Morse Museum Archives - On the Go in MCO

Morse Museum Celebrates Spring

A new exhibition, Friday nights with live music, a film series, and more signal the arrival of spring at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art.

Lamps and Lighting—Tiffany and His Contemporaries, the newest exhibit, showcases Tiffany’s innovative lighting alongside recent acquisitions which illustrate the creative process of lamp production.

For eight consecutive Fridays from March 10 through April 28, the Morse presents Spring Friday Nights with free admission starting at 4 p.m. and various musicians enhancing the gallery experience from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Orlando Violin Music will begin the series with cello, viola, and violin on March 10.

Celebratory events offer free admission, including the entire Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival weekend, Friday, March 17, through Sunday, March 19. Beautiful Music Woodwind Ensemble will play live music in the galleries on Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Additionally, as is tradition, free admission is offered on Easter weekend, Friday, April 7, through Sunday, April 9. Classical guitarist Joshua Englert will play live in the galleries on Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The two remaining talks in the free Wednesday Lecture Series on historic preservation take place on March 22, with Lisa A. Neely sharing her knowledge as King Ranch, Inc.’s archivist, and on April 19, with Met curator Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen discussing stained-glass treasures hidden at the historic Woodlawn Cemetery in New York City.

April kicks off the free Spring Friday Film Series on Vincent van Gogh (1853–90). Viewers will learn about the life of Van Gogh, beginning in his hometown of Zundert, Netherlands, and tracing his path to becoming an artist.

Spring at the Morse Museum

The complete list of the Morse’s free spring programs and events is as follows:

TUESDAY, MARCH 7
Exhibition Opens. 9:30 a.m. Lamps and Lighting—Tiffany and His Contemporaries.
A new exhibition of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s lamps alongside recent acquisitions illustrating works by artists and artisans in the creative process of lamp production.

FRIDAY, MARCH 10
Live Music. 5 p.m.–8 p.m.
Orlando Violin Music (cello, viola, and violin).

FRIDAY, MARCH 17

Live Music. 5 p.m.–8 p.m.
Beautiful Music Woodwind Ensemble (cello, clarinet, flugelhorn, flute, and oboe).

FRIDAY, MARCH 17–SUNDAY, MARCH 19
Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival Celebration. Friday, 9:30 a.m.–8 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.–4 p.m.

Free admission throughout the weekend.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22
Lecture. 2:30 p.m. (doors open at 2 p.m.) “Henrietta King’s 100+ Year Legacy: The Main House.”

Lisa A. Neely, archivist of King Ranch, Inc. will discuss the legacy of the Texas ranch’s Main House. Jeannette G. and Hugh F. McKean Pavilion, 161 West Canton Avenue (just behind the Museum). Free.

FRIDAY, MARCH 24
Live Music. 5 p.m.–8 p.m.

Celtic Crossings Harp Trio (Celtic harp, flute, and violin).

FRIDAY, MARCH 31

Live Music. 5 p.m.–8 p.m.
Beautiful Music Romance Duo (flute and guitar).

FRIDAY, APRIL 7

Friday Film Series. Noon (doors open at 11:30 a.m.). Vincent: The Full Story—Episode 1 (48 minutes).

Learn about the life of Vincent van Gogh (1853–90). The series begins in Van Gogh’s hometown of Zundert, Netherlands, traces his path to becoming an artist, and describes his evolution as an artist. Jeannette G. and Hugh F. McKean Pavilion, 161 West Canton Avenue (just behind the Museum). Free.

FRIDAY, APRIL 7

Live Music. 5 p.m.–8 p.m.
Joshua Englert (classical guitar).

FRIDAY, APRIL 7–SUNDAY, APRIL 9
Easter Weekend Celebration. Friday, 9:30 a.m.–8 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.–4 p.m.

Free admission throughout the weekend.

FRIDAY, APRIL 14

Friday Film Series. Noon (doors open at 11:30 a.m.). Vincent: The Full Story—Episode 2 (49 minutes).

FRIDAY, APRIL 14
Live Music. 5 p.m.–8 p.m.

Orlando Violin Music (violins).

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19
Lecture. 2:30 p.m. (doors open at 2 p.m.) “Hidden Treasures: Tiffany Windows at Woodlawn Cemetery.”

Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, Anthony W. and Lulu C. Wang Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will discuss stained-glass treasures hidden at the historic Woodlawn Cemetery in New York City. Jeannette G. and Hugh F. McKean Pavilion, 161 West Canton Avenue (just behind the Museum). Free.

FRIDAY, APRIL 21

Friday Film Series. Noon (doors open at 11:30 a.m.). Vincent: The Full Story—Episode 3 (49 minutes).

FRIDAY, APRIL 21

Live Music. 5 p.m.–8 p.m.

Victoria Schultz Harp Trio (cello, flute, and harp).

FRIDAY, APRIL 28

Live Music. 5 p.m.–8 p.m.

Beautiful Music Paint It Black Quartet (cello, flute, viola, and violin).

The Morse Museum hours from November through April are 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, and l p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Regular admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $1 for students, and free for children under 12. All visitors receive free admission from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays, November through April.

For more information, please visit morsemuseum.org.

Morse Museum Easter Weekend Celebration

Morse Museum Story of the Cross — Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Story of the Cross leaded-glass window, c. 1892, from his famed 1893 chapel interior.

As is traditional each spring, The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art will offer free admission throughout the three-day Easter weekend.

The Morse Museum’s Easter Weekend Celebration begins on Friday, April 15, with free admission from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. as well as music by classical guitarist Joshua Englert from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is also free Saturday, April 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, April 17, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Morse Museum is home to the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by American artist and designer Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933). Tiffany is renowned for his innovations in glass. In the galleries, visitors may walk among Tiffany creations featuring the flowers of spring: tall white lilies, sunny yellow daffodils, and showy pink tulips. The Chapel designed by Tiffany for the 1893 world’s fair in Chicago is always a highlight of a visit to the Morse and the Easter holiday.

The free Easter weekend is also a chance to see the Museum’s newest exhibition The Stebbins Collection: A Gift for the Morse Museum. Seventy paintings, works on paper, and sculptures from the once private Stebbins collection are on view for the first time.

Jeannette Genius McKean (1909–89), Charles Hosmer Morse’s granddaughter, founded the Museum in 1942. She and her husband, Hugh F. McKean (1908–95), the Museum’s director until his death, built the Morse collection over a period of fifty years. The Easter Weekend Celebration continues a tradition they established more than thirty years ago.

The Museum is owned and operated by the Charles Hosmer Morse Foundation and receives additional support from the Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation. It receives no public funds.

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Morse Museum Announces Holiday Offerings

Morse Mueseum madonna and child — Madonna and Child, c. 1890, from Tiffany Glass Company

For this year’s holiday season, the Morse Museum has adjusted its holiday offerings to include free admission Fridays, family content uploaded to its “Create and Explore” webpage, and a three-day holiday celebration. At present, and planned through December, public Museum and Museum Shop hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The Morse remains closed on Sundays. Advance appointments are required to visit the Museum, and new visitor guidelines have been implemented.

For four consecutive Fridays during the holidays (November 27 through December 18), appointments to visit the Museum will be free. Appointments must be made in advance and are available, space permitting, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays.

Online on the Museum’s “Create and Explore” page, new family content will be launched on Wednesday, November 25. The online activities will center around the Museum’s acquisition of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s fireplace hood, which will be installed in October.

From Tuesday, December 22 through Thursday, December 24, appointments to visit the Museum will be free. From noon to 3 p.m., live music in the galleries will enhance and uplift the visitor experience during this special three-day holiday celebration. Appointment times are available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on all three days, and space is limited.

Please note that on-site lectures, art demonstrations, Museum tours, and other in-person programs as well as social events are canceled or postponed until further notice.

The Morse Museum houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany. These works include the chapel interior he designed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago as well as surviving art and architectural elements from Laurelton Hall, his grand Long Island estate.

On view now, the exhibit Rare and Remarkable—Art Pottery of Louis Comfort Tiffany is completely drawn from the Morse Museum’s collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s pottery, the largest public collection in the world. Telling a deeper story of ceramics in America during the early 1900s, the Tiffany pottery show is augmented by the Museum’s major exhibition Earth into Art—The Flowering of American Art Pottery, which provides the context of the turn-of-the-century American art pottery craze.

The Morse Museum is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. All visits are by appointment only. Appointments may be made online by visiting the Museum’s “Plan Your Visit” page or by calling (407) 644-1429. Regular admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $1 for students, and free for children under 12. More information may be found on the Museum’s website, morsemuseum.org.

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Morse Museum Reopening July 8

The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art will reopen to the public on Wednesday, July 8. Public Museum and Museum Shop hours, however, have been temporarily restricted to 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. At this time, the Morse will remain closed on Sundays. The Museum has been temporarily closed since March due to the coronavirus. New guidelines for visiting the Museum have been implemented to ensure a safe reopening.

To reduce direct personal contact, and to maintain recommended physical distancing, the Morse Museum has developed an appointment system for visitors to reserve a time slot prior to their visit.

All those planning to visit the Museum are asked to make an appointment in advance of their visit. The last available appointment is at 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Beginning July 8, appointments may be made by visiting morsemuseum.org/plan-your-visit or by calling (407) 644-1429 during operating hours.

For the safety of both visitors and staff, the Morse has instituted new guidelines:

If you feel at all unwell, please postpone your visit and contact the Museum to arrange a new appointment time.
Please wear a face covering during your visit. Masks are available at the Visitor Services desk.
Please do not touch anything in the Museum except the object guides available in each gallery.
Please maintain a social distance of at least six feet (preferably ten feet) from others throughout your visit.
Please sanitize your hands at the sanitizing stations in the lobby and just before leaving the galleries to enter the Museum Shop.

The Morse has created these guidelines to ensure that everyone is as safe as possible and to comply with local and state health recommendations.

For all those who would like to continue to visit the Museum virtually from home, the Morse offers many opportunities. The Morse Museum’s website includes online activities, videos, and an audio tour.

Please note that all on-site lectures, music presentations, art demonstrations, and other in-person programs as well as social events are canceled or postponed until further notice.

The Morse Museum is home to the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by American designer and artist Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933), including the chapel interior he designed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and art and architectural objects from Tiffany’s celebrated Long Island home, Laurelton Hall. The Museum’s holdings also include American art pottery, late 19th- and early 20th-century American paintings, graphics, and decorative art.

Located at 445 N. Park Avenue, the Museum is owned and operated by the Charles Hosmer Morse Foundation and receives additional support from the Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation. It receives no public funds.

For more information call (407) 645-5311 or visit the museum’s website at morsemuseum.org.