely disseminated printed books in Europe, showing the furnishings of the Tabernacle used by Jews in the Wilderness, will be on view in the Medieval Treasury of the Museum's main building (adjacent to the sculpture hall) in time for Rosh Hashanah on September 23 through the end of December. Published in 1493 in both Latin and German editions, the Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel presents the history of the world in seven ages and includes more than 600 distinct woodcut illustrations created in the renowned workshop of Michel Wolgemut and Hans Pleydenwurff in Nuremberg, where the renowned German artist Albrecht Dürer was first apprenticed.
The copy of the Chronicle that will be displayed is in Latin and was donated to the Museum from The George Khuner Collection by Mrs. George Khuner in 1981. The pages on view will include a depiction of the massive menorah (Exodus 25: 23-30), the seven-branched oil lamp of pure gold that became the primary symbol of Judaism in the ancient and medieval worlds.
In the Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries, on the north side of the great staircase, the Museum will display several works from the second to seventh century that are decorated with Jewish ritual objects. A rare Roman gold glass fragment, acquired by the Museum in 1918, shows a Torah ark with six scrolls on its shelves flanked by a pair of seven-branched menorah and a shofar. Menorahs also decorate a small clay lamp, a stamp, and two marble tablets in the case. Also in the Jaharis Galleries, on the south side of the great staircase, several glass vessels of the seventh century produced in Jerusalem display menorah.
Holiday Concerts
The Metropolitan Museum Concerts series – which has long been one of New York's preeminent presenters of early music – will once again present concerts during the holiday season in the unique setting of the Medieval Sculpture Hall, in front of the Christmas tree and Neapolitan Baroque crèche display. Five performance groups will present special holiday programs with multiple performances:
Chanticleer will present six performances of "A Chanticleer Christmas," a program of medieval and Renaissance sacred works, traditional carols, and spirituals. Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, December 3, 5, and 6, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra will perform Bach Cantatas No. 133, Ich freue mich in dir, and No. 40, Dazu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes on Thursday, December 14, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Parthenia, a consort of viols (Rosamund Morley, treble viol; Lawrence Lipnik, tenor viol; Beverly Au and Lisa Terry, bass viol) will join soprano Julianne Baird for a program of early English Christmas music: works by William Byrd, Anthony Holborne, Thomas Morley, Tobias Hume, and John Bull. Tuesday, December 19, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
The Choral Society of Grace Church in New York, John Maclay, conductor, will perform "Sacred Music from the East," a program of sacred choral music from the Eastern Orthodox tradition, featuring Rachmaninoff's Vespers, Gorecki's Totus Tuus, and other works. Wednesday, December 20, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
The Trinity Choir, Owen Burdick, conductor, will perform "An A Cappella Christmas from Trinity Church," a program of a cappella Advent and Christmas choral music from this renowned choir of Trinity Church Wall Street. Thursday, December 21, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Concert tickets are $60 each; tickets are available by calling the Department of Concerts and Lectures at 212-570-3949 or online at www.metmuseum.org. Tickets are also available at the ticket kiosk in the Museum's Great Hall, which is open Tuesday-Thursday, 10-4:30, Friday-Saturday 10-8:30, and Sunday noon-4:30.
Holiday Tours and Other Programs
A holiday art hunt will be available free – both online and at the Information Desks in the main building – for families with children ages 5-12, highlighting winter themes in works of art selected by the Metropolitan's curators. The art hunt will provide directions, illustrations, and short commentaries so that visitors can view the works on their own in the Museum's permanent collection galleries.
The Musical Instruments Galleries will be the focus of Shake, Toot, and Strum: How Did They Do That? , a special 30-minute session for families that shows how instruments were created through handling tours and materials. This repeating
program will take place on Friday and Saturday, December 29 and 30, beginning
at 4:30, 5:00, 5:30, and 6:00 p.m. No reservations are necessary for this drop-in program.
A complete listing of programs for adults is available online at www.metmuseum.org.
Films for Families
On Tuesday through Thursday, December 26-28, two short programs of holiday films for families will be shown on an alternating schedule in the Museum's Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium: "Linnea in Monet's Garden" and "Metropolitan Cats," a 55-minute program, beginning at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.; and "Great Frost" and "A Child's Christmas in Wales," a 45-minute program, beginning at noon p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.
"Linnea in Monet's Garden" is an animated journey to painter Claude Monet's garden in Giverny, France. "Metropolitan Cats," a documentary produced by the Metropolitan, explores the cat in art in several different collections within the Museum. "The Great Frost" is an animated film based on a tale from Virginia Woolf's Orlando, about the festivities that result one harsh winter when the River Thames freezes over. And "A Child's Christmas in Wales" is a filmed reading by the poet Dylan Thomas of his story, illustrated by black-and-white still photographs.
No reservations are necessary for these drop-in programs.
Holiday Dining at the Museum
All of the Museum's restaurants and cafés will celebrate Thanksgiving and the December holidays with special seasonal offerings. The Petrie Court Café will feature a French-inspired afternoon tea and a three-course dinner menu while the American Wing Café will offer a range of holiday desserts. At the Balcony Bar – which is open from 4 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as on the newly added Thursday evening of December 28 – a special holiday cocktail will be offered, as well as a dessert honoring the French holiday of Les Treize. In the cafeteria, entrees and desserts inspired by the holidays will be offered throughout the season.
Holiday Shopping
This year more than 300 new Museum reproductions and publications have been added to the merchandise collection, from festive cards and ornaments to jewelry and accessories, home décor, books, and imaginative toys for children.
This broad array of holiday gifts is available at the Metropolitan Museum's shops – located in the main building and The Cloisters, and in satellite locations in the United States and abroad – as well as online at www.metmuseum.org/store. Based on works in the permanent collection and special exhibitions, as well as sister institutions throughout the world, each item has been carefully researched and developed by a team of the Metropolitan's art historians, designers, and master craftspeople, and each purchase helps support the Museum in its ongoing educational mission.
The Cloisters
The Metropolitan Museum's branch in northern Manhattan for medieval art, The Cloisters, will also celebrate the holiday season with holiday decorations and an array of events. Herbs, berries, and greens linked with the medieval celebration of Christmastide will deck The Cloisters from December 5 through January 7. The medieval practice of decorating churches and halls with fresh greenery had its roots in ancient customs. Because of their ties with the old pagan winter festivals, the early church had banned such use of evergreen plants. By the Middle Ages, the eternal life that these plants symbolized was given Christian interpretation, and they were used to celebrate the feast days of the church calendar.
The arched doorways of the main hall will be adorned with ivy, nuts, and apples, all of which were used in the medieval observance of Christmas. A sheaf of wheat bound with ivy will stand in the lavabo in the Cuxa Cloister, and evergreen laurel garlands will festoon the Italian ciborium in the Langon Chapel.
A roster of family programs at The Cloisters during the holidays include several hour-long workshops in the galleries for children ages 4-12 and their families, "How Did They Do That?" sessions on tapestry, and a Spanish-language program. The hour-long family workshops are: "Deck the Halls," an exploration of how people celebrated and decorated for special occasions during the winter holiday season in the Middle Ages (December 2); "Gold, Silver, and Jewels!" on the precious treasures at The Cloisters and why these objects were so highly valued (December 3); "Presents!" on the kinds of gifts people gave each other on special days in the Middle Ages (December 23). The "How Did They Do That?" program will focus on tapestry and will run every 30 minutes from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, December 27 and 28. A Spanish-language family
workshop La Experiencia Medieval: "Los Tres Reyes Magos" will take place on Saturday, December 30, at 1 p.m. All of these family workshops begin at 1:00 p.m. in the main hall and are free with Museum admission.
Family programs at The Cloisters are supported in part by The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation.
A gallery talk – "From the Manger: Christ and the Virgin Mary" – by guest lecturer Denva Jackson will be offered on Saturday, December 30, at noon and 2 p.m. It is free with admission and no advance reservations are necessary, but gallery space is limited so groups of ten or more cannot be accommodated.
A special subscription concert series of themed programs will take place in December, including: The Baltimore Consort in "Bright Day Star: Music for the Yuletide Season" on Sunday, December 10, at 1 and 3 p.m. (tickets $35); The Waverly Consort in "The Christmas Story" on Saturday, December 16, and Sunday December 17, at 1 and 3 p.m. (tickets $45); Pomerium in "Creator of the Stars" on Saturday, December 23, at 1 and 3 p.m. (tickets $35); and Trio Eos in "A Child is Born" on Friday, December 29, at 1 and 3 p.m. (free). Ticket prices include same-day admission to The Cloisters and the Museum's main building. Seats are limited, so advance purchase is recommended. All tickets are for general seating. For tickets and information, call (212) 650-2290.
On the Web Site
All of these holiday offerings will be listed and continually updated on two special pages on the Museum's Web site – Holidays at the Met and Christmastide at The Cloisters – at www.metmuseum.org. Also featured is an online tour of "The Christmas Story" as illustrated by paintings in the Metropolitan Museum's collection and narrated by Director Philippe de Montebello.
Audio Guides
Extensive audio programming on the Museum's collection and special exhibitions – including the Christmas tree – are available for single, daily rental at the admissions desks and other locations in the main building and The Cloisters. Rentals are $6 for adults, $5 for members, and $4 for children under 12.
The Audio Guide program is sponsored by Bloomberg.
Note:
Admission is free in the main building and The Cloisters for children under the age of 12 accompanied by adults. The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1.
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VISITOR INFORMATION:
Exhibitions on view during the holiday season include:
Cézanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde – through January 7, 2007
New Orleans after the Flood: Photographs by Robert Polidori – through December 10, 2006
Sean Scully: Wall of Light – through January 14, 2007
Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Sculpture – through February 19, 2007
Americans in Paris, 1860-1900 – October 24 – January 28, 2007
Coaxing the Spirits to Dance: Art of the Papuan Gulf – October 24, 2006 – September 2, 2007
Glitter and Doom: German Portraits from the 1920s – November 14, 2006 – February 19, 2007
Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall—An Artist's Country Estate – November 21, 2006
–
May 20, 2007
Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche – November 21, 2006 – January 7, 2007
Nan Kempner: American Chic – December 12, 2006 – March 4, 2007
Discovering Tutankhamun: The Photographs of Harry Burton – December 19, 2006 – April 29, 2007
Hours
Fridays and Saturdays 9:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sundays, Tuesdays–Thursdays 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Met Holiday Mondays in the Main Building: October 9,
January 15, February 19, and May 28, 2007
Sponsored by Bloomberg 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
All other Mondays closed; Jan. 1, Thanksgiving,
and Dec. 25 closed
Recommended Admission (Includes Main Building and The Cloisters on the Same Day)
Adults $20.00, seniors (65 and over) and students $10.00
Members and children under 12 accompanied by adult free
Advance tickets available at www.TicketWeb.com or 1-800-965-4827.
For More Information (212) 535-7710; www.metmuseum.org
No extra charge for any exhibition.
October 26, 2006
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