HAGERSTOWN – The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts will host its annual Amazing Tablescapes fundraiser, inviting community members to create innovative, thematic table settings and encouraging the public to select their favorite. This year’s event honors the exhibition “Frida Kahlo: Picturing an Icon,” with table designs inspired by the famed Mexican artist’s personality, art and culture.
The tablescapes will be on display in the museum’s atrium from Tuesday, June 10, through Friday, June 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door, with free entry for children younger than 12.
The evening of Friday, June 13, the Tablescapes designs will transform into actual place settings for the gala opening of the Frida Kahlo photograph exhibition (June 14-Oct. 5), featuring a Latin American-themed dinner, dessert and live music. Tickets for the gala are available at https://WCMFA.eventbrite.com, and for sponsorships, which include tickets to the gala, contact museum Director of Development Beth Smith at [email protected].
Some of the Frida Kahlo-inspired table designs in production include:
· “A Stroll Through Casa Azul” (Frida and Diego Rivera’s home in Coyoacán, Mexico), by Ashley Notabartolo and Lauren Doyle Vaccari. Frida was born here, resided here most of her life, and painted most of her masterpieces here. This recreation of her unique estate, based on one of the designer’s own visits to Casa Azul, will include reproductions of Frida’s gardens, hand-sewn clothing, trinkets and artworks. There will even be a “selfie station” within Tablescapes’ La Casa Azul.·
“Mexican Street Carnival in Cayoacán” by Christine Price-Abelow and Dana Swords. A stroll back in time into the historic neighborhood where Frida Kahlo lived most of her life – a neighborhood known for its street carnivals, “Day of the Dead” observances and, of course, Casa Azul. The vibrant traditional Mexican street scene will be displaying bold, colorful florals, fabrics and traditional decorations — plus paper parado banners, sugar skulls, oranges, mangos and other tropical delights.
· “The Heart of Frida”, by Victoria Beyer and Kandyce Mizell Douglas. Frida Kahlo used the heart as a symbol of both her physical and emotional pain. In the paintings Memory, The Heart (1937) and The Two Fridas (1939), she uses the heart as a symbol of the pain from infidelity and the subsequent divorce from her husband, Diego Rivera. The designers of this Tablescapes entry are using the heart as a symbol of the pain she suffered most of her life, as well as how the heart represents how much people have grown to love her work in recent years.
The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, located on the lakefront in Hagerstown City Park, was established in 1931 by William H. Singer Jr. and Anna Brugh Singer and has an extensive, world-class permanent collection of paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures from the 15th century, (plus older Roman and Egyptian artifacts) to the present, featuring celebrated and diverse artists.
Accredited by American Alliance of Museums since 1976, the museum offers tours, classes, educational programs and community events and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission and parking are free. For more information, readers may visit wcmfa.org.
