Museums generally are far from being stodgy places, dull and uninspired, top-heavy with facts.
They are more likely to be enlightening and edifying. Their primary mission is to provide the public a place to study and reflect on their contents: objects of artistic, cultural or scientific significance.
That’s always been true at the Vacaville Museum, a center for Solano County history, where the coming summer months promise not only educational experiences but also music and food and “public programs to foster community and be your cornerstone to gather and connect,” Sarah Olsen-Menon, the museum’s executive director, said in a press statement.
Perhaps most significant is a new exhibit, “Sew-lano Quilts: A Pattern of Change,” which opens Saturday and continues to Sept. 21 at the 213 Buck Ave. museum.
Featuring both historic quilts as well as quilts and fiber arts from communities throughout Solano County, the exhibit, she said, explores “the shift of fiber arts from merely functional to repositories of memory capable of storytelling and connecting different cultures and generations of people.”
Like the world-famous quilts of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, quilts in the latest museum exhibit also can be freighted with meaning, beauty and family history, since the quilting tradition after all, is rooted in beliefs of self-reliance and community.
The new exhibit announcement comes as the museum extends its gallery hours: 1 to 4:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays.
There is no fee to view the exhibit, but a $5 per person donation is encouraged. The museum’s website, vacavillemuseum.org, will contain updated information about trunk shows that various artists will be presenting during the exhibit, Olsen-Menon noted.
Bring an appetite to the museum on June 28, when the popular “Food Truck
Night” will be from 5 to 8 p.m.
It also will be a chance, said Olsen-Menon, “to kick back under the elms” in the museum’s courtyard and savor the melodic tunes of the Vaca Jazz Society’s Ted Fontaine Band.
Viejo Loco will be on premises if you get a hankering to try some birria tacos, starting at $3, or enjoy a birria burrito for $12. The museum gallery will remain open throughout the event.
Before we head into July, the museum has slated what Olsen-Menon called “the event of the season” on June 29: the Regency Era Jane Austen style.
From 3 to 6:30 p.m., internationally known Classical guitarist Jon Mendle — who has toured with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble and is a member of the San Francisco Guitar Quartet — will perform Regency music, that is, the soundtrack of British history between 1795 to 1837.
Eventgoers will have a chance to learn two or three Regency Era dances, as taught by Jennifer Meller, and enjoy a classic afternoon tea inside the museum. Costume and afternoon tea wear are encouraged, said Olsen-Menon. Tickets are available at $75 each.
Want more music and fun?
From 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on the Fourth of July, the museum again will host the free “Musical Americana” event, when visitors can listen to the Vacaville Jazz Society’s Alive Music Orchestra under the elms.
The sounds are certain to cause toes to tap in patriotic spirit as visitors celebrate the holiday with familiar music, hot dogs, and lemonade, compliments of Museum Guild volunteers. The museum gallery’s will be open if there is a need to beat the heat and to check out “Sew-lano Quilts: A Pattern of Change.”
Something especially for the children is what the museum’s “Be a Curator for a Day” event is all about on July 17.
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., kids between the ages of 6 and 12 will discover the art of curation by crafting a collection of items, mirroring the work of museum professionals, said Olsen-Menon, characterizing the event as a “wonderful chance for little ones to get excited about the preservation of their local history.”
Every child will leave with their freshly curated collection. Spots are limited to only 10 kids. Tickets are $5 per person. Each child must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Tickets for all events can be purchased online at www.vacavillemuseum.org, in person during regular museum gallery hours, or by calling during office hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, telephone (707) 447-4513.