INTRODUCTORY AREA
The first thing you see entering the Museum from the Atlantic Avenue side is a variety of antique and contemporary decoys along with pictures and information related to the wildfowling history of the Back Bay area. There is also a mural of the Atlantic Flyway, a diorama of Back Bay habitat and wildlife and an interactive computer that teaches you about our local wildfowl.
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MAIN GALLERY
The current exhibit in the main gallery is made exclusively of decoys from Canada. It is the first time the Museum has been able to assemble a large number of decoys by such well known carvers as: D.W. “Davey” Nichol, Reginald Bloom, Ken Anger, Orel LeBoeuf, Robert May and others. The exhibit is a very good representation mainly from the Ontario area that date from 1900 to the mid 1950’s. This truly outstanding display is a combination of collections of R. Larry Lambert, William M. Walsh, Jr., Joseph Pacini and Julie White. The decoys will be available for viewing through May 2012. In addition to the decoys, art work by Brett Smith, Eldridge Hardie, Rob Leslie and Chet Reneson highlight the gallery walls.
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CONTEMPORARY SECTION
The contemporary section is dedicated to the bronze sculptures of Dr. William Turner and David Turner of Turner Sculpture located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Among the fourteen bronze pieces on exhibit the premier piece is the award-winning life size Great Blue Heron, titled “Taking Flight”. Placed throughout the Museum are additional pieces, including a Bufflehead in flight, blue crab, Belted Kingfisher, otters and a wide variety of other pieces related to wildfowl art.
Make yourself comfortable in the area set up like a hunting lodge and chat awhile.
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CARVING ROOM
As you enter the carving room you will be greeted by one of our resident carvers. You will be able to watch him as he demonstrates his skills and he will explain his carving techniques while answering any questions you may have. Please check the “Carvers” button on the home page for information on each volunteer carver. If you happen to visit the Museum when a carver is not available you will still be able to tour the carving room while viewing examples of the phases the carvers go through to obtain their finished product.
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ART GALLERY
The art on display in our main art gallery represents another first for the Museum. Currently we have thirteen pieces of art by world-renowned artist Louis W. Schifferl. Lou was born in Chicago in 1931 and over the years his hunting and outdoor scenes have captured the true sentiment of the early wildfowlers. Whether black and white or color, each piece speaks for itself and tells the story of wildfowling at one moment in time.
Located on the second floor in a space that was not part of the original Cottage but added in 1917, you will be able to see art work of local and nationally known artists. In the center of the room is the de Witt’s original family dining room table.
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EDGAR T. BROWN VIRGINIA BEACH HISTORY EXHIBIT
The pictorial history of Virginia Beach, located on the second floor, contains photos, post cards and other memorabilia from the collection of the late Edgar T. Brown, the unofficial historian of Virginia Beach. This exhibit, which was expanded in 2006, has become very popular among our visitors. The main upstairs hallway, adjacent to the Edgar T. Brown exhibit, contains photographs of the de Witt family and a 1930’s era surfboard made by Peter, the youngest of the de Witt children.
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POINTS OF INTEREST OUTSIDE THE COTTAGE
BOATHOUSE & LIBRARY
In addition to the Cottage, the Museum also includes two outbuildings.... Virginia Beach's first library and the Museum boathouse. The library was moved to the Museum grounds in 2003 and contains vintage books and artifacts from the 1930-40 era when the library was active. Emily Johns was the first librarian. The boathouse is a new building that replaced an original building on-site during the time the de Witt's lived in the cottage. Today the building is used to conduct carving classes and provide visitors with a place to observe a carver and occasional artist demonstrating their skills.
SEASIDE GARDEN
The seaside garden is one of the most beautiful spots on the Virginia Beach oceanfront and contains nearly 50 flowers, scrubs and trees. It was designed and planted by the Princess Anne Garden Club. This garden was designed to flourish in a salt air environment and has been a regular stopping spot for the annual Virginia Historic Garden Week.
WILDFOWL SCULPTURE
As visitors enter the grounds from Atlantic Avenue the first thing they encounter is the wildfowl sculpture of five Mallards. The bronze sculpture was designed by David Turner from Virginia’s Eastern Shore and it is a beautiful addition to the Cottage as well as the garden area. Commemorative plaques surround the base of the sculpture.
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