South County Museum Gazette
- info423968
- Jun 30
- 7 min read
July 2025 – Edition – Summer fun at the Museum
Hello Members and Friends,
July is upon us, and we have an action-packed month ahead.
The chicks are coming! Please join us and help spread the word about our annual 4th of July party. As many of you know, at the South County Museum, the 4th of July also marks the arrival of our baby chicks. The Museum is home to a flock of Rhode Island Red Chickens. Our state bird is a breed developed by William Tripp in Adamsville, RI, in 1854. It is a popular choice for backyard flocks due to its egg-laying abilities and hardiness. South County Museum’s Heritage Flock meets the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection. This once-a-year event gives visitors, both young and old, the opportunity to observe eggs hatching and see and hold baby chicks.
A newer, but equally loved tradition at the Museum is our annual reading of The Declaration of Independence. During the winter of 2023, the South County Museum Press printed a hand-typeset reproduction of John Dunlap’s broadside (poster-size printing) of The Declaration of Independence. After the Continental Congress had adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776, Dunlap worked through the night to produce the first printed versions of the Declaration of Independence in his Philadelphia shop. Dunlap printed approximately 200 copies. The Museum has printed a limited edition of our own, and they will be on sale for a special July 4th price at $25 each.
We also have a limited quantity of our Museum Press “Chick Hatch” promotional poster available. Printed using some of the Museum’s historic wooden type and showcasing an original linoleum cut by artist Ellie Swanson. Posters $10 each while supplies last.
Our 4th of July party is a fundraiser for the Museum, with tickets available at the door. A raffle, face-painting, live music, games, and more will round out the day. Stop by from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. (Declaration Reading at 1:00 pm.) More details here - EVENTS
Meet our summer staff!
Welcome Back, Emma - Emma Manning is completing a master’s degree at URI in Textiles, Fashion Merchandising, and Design. Emma was a graduate research fellow at the Museum last year and has returned to us this year as a curatorial assistant. Emma is currently conducting research for her thesis: “Disguised: Unmasking early mass market Halloween costumes.” Her research will culminate in an exhibition at the Museum. Find Emma in the Metz Exhibition Hall during open hours, and you may get a sneak peek of the costumes. The exhibition will open on September 27.
Welcome, Alana - Alana Frutkoff is also a graduate student at URI. She is joining us for a graduate research fellowship, where she will explore traditional craft and staff the Museum’s fiber shed. Alans’s early-season project focuses on the history of dyes, and she will experiment with traditional and contemporary methods to create printed textiles while researching early New England printworks. Alana’s previous career includes roles as a costume designer, wardrobe supervisor, and tailor, whose work can be seen in a wide range of productions, from ballet performances to theaters, circuses, and museums. We are excited to have her assist with some fashion projects at the Museum later in the season.
Welcome, Alexa - Alexa Vesterholm holds a master's degree in Arts and Culture with a specialization in Design Cultures from Vrije University in Amsterdam. She is also participating in a graduate research fellowship at the Museum, where she helps with daily tasks while expanding her knowledge base in Museum and cultural studies. Alexa is excited to learn more about South County’s material culture, help organize community workshops, and work to revive endangered art forms by learning from artisans and using the Museum’s collection of historic tools. During July, you might find Alexa in the museum press or our pop-up historic photography studio.
Welcome, Sarah - Sarah C. Byrd is joining us this summer as an artist-in-residence. Sarah is a fashion archivist, historian, and educator. Sarah received her BA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her MA in Fashion and Textile Studies from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
This residency will support an ongoing research project, affectionately named Domestic Artist, that examines the artistic value and cultural significance of everyday domestic work. It repositions the labor of homemaking - including decoration, organization, meal preparation, cleaning, and caretaking - as legitimate artistic practice worthy of critical attention. Through both archival research in collections and active practice in her own spaces, Sarah aims to document how these often-overlooked forms of creativity have shaped our cultural history while continuing to enrich our daily lives.
Save the Date: Sarah will host a special event at the Museum on Wednesday Evening, July 30th - Doors Open at 5:30. The presentation begins at 6:00 pm.
In Search of Domestic Art: South County Edition - This event takes you behind the scenes of the Artist-in-Residence project, showcasing a selection of objects from the collection storage that serve as inspiration for Sarah’s exploration of the domestic artist. Join us for a unique combination of artist talk, history lecture, and hands-on making with light food and refreshments available.
This event is free to members. $10 for non-members. Tickets at the door. Please RSVP to Info@southcountymuseum.org. (RSVPs help us know how many chairs to set up and, in case of hot weather, if we can pivot to a smaller AC lecture space.)
In addition to our staff and visiting scholars, our dedicated volunteers will be demonstrating blacksmithing, printing, the use of historic woodworking tools, hand-sewing, and weaving throughout the summer season. Please drop by the craft studios this summer to see and participate. Private lessons for blacksmithing and natural dyeing are currently available. Stay tuned for a fall textile collage class and a flower-printing workshop.
Reminder: The Museum is accepting quilt applications for our 39th show until July 31st. See our events page for details or drop by the exhibition hall to pick up a paper application. Also, don’t miss out on a chance to win this beautiful quilt.
2025 Season Quilt Raffle
Enter to win this beautiful quilt, Spring Parade by Jean Reardon. It boasts a stunning color palette and showcases many of our favorite traditional blocks. Drop by the Museum to get your tickets today!
Can’t make it to the Museum but want to buy your raffle tickets? You can do so via our homepage www.southcountymuseum.org. The drawing will take place on Sunday, September 7. We pull one ticket only, and you do not have to be present to win. All proceeds from the raffle directly benefit South County Museum’s textile programming.
New in the collection, we are thrilled to welcome some extraordinary new objects to our maritime and fishing collections.
Pat Roberge, a self-described “displaced Rhode Islander”, now living out of state, donated his grandfather’s surf casting rod and reel, and some surfcasting lures and plugs. This gift will enable the Museum to tell the story of Narragansett’s role as a hub for surfcasters in the mid-20th century.
Paintings of the Coast Guard Station in Galilee and the Point Judith lighthouse were given to SCM by Bill Andrews. The colorful paintings depict these South County landmarks as they appeared in 1957 and will soon be on display.
A model of the wooden-hulled fishing vessel, the Lucy M, is on exhibit in the Metz Exhibit Hall. The Lucy M was the first new fishing vessel to join the fleet in Galilee after WWII, and fished Rhode Island waters for over 50 years. Joel Hovansian kindly donated the model and some photographs of the Lucy M.
News from our friends, supporters, and partners:
“Discover the timeless art of weaving in the exhibition, A Common Thread at Hera Gallery in Wakefield. The exhibition features intricate and inspiring works from the Saunderstown Weaving School. From traditional techniques to contemporary design, this show celebrates the creative spirit of community woven together by a common thread”.
Saunderstown Weaving School was founded by South County treasure Norma Smayda, who, over the years, has supported the Museum. Current museum volunteers Elaine Buchanan and Leslie Mahler are featured in the show. https://www.heragallery.org/
Our Gilded Age Fashion Lecture Series in Partnership with Ocean House in Watch Hill Continues. There may be a few spots left for our July 1st talk on Fashion and Flowers.
Save the Date for the August lecture - Tuesday, August 5, starting at 3:30 pm - Making a Splash: Resort Fashions in New England 1870 – 1900.
Tickets via Ocean House
The lecture will discuss Rhode Island and its resort towns from Newport to Watch Hill as fashion capitals that propelled New York's sportswear industry. During the Gilded Age, vibrant "Gibsonesque" women wearing simple shirtwaists and walking skirts for golf, tennis, or out driving became the idealized version of the sporty American woman
Support South County Museum!
Consider volunteering. We are particularly looking for help in our woodworking studio and a docent to cover the exhibition hall and studios from 12:00 – 1:00 pm Thurs- Saturday so that the staff can eat lunch. But volunteers in all areas and at all times are welcome and needed.
Please e-mail Rebecca@southcountymuseum.org for information about becoming a volunteer.
Join the Museum! Becoming a member of South County Museum is more than just a way to support the Museum—it’s a way to explore local history and traditional craft. As a member, you’ll enjoy benefits like free admission, early access to workshop registration, and special members-only events. Your support helps us preserve the history of South County and the traditional skills of printing, blacksmithing, woodworking, spinning, weaving, and natural dyeing, ensuring that these skills are passed down to future generations. Join our community of history lovers and artisans today, and help keep these time-honored traditions alive!
We hope to see you at the Museum soon!
Please contact Lynn@southcountymuseum.org if your business would like to sponsor a 2025 season event.
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