Handmade ornaments made by the Society of Decorative Painters
On December 5 members of the public attended the Renwick Holiday Festival to decorate their own ornaments and enjoy festive carols by the Smithsonian Encore Chorale.
This year the Smithsonian American Art Museum is displaying a decorated holiday tree at its Renwick Gallery, the museum’s branch for contemporary craft and decorative arts. The 15-foot, 1,000-pound, bulbed Douglas fir was provided and installed by the friendly folks at the Smithsonian’s Horticulture Services Division and the Office of Facilities Management. It is festively adorned with more than 500 handcrafted ornaments made specifically for the tree by members of the Society of Decorative Painters, who range in age from 6 to 80 years old. The ornaments, each inspired by one of the paintings currently on display in the Renwick Gallery’s Grand Salon, were donated by the Society for display on the tree; however they will not be accepted into the museum’s collection. We invite you to come see the tree, on display through January 3. And you can view photos anytime on the museum’s Flickr page!
