Allen Litten: The Valley's Observer, April 2019 - September 2019. Allen Litten has been photographing the events of Harrisonburg and the surrounding area for over 60 years, spending much of that time with the Daily News-Record newspaper. Guest Curator Daniel Robinson, Institute of Visual Studies,…

Colorful & Cozy: The Woven Art of the Coverlet, December 2015 - March 2016. In a gorgeous variety of color and pattern, coverlets on display highlighted the artistry and technical skill needed to grow, harvest, spin, dye, design, and finally weave the treasured bedcovers. Coverlets are…

Bernhart & Company: Shenandoah Valley Folk Art Fraktur (1774-1850). On view June 4, 2011 – January 21, 2012 More than seventy documents, known as fraktur, full of bright colors, flowers, birds, whimsical creatures, funny plants and spontaneity were on view the gallery in this exhibition…

Mary Caples Morrison, sculptor and painter, was born in Richmond, Virginia.  She graduated from the Collegiate School of William and Mary, a private school in Richmond.  In 1925, she enrolled in The Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. and graduated with honors.  For a…

Hopkins Family Civil War Letters, 2012 Discovery! During the 2003 restoration of Cave Hill, the Hopkins ancestral home in Rockingham County, the owners discovered a cache of letters and Confederate money hidden in a wall. The letters were penned by family members and friends at…

Rockingham Railroads: A 100 Year Review, November 2014 - August 2015 “In the latter [1860s] there was in evidence much organized agitation for the construction of a railroad . . .” – Historian John W. Wayland. On December 11, 1868, the citizens of…

At Play: Dolls, Toys, and Trains, November 25, 2016 - January 31, 2017 An exhibition that recalled the joys of childhood playtime, but revealed many themes of history  (manufacturing, materials, education, immigration, business, gender bias, and concern for the environment) through a display of model…

Our Men and Women in Service Around the Globe During WWII, December 9, 2017 - August 4, 2018. Uniforms, letters, and souvenirs share the stories of Harrisonburg-Rockingham men and women who served overseas during the Second World War. Dora Cline Fechtmann (1913-2006). Dora Cline joined…

Inventors & Innovators of Harrisonburg and Rockingham, November 28, 2018 – March 30, 2019. During the 19th and 20th centuries, residents of Rockingham County earned 380 patents from the United States Patent office. Their inventions were surprisingly diverse—from butter churns and poultry brooders to a…

Robert Hopkins “Twig” and Lorraine Warren Strickler represent philanthropy in the truest sense of the word. Their generous support of the local community has been well documented. Less well-known is how diligently they worked to save and preserve Shenandoah Valley artifacts and material culture. This…