Sorry it's been a while since I've been on here.
Our class took a trip to Reynolda House in Winston Salem, NC.
The Reynolda House was named after Richard Joshua Reynolds. He was the founder of a large tobacco company in the south. He was known for selling Prince Albert tobacco and Camel cigarettes. He married Katherine Smith and they had four children. Katherine began buying land after their marriage and worked with architect Charles Barton Keen and landscaper Thomas Sears. They designed a 60-room home for her family with gardens, a school, a farm and a village for their workers. After their deaths Mary Reynolds Babcock, their oldest daughter acquired the estate. In 1965, the house was established as a non-profit institution dedicated to the arts and education named Museum of American Art. In 1967, Barbara Babcock Millhouse, the great grand daughter of the Reynolds, made the house a public museum. The museum houses paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures dating from 1755 to present.
Since the house has been restored, the 3000 sq. ft. gallery changes exhibitions with the three collections it features. Exploration of the original estate can be toured by foot. Twenty-eight of the original thirty buildings still remain. There are Japanese gardens, sixteen acres of wetlands, with shops and restaurants in the workers buildings. A short walk across the dam leads to Wake Forest University, affiliated since 2002.
Displayed was 200 years of American Design in seating. These chairs are crazy looking, but most were very comfortable. They have an exhibition of clothing, toys and other items that belonged to the Reynolds over the years. The historic house collection shows furnishings over the years. The estate archives show different pictures of the estate over the years as well as floor plans and layouts of the gardens. The American Arts collection displays paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures from 1755 to present. Since incorporating with Wake Forest, the museum continues to expand.
This place is definitely worth the visit, if not in person at least online.