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(re)educate

This theatrical performance explores the agency of free and enslaved students of the Williamsburg Bray School and the legacies of their lessons.

A Public Audience with the 1st First Lady, Martha Washington

Join Mrs. Washington as she speaks about being the first President’s wife and the expectations placed upon her while the new Nation watches on.

A Taste of Freedom

This performance tells the story of Americus Weston’s journey to freedom during the Civil War, developed to commemorate Juneteenth.

An Evening with the Presidents

Join George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison for a discussion of their experiences as president. Hosted by Alvin D. Hall.

Art Museums Members: English Portraits

Art Museum Members are invited to join us for a private tour of our exhibition of English portraits with Kate Rogers, assistant curator of paintings, drawings, and sculpture.

Art Museums Members: Promoting America

Private tour for Art Museum Members of "Promoting America" with Katie McKinney, The Margaret Beck Pritchard Associate Curator of Maps and Prints.

Art Museums Members: Stitched in Time

Art Museum Members are invited to join us for a private tour of the exhibition Stitched in Time with Kim Ivey, senior curator of textiles.

Backstory

During this guided tour, explore the hidden stories behind the objects on display in our museums.

Clothing Enslaved People in Colonial Virginia

This lecture will explore some of the complex relationships between apparel, labor, identity, and enslavement.

DIY Craft: Inspired by the Collection

Celebrate National Craft Month at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.

DIY Craft: Jane Austen

Explore objects on exhibit through the works of Jane Austen, then make an inspired bookmark to take home.

DIY Craft: Quilting

Join us at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg and learn about the quilt and the maker, then enjoy a mini quilting project.

Disaster Strikes! The Cost of Dressing in 1769

While using a 1769-70 merchant's account book, the milliners and mantua-makers demonstrate the layers of a woman's everyday outfit and discuss the other pieces of her wardrobe.

Domestic Diversions

Listen to musical pieces best suited for the intimate settings of an 18th-century home on the organized piano in the Leckie Gallery.

Evening Program: Almost Past Service

Join Mrs. Washington as she seeks advice from her enslaved woman, Doll, about the great decision ahead and the change it will bring to the entire family.

From Freedom to Slavery

After making a free life for herself as an adopted Shawnee Indian, Methotaskee is brought back into slavery.

From the Ashes

As the ashes settle on Washington D.C., James and Dolley Madison struggle to find a path forward.

God is My Rock

Gowan Pamphlet, an enslaved man and popular local preacher, offers his perspective on slavery, religion, and freedom.

Good Stories about Great Stuff

Discover who created the object, who owned it, and how it ended up in our collection. A curator, educator, or conservator will examine an object each week.

How Did They Survive?

Join Ayinde Martin, Journeyman Carpenter, to discuss enslaved people in colonial Virginia and their survival techniques and skills.

Loquacious Lucy, Queen for a Day

When Lucy, a loquacious enslaved child, learns that her friend has been sold, her father must teach her hard lessons about slavery and instill in her the pride of her ancestors.

Museum Discoveries: Crafting the Collection

Drop by the Education Studio and create a work of art inspired by an object on exhibit.

Museum Discoveries: The Public Hospital of 1773

Visit the Public Hospital of 1773 for a discussion about 18th-century mental health and the history of the reconstructed mental hospital.

Music: Art Museums

Enjoy music that has come from distant shores to become our music.

Music: Phillis Wheatley and the Music of Freedom

Join the Governor’s Musick in a musical exploration of the paradox of freedom as seen through the poetry of Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved person and well-known poet.

Nation Builders Discuss the Rights of Women

Join two Nation Builders to discuss how they viewed and debated the rights of women.

Performance: A New Republic

This series of museum theater programs relate to the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and democracy.

Performance: Revolutionary Acts

This series of museum theater programs relate to the experience and meaning of the Revolution for the 18th-century Williamsburg community.

Phillis Wheatley and the Music of Freedom

Join the Governor’s Musick in a musical exploration of the paradox of freedom as seen through the poetry of Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved person and well-known poet.

Pictures of West Africa

Join Harold Caldwell, apprentice carpenter, as he shares a pictorial of the connected 18th-century African and Virginian history, while tying it to a modern understanding.

Pop-Up Archaeology!

Stop by the Art Museums for a special pop-up exhibition of artifacts from Custis Square, First Baptist Church, and Powder Magazine archaeology sites!

Presentation: 250 Years of Eastern State Hospital

Join us for a discussion about 18th-century mental health treatments and the history of the reconstructed mental hospital.

Presentation: Excavation to Programming

Join a Nation Builder and a Colonial Williamsburg Archaeologist as they discuss important sites in Williamsburg from the 18th century to today.

Presentation: Good Stories about Great Stuff Kids

Calling all KIDS! Join us as we explore stories about objects chosen just for YOU!

Presentation: Historic Trades Talk

Join our experts from the Governor’s Musick ensemble or Historic Trade shops as they share their research with you.

Public Hospital Visit

Tour the reconstructed Public Hospital of 1773 and chat with a historian about Mental Health Care in the 18th century.

She Had on When She Went Away

Explore the material culture and lives of self-liberated Black women in the 18th century and the society they inhabited.

The Art of Politics and Dining

Join Mrs. Washington as she discusses the art of dining and how influential a woman could be in a man’s world.

The Art of the Stuff Maker

Discover the popular fashions and typical construction techniques of late 18-century women's shoes that made women’s shoemaking a separate branch of the trade.

The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret

Join Mrs. Washington in December of 1799 as she comes to terms with the General’s Last Will and Testament, and hear from George Washington on his evolution on slavery.

Thomas Jefferson and John Hemings: A Collaboration

During this lecture explore how after his retirement, Jefferson returned to Monticello, where he relied on John Hemings, an enslaved woodworker, to build and decorate Monticello.

To Purchase a Likely Man

Join Colonel and Mrs. Washington as they discuss the intricacies and complexities of purchasing a pair of enslaved brothers.

Tour: Art Museums Overview

Join us on a 20-minute guided tour and enjoy some Museum favorites at a glance.