A ‘Holiday Jewel Box at a County Gem: Quilts, Silver and Jade at the Taber’ will be the theme of this year’s holiday display at the Thomas T. Taber Museum of the Lycoming County Historical Society. The exhibit will open on Friday, December 4 with an evening preview from 6:00-7:00 pm for members and for the public from 7-8:30pm. The Community Room of the museum will shine and sparkle with the shimmering beauty of silver, the exotic splendor of jade, and the remarkably intricate blending of fabric and lace in Wendy Etzel’s award-winning quilts. The quilts feature depictions of some of the homes on Millionaires’ Row as well as quilts that embrace the Christmas and winter celebrations, many of them incorporating the traditional colors of red and green.

Wendy Etzel was captivated by the wonderful old mansions that dominated the area. An afternoon quilting class ignited the spark that has guided Wendy these past 45 years. As a professional quilting teacher she has conducted classes across the USA, and has crossed the borders into Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1994 her first book, Houses of Cloth, featuring several of Williamsport’s historic homes was chosen as the best new book at the Houston Quilt Market. Continuing as an author with a love of architecture, Log by Log featured primitive, folk-like log cabins that were a featured episode on HGTV. Fabric furniture with shelves became the focus in The Collectibles Quilt and lastly The Kite Revue, a return to more traditional design. The quilts will be enhanced with a stunning collection of silver and jade from the Eccles Hall Collection.

The silver will include a sugar sifter in its original presentation box and with documentation that it once belonged to Queen Victoria, English hallmarked hot water urns which are fully two foot tall, four-armed candelabrum, an example of Egyptian silver depicting desert life with a Palm Tree and camel, a silver depiction of ‘The Thinker’ by Rodin, teapots and a number of exotic serving pieces. The silver on display will feature objets from the United States, England, Scotland, Mexico, Egypt and Russia. The jade will feature the traditional green jade, but also examples of white, Peach Blossom, and Muttonfat jade. The exhibit will continue until Saturday, January 16.

In concert with the exhibit, the Third Annual Ornament Sale will be held. The ornaments will be made by some of the most talented artists in our area- a number returning for the third year in a row. Deb Parsons (lampworked glass) has graciously agreed to coordinate the effort and will be participating along with Mickey Mapstone (birds), Catheal Weiser (Ukrainian eggs), Tammy Daneker (fiber arts), Mike Swanger (blown glass), Jackie Thomas (felted ornaments), Linda Campbell (pottery), Sara Kiehl (calligraphy), Nadine Sapiente (stained glass) and our featured artist Meg Smith (gemstones).

Meg is a Williamsport native, with a local heritage that spans generations. Her mother and grandfather were also artists. In addition to being a prominent business owner in town, her grandfather also worked in lapidary and jewelry design. Meg was inspired for this year’s ornament by the silver and jade featured in the exhibit.

In addition to their beautiful ornaments, a number of the artists will have ‘mini pop-up galleries’ of their other creative works including jewelry, sculpture, handbags, pottery, and fiber wearables. In this difficult year, this may be the only show in which the artists will participate and so, we ask you to consider supporting these local artists by coming and considering for purchase examples of their artistry for holiday gifts (or, of course, for yourself!)!

Light refreshments will be served, with face masks required. Social distancing is strongly urged. Ample parking is to be found behind the museum or on the street. Pre-registration is requested. For further information, please call the museum at 570-326-3326.