U.S. National Sporting Library Announces Planning of Museum of Sporting Art at Vine Hill, Virginia The Board of Directors of the National Sporting Library has announced plans to establish the Museum of Sporting Art at Vine Hill. Neighboring the Library, this museum will offer intellectually stimulating exhibitions that complement its mission in preserving and sharing the literature and art of horse and field sports. Sporting art - a genre which has existed for centuries in many cultures including the United States and Great Britain - has drawn increased attention from museums, scholars, and collectors in recent years. Vine Hill, a Federal brick structure built in 1804, served as the home of the National Sporting Library and The Chronicle of the Horse for forty years from 1959 until 1999. The Library acquired Vine Hill through the bequest of the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr., who served as Chairman of its Board of Directors until his death in 2005. Architect Hardee Johnston of Scottsville, Va. has provided a feasibility study to convert Vine Hill into a museum of fine art. Plans call for the construction of a new entrance hall and increased exhibition space. A capital campaign is underway to raise funds for construction and an ongoing operating endowment. Construction is planned to commence in 2009 with the opening of the new building slated for late 2010. The new Museum of Sporting Art at Vine Hill will be among the few museums of art in the world committed to the visual culture of horse and field sports. The museum 92s goal will be to raise awareness of the importance of sporting art in the development of regional, national, and international cultures over the last 400 years. The Board has named F. Turner Reuter, Jr. of Middleburg as Curator of Fine Arts and Ingrid Cartwright, Ph.D. of Remington, Va. as Curatorial Assistant. A carefully-planned exhibition program will present the finest examples of painting and sculpture relating to field sports accompanied by catalogues researched from the Library 92s comprehensive book and manuscript collections. The museum will not only exhibit important and dynamic works from its permanent holdings but also traveling and loan shows from other noted institutions including the Yale Center for the British Art in New Haven, Conn.; the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Va.; and the Sir Alfred Munnings Museum in Dedham, England. For more information on fundraising for the museum, contact Nancy Parsons, President and CEO at 540-687-6542. For general information, visit the Library 92s website at www.nsl.org. ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html