Brandywine River Museum – ChaddsFordLive.com

Brandywine Museum Opens First Solo Show for Baltimore Painter Jerrell Gibbs

Gibbs-For-Thomas_CMYK — Brandywine Museum Opens First Solo Show for Baltimore Painter Jerrell Gibbs

CHADDS FORD, Pa. (Sept 29, 2025) — The Brandywine Museum of Art will open a powerful new exhibition this fall spotlighting Baltimore painter Jerrell Gibbs, whose vivid, large-scale portraits celebrate the beauty and dignity of everyday Black life.

“Jerrell Gibbs: No Solace in the Shade” will run Sept. 28, 2025, through March 1, 2026, marking both Gibbs’ first solo museum exhibition and the Brandywine’s first solo presentation of an emerging contemporary artist. The show features 30 paintings from U.S. and European collections, along with the museum’s recent acquisition of a major Gibbs work.

Gibbs, 37, transforms family moments and neighborhood gatherings into monumental scenes of identity and belonging. His subjects—often drawn from personal memories, old photographs or found scrapbooks—are portrayed in relaxed, joyful settings that challenge stereotypical depictions of Black life. Works such as The Electric Slide (2024) capture backyard dance parties, while Man with Lilacs (2021) presents quiet reflection amid flowering trees.

“Jerrell is a painter of astonishing creativity and a storyteller who crafts a world of timeless themes,” said Thomas Padon, the museum’s James H. Duff Director. “His vigorous, dazzling brushwork is paired with highly personal imagery where ordinary moments become elemental.”

Guest curator Angela N. Carroll called the exhibition a celebration of “the power of human connection, the quiet dignity of everyday life, and the beauty of family.” The show will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, co-published by Rizzoli Electa and the Brandywine, featuring essays, artist interviews, and photographs of Gibbs’ process.

Exhibition-Related Programs and Events

The Brandywine Museum will host a series of special programs to complement the exhibition:

Free First Sunday for Families – Oct. 5, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Free admission and creative art activities, plus performances by West Powelton’s Step Team and Drum Line.
Free First Sunday: Community Conversation – Oct. 5, 2:30–3:30 p.m.
A facilitated discussion about what it means to be an American artist.
Children’s Read-Aloud Tour – Oct. 9, 10:30–11:30 a.m.
A reading of Layla’s Happiness, followed by an interactive tour and take-home craft.
Stroller Tour – Oct. 10, 10:30–11:30 a.m.
A relaxed, guided tour for adults with babies.
Art Chats: No Solace in the Shade – Oct. 15, 22, 29 (11 a.m.–12 p.m.) and Oct. 17, 24, 31 (1–2 p.m.)
Lively, facilitated discussions with a close look at Gibbs’s paintings.
Free First Sunday: Community Conversation – Nov. 2, 2:30–3:30 p.m.
Free admission all day followed by a discussion on building tolerance through conversation.
Artist Talk & Book Signing: Jerrell Gibbs – Nov. 6, 2–4 p.m.
Gibbs joins Brandywine Associate Curator Kerry Bickford to reflect on his artistic practice, followed by a catalogue signing.

Major support for the exhibition is provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional backing from the William Penn Foundation, PNC Arts Alive, and Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown.

The Brandywine Museum of Art, housed in a 19th-century mill overlooking the Brandywine Creek, is located on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford. Admission, hours, and tour information are available at brandywine.org/museum or by calling 610-388-2700.

About the Museum:

The Brandywine Museum of Art, located in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, is a nationally recognized institution dedicated to American art with a special emphasis on the Brandywine region and the Wyeth family legacy. Housed in a converted 19th-century gristmill overlooking the Brandywine River, the museum blends rustic charm with modern design. Its permanent collection features works by three generations of Wyeths—N.C., Andrew, and Jamie—alongside notable artists such as Howard Pyle and other illustrators and painters tied to the region. The museum is known for its seasonal exhibitions, including the beloved Brandywine Railroad holiday display, and for offering guided tours of historic artist studios like the N.C. Wyeth House and Studio, Andrew Wyeth Studio, and Kuerner Farm. These tours provide insight into the creative environments that shaped some of America’s most iconic artworks. The museum also hosts contemporary exhibitions, educational programs, and community events that deepen public engagement with the arts. With its scenic location, rich collections, and cultural programming, the Brandywine Museum of Art serves as a vital hub for art lovers and historians alike, preserving and celebrating the artistic heritage of the Brandywine Valley and beyond.

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River Museum changes name

Along the Ford

BRM-name-change-3682 — River Museum changes name

There is the age-old question: “What’s in a name?”

For the Brandywine River Museum it’s a matter of being properly known outside the local community. That’s the reason the museum is now called the Brandywine River Museum of Art.

Employees of the newly renamed Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art watch as the new sign is unveiled.

It also has a new tag line, “Presenting Wyeth and American Art.”

The name change was announced Friday, Feb. 7, when the double-sided sign on Route 1 in front of the museum was unveiled.

A large group of employees braved the chilly weather to watch the unveiling and to listen to Virginia Logan, the executive director of the Brandywine Conservancy, explain the rationale for the change.

The conservancy, too, has a slight name change. It’s now the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art, reflecting both sides of the organization’s mission.

Logan said people outside the region did not recognize the name Brandywine River Museum as an art museum, hence the need for the change.

Conservancy Chairman George A. "Frolic" Weymouth makes his entrance prior to the unveiling. — Conservancy Chairman George A. “Frolic” Weymouth makes his entrance prior to the unveiling.

“We know we have many loyal followers who know us well and love the Brandywine River Museum. But we also did an extensive study and reached out to people, including art patrons in a much broader market throughout the Mid-Atlantic region to find out what they knew about us. We were surprised to learn that, unless they knew us from some prior context, it wasn’t immediately obvious to them, from the name Brandywine River Museum, that we were, indeed, an art museum, let alone that we showcase three generations of masterpieces by Wyeth family artists.” Logan said.

Logan also noted some other highlights and projects. One is a network of trails linking more than 300 acres around the conservancy with historic properties that

surround it. Those trails will be open to the public.

On April 5, the conservancy will plant its 25,000^th tree in five years, but plans to double that by the conservancy’s 50^th anniversary in 2017.

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Pyle, Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth Featured in New Exhibit

Arts & Entertainment

NC Wyeths Washington — Pyle, Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth Featured in New Exhibit

A Date with Art:

The Business of Illustrated Calendars

January 25 – May 18, 2014 at the Brandywine River Museum

Howard Pyle, Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth–foremost illustrators in the first half of the 20th century–created some of their best-known images for advertising calendars. These hung in millions of homes, shops and offices, providing artists with an opportunity to disseminate their work to a much broader audience than that for books or magazines.

This exhibition introduces visitors to the once-thriving, lucrative business of illustrated calendars. From Parrish’s haunting work for General Electric’s Edison Mazda brand to Norman Rockwell’s iconic images for the Boy Scouts of America, calendar images contributed greatly to an artist’s popular reputation. Yet as these four artists reaped financial benefit and fame by creating art for calendars, the connection to commercial ventures at times undermined their critical reputations as artists. This exhibition, featuring work from public and private collections, will reveal the various ways in which these artists integrated calendar work into their careers, adapting to shifting views of contemporary art, illustration and business.

N.C. Wyeth’s America in the Making

January 25 – May 18, 2014

Images of inspirational and patriotic events in American history, from Coronado’s 16th-century expedition through the Southwest to Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address in 1865, will be on view in this exhibition.
The exhibition features 12 dramatic paintings created by the artist in the late 1930s for a popular advertising calendar, and shows Wyeth’s renowned mastery of stirring action and authentic detail. Props from the artist’s Chadds Ford studio, such as a life mask of Abraham Lincoln, a coonskin cap and a Kentucky rifle, will provide fascinating insight into how Wyeth created these paintings. Visitors will be encouraged to record a calendar image of their own that depicts an important event from American history.

The America in the Making paintings are on loan from the collection of the Brunnier Art Museum of Iowa State University in Ames. An illustrated catalogue from the Brunnier Art Museum will be available.

Pyle, Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth Featured in New Exhibit Read More »

A Brandywine Christmas opens November 29

Arts & Entertainment

Discover the renowned O-gauge model train display of more than 1,000 pieces with trains running on nearly 2,000 feet of track and a special tribute to Trains of Spain; dozens of rare antique dolls, dressed in beautiful period clothing; and thousands of whimsical Critters (ornaments and decorations handcrafted by Brandywine Conservancy volunteers from natural materials) displayed on towering trees soaring up through the museum’s three-story rotunda, all part of A Brandywine Christmas starting November 29 through January 5.

Events and programs will take place throughout the holiday season, from performances by area musicians and local school choirs to a special Polar Express pajama night. The museum will remain open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays in December, with holiday entertainment and programs. Special programs are also planned on Saturdays.

The annual Christmas exhibition of the Brandywine River Museum Railroad includes loco-
motives, passenger and freight trains, clockwork sets and trolleys that pass through a small town, a farm, factories and even a carnival.

Antique dolls from the museum’s collection will be on view in an enchanting new display that recreates the living room of the N.C. Wyeth House. The dolls were donated by the family of artist and composer Ann Wyeth McCoy (1915-2005) and are dressed in beautiful period clothing, some made by Mrs. McCoy from antique fabric. Visitors will also enjoy the return of Mrs. McCoy’s dollhouse. It features several dolls displayed in rooms filled with furniture, rugs and other accessories. There are also several miniature reproductions of paintings by N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth.

Critters – created from the environment – Trees throughout the museum will be adorned with Critter dogs, cats, angels, birds, flowers and more! Brandywine Critters come in dozens of shapes and sizes, from small, individual ornaments to large, tabletop decoration, all made by hand by volunteers. The annual Critter Sale takes place on Saturday, December 7 & Sunday, December 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Bring a doll or stuffed animal and enjoy a cookie – Children who bring their favorite “friend” to the museum for their visit to A Brandywine Christmas will receive a free cookie in our museum restaurant. It’s the perfect way to relax at the end of a visit and reminisce on a Christmas memory in the making.

The performances below are included with museum admission.

Music for the Holidays Back to Top

Mary Groce, harpist

Saturdays, November 30, December 14, 21, 28, and January 4, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Wilmington Handbell Ensemble

Thursday, December 5, 7:30 p.m.

Kennett Symphony Children’s Chorus

Saturday, December 7, 2 p.m.

Brotherly Love Choral Performance

Thursday, December 12, 7:30 p.m.

Pennsylvania Academy of Performing Arts Chamber Choir

December 14, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Brandywine Valley Chorale

Thursday, December 19, 7:30 p.m.

Rick Copes, pianist

Thursday, December 26, 5 to 7 p.m.

Holiday Performances by Area School Choirs Back to top

Pequea Valley High School Chorus

Tuesday, December 10, 10 a.m.

Wilmington Friends Kids Choir

Friday, December 13, 11 a.m.

The Tatnall School

Saturday, December 14, 3 p.m.

Interboro High School Singers and Concert Choir

Monday December 16, 10 a.m.

Interboro Middle School Chorus

Tuesday, December 17, 10 a.m.

Octorara Senior High School Chorus

Wednesday, December 18, 10 a.m.

Octorara Senior High School Chorus

Thursday, December 19, 10 a.m.

Festival Caroling

Sundays, December 1, 8, 15 and 22, 2 to 4 p.m.

Join international opera singer Peter Campbell, accompanied by pianist Laura Cilia, for caroling in the second floor lobby.

Meet Nutcracker Dancers

Dancers from the Brandywine Ballet

Saturday, November 30, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Dancers from the Pennsylvania Ballet

Thursday, December 5, 7 to 9 p.m.

Dancers from the Wilmington Ballet Academy of Dance

Saturday, December 7, 1 to 3 p.m.

Thursday Evenings in December Back to Top

The restaurant will be open until 7:30 p.m. (with a special entrée) and the museum shop will be open until 9 p.m.

Polar Express Read-Aloud Pajama Night

December 5, 7 – 8 p.m.

Children are invited to wear their pajamas as they delight in the tale of The Polar Express and enjoy hot chocolate and cookies. “Nutcracker” dancers from the Pennsylvania Ballet will greet from 7 – 9 p.m. $12 per adult and $8 per child; $6 for members, which includes museum admission. Tickets limited; reserve online or by calling the museum shop at 610-388-8326.

A Pirate Christmas Story

December 12 and 26, 6 p.m.

Listen to an amazing holiday tale of pirates on the night before Christmas in the museum’s first floor gallery. Suitable for all ages.

“Secrets of the Brandywine River Museum Railroad”

December 19, 6:30 p.m.

Steven Clarke, coordinator of model trains, will discuss the history of this popular holiday tradition.

Family Holiday Fun on Saturdays Back to top

“Nutcracker” Family Workshop

Saturday, November 30, 10 a.m.

Brandywine Ballet Company dancers will greet families as they tour the holiday doll exhibition and make ballerina themed crafts. $8 per child, $12 per adult; $6 for members includes museum admission. Tickets limited; reserve online or by calling the museum shop at 610-388-8326.

Toccata for Toy Trains

December 14 and 21, repeated showings of this 14-minute film from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This short film made by designers Charles and Ray Eames in 1957, with music by Elmer Bernstein, features antique toy trains on a journey through town and country.

Family Holiday Workshop

January 4, 10 a.m. – noon

Families will have fun playing “seek and find” in the museum’s train and doll displays and then creating train- and doll-themed crafts. All activities are free with museum admission.

Open until 9 p.m. on December 5, 12, 19 and 26

Open until 6 p.m. December 27 – 30
Special programs and activities throughout the holiday season

The Brandywine River Museum, located on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, is open daily (except Christmas Day) from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors ages 65 and over, $6 for children ages 6 and older and free for children 5 and younger and Brandywine Conservancy members. For more information, call 610-388-2700 or visit www.brandywinemuseum.org

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A Brandywine Christmas is made possible by Otto’s BMW. Additional support is provided by Herr Foods Inc., Lord & Taylor and The Frelinghuysen Foundation.

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Jamie Wyeth: on art and island

Arts & Entertainment

Jamie,-Amanda,-Tom-263 — Jamie Wyeth: on art and island

“There is a weirdness of the island, no electricity and primeval sunsets,” Wyeth told the audience at a sold out event at the Brandywine River Museum on Oct. 4.

The event was part of the “Jamie Wyeth, Rockwell Kent and Monhegan” exhibit that opened June 15. Museum Executive Director Thomas Padon moderated a dialog with exhibit curator Amanda C. Burdan and Jamie Wyeth about his work.

Wyeth described his work as a solitary endeavor. He contrasts his life to that of his grandfather, N.C. Wyeth. The elder Wyeth was known to entertain with grand dinner parties with such famous people as Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

Wyeth’s father Andrew led a quieter life more similar to his own. The contrast between the two artists is seen when visiting their two studios. N.C. Wyeth’s studio is big and bold with lots of props. Andrew Wyeth’s studio is understated with relatively plain walls.

Wyeth remembers painting in the next room to his father while the record player was blaring. The player was on his side so Andrew would come in to change records.

Now that both studios are open to the public, Wyeth was asked how he feels visiting them. Visiting Andrew Wyeth’s studio brings with it lots of emotion because that is where he grew up. Wyeth is glad for the public to have an opportunity to see the space with the hope that it might light a spark for a future artist.

Wyeth likes to paint from live subjects not from photographs. Portraiture presents a challenge to his desire to work alone. He made some sculptures of his subjects to help him extend the work beyond actual sittings. Some of these sculptures, including one of Andy Warhol, will be in the upcoming retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

Wyeth traced “going his own way” back to his home schooling that began around aged 12. Often alone, he roamed the farm and fields. When asked if he liked to travel, “I hate it. I want to paint trees that I know or that person’s nostril.”

Wyeth described his father’s paintings of Keurner’s Farm as a having a deep and mysterious quality. That depth came from “having walked those hills thousands of times. Legions of copyists miss that.”

Was Andrew Wyeth a good teacher? “Yes, by example.” We worked all day.

Was Carolyn Wyeth a good teacher? She was “flamboyant, visceral, down to earth.” Wyeth chose oil as his preferred medium because of seeing his aunt squeeze the tube of paint with gusto.

Unlike many artists who paint near the sea, many of Wyeth’s paintings in the current exhibit are with the artist’s back to the sea. Wyeth sees the houses as the embodiment of the people who build their lives on the rock of Monhegan.

In Wyeth’s paintings from his dreams, the artist does face the sea. He said the dreams came after his father’s death.

Burdan will be giving a talk entitled “Jamie Wyeth: Back to the Sea” about Wyeth’s choice of subjects on Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. at the museum. The museum is also showing a documentary film about Rockwell Kent on Oct. 12 at 1 p.m.

Although Wyeth and Kent never met, they share Monhegan Island Maine as inspiration for many of their works. On a personal connection, Wyeth lives and works the house that Kent built on the island during the months he spends in Maine.

A retrospective of Jamie Wyeth’s work has been in preparation for the last four years. The exhibit will open at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in 2014 and in Chadds Ford January of 2015.

When asked if he could think of another family dynasty in the arts, Wyeth suggested Flying Wallendas. The evening offered several occasions to chuckle while offering an inside view into the creativity of the Wyeth family

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Museum plans bringing art to nature

Local News

Tom-Padon-81 — Museum plans bringing art to nature

Trees, tree stumps and other physical elements of nature could become temporary works of art in the Chadds Ford area.

It’s not yet etched in stone, but the Brandywine River Museum is considering bringing art to its trails and other property along the Brandywine Creek.

Tom Padon, the new museum director, revealed the idea to members of the Chadds Ford Historical Society during the society’s annual membership meeting on April 28. He also announced several upcoming exhibits and that new exhibits will be on display for longer periods of time.

For-Paul — This is the type of work Tom Padon said the museum is considering. Ursula von Rydingsvard’s For Paul, 1990-92/2001. ©Ursula von Rydingsvard, courtesy Galerie Lelong, NY. From Storm King Art Center’s Web site.

The Art and Environment Project, if it comes to fruition, would bring together two sides of the Brandywine Conservancy, the museum and the Environmental Management Center. Padon said the idea focuses on property in and around the conservancy’s main campus area in Chadds Ford and Pennsbury and includes current and future trails.

One site specifically mentioned for such art is on the Pennsbury Township side of the creek across from the museum. Whatever might be placed there would become part of the view from the museum, he said.

Other areas considered for the artistic touch are current and future trails. There’s already a trail between the museum and the historical society and another trail — the Harvey Run Trail — is being developed between the museum and Turner’s Mill, the Chadds Ford Township municipal building.

There are no discussions underway with any artist, but Padon showed several images of that type of work from other places. Most showed natural materials such as trees, hay and even pollen combined with manmade materials, metal and canvas backdrops.

During his presentation, Padon also announced several new exhibits and events on the horizon.

Museum visitors who take the guided tour of the Kuerner Farm between May 13 and 24 will get an audio bonus. Kuerner Sounds, what the museum is calling a “pop up experience.” It’s by Philadelphia-based artist and composer Michael Kiley.

Visitors will be able to listen to farm sounds blended into Kiley’s original tones representing his personal aural response to the site.

Padon said the idea is to bring back the inspiration that the farm gave to Andy Wyeth who used the Ring Road site as both a focus and backdrop for many of his works.

There will also be a weathervane exhibit, Which Way the Wind Blows, premiering during the annual Antiques Show, which gets underway during the Memorial Day weekend. Padon said the exhibit shows whimsical forms of vanes in various shapes, feathers, pigs and a horse and carriage.

And Jamie Wyeth fans won’t have to wait too long for another Wyeth show. In June there will be a combined exhibit featuring paintings from the Monhegan Island in Maine by Jamie Wyeth and Rockwell Kent. According to Padon, Wyeth thinks Kent painted the island better than anyone else.

That exhibit will be up until the end of the year, Padon said, and most new exhibits will be up for at least four months.

Featured photo; Tom Padon addresses the Chadds Ford Historical Society during its annual membership meeting.

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