As an expatriate in Holland, Germany, and Paris and back in the United States, every time Gari Melchers pulled up stakes he was compelled to find a new studio to work in. First considerations were always given to light —and not just any light—northern …

Whenever American artist Gari Melchers (1860-1932) found something he thought especially aesthetically pleasing, he tended to incorporate it in his work over and over again. Whether a favorite patterned cape, a particular dress, or a special chair or v …

Although our site is currently closed during the COVID-19 crisis, our garden manager, Jody Wilken, shares what’s blooming in our spring garden. ‘Yoshino’ Cherry Trees’Yoshino’ close up’Wallflower”Poet Daffodill’Loads of Daffys’Money Plant”English Pri …

We have recently turned our traditional historic house tour on its ear.  The standard 30-minute, guided docent monologue has been torn apart and put back together in a whole new way.  One of the best preserved artist homes and working studios …

Sitting in a doctor’s office a few years ago, I picked up an old copy of Neurology Now and read an article that intrigued me as a museum educator.  The author described a new tour, Meet Me at MoMA, introduced by the Museum of Modern Art 2006 to sp …

Gari Melchers Home and Studio docent Murray Corliss contributed to this post. This life cast, or three-dimensional plaster cast made from a mold of a living body, is placed high on a Dutch cabinet in Gari Melchers’ Falmouth studio quietly watching over …

Our guests often ask if the unusual pink wall color in the studio’s gallery rooms is original to Gari Melchers’ time. The answer is no. The color was chosen about a decade ago by the architects who worked on the studio’s renovation. They felt it would …

An article that appears in the most recent issue of the White House History Quarterly takes a deep dive into 1909 when Charles Lang Freer commissioned American artist Gari Melchers to paint President Theodore Roosevelt’s portrait.  The author does a ni …

Sometimes just slowing down in our fast-paced world can make a considerable difference.  Taking the time to sit down and focus on a single painting in a gallery full of art can help students make considered, thoughtful, and detailed observations. …

Keeping historic house tours engaging for visitors can be a challenge, especially children’s tours. The traditional “Listen, don’t touch” guided tour is simply not appealing to youth in today’s digital world.  The authors of the ground-breaking manifes …