All Museum Members are invited to the Montgomery Museum’s annual members meeting to be held on October 16 at 5:30 PM at our location at 4 East Main Street, Christiansburg, Virginia.

Tickets for the event are $20 and include one wine ticket, live music, and heavy hors d’oeuvres: pulled pork sliders, mini quiche, pimento cheese sandwiches, vegetable and fruit trays, and dessert.

Please RSVP for the annual meeting below. Kindly respond by Wednesday, October 8, 2025.

Join the Montgomery Museum in the morning for a Tai Chi Gung class! Gentle physical movements of this practice promote balance, flexibility, and stress reduction.

Join local artist, photographer, and Tai Chi Gung practitioner, Jean Galloway as she leads you through warm-ups and standing exercises in the museum lobby.

$5 for Museum Members

$10 for non-members

18+ participants only. Wear comfortable clothing!

Vibrant color takes center stage in Zach Brodie’s upcoming exhibit “Where Color Sleeps,” featuring macro photography.

Zack Brodie’s journey into macro photography began on a fateful day when his wife brought a coneflower into their home. Intrigued, he lit the flower with colored lights and captured its intricate details using a macro lens. The photograph showcased the remarkable detail that the naked eye often overlooks, complemented by the vibrant color artistry. This captivating work marked the beginning of the exhibit “Where Color Sleeps” at the Montgomery Museum of Art and History.

This exhibit will be on display starting September 9. The opening reception is on September 27 from 2 to 4 PM. Come enjoy some refreshments and meet the artist!

Struggling to take quality photos with your camera? Get help from a professional!

Join the Montgomery Museum’s “Understand Light and Take Better Photographs” workshop, presented by professional photographer Charlie Whitescarver of Whitescarver Photography, LLC.

Charlie’s photography career has spanned almost 50 years including instruction, film processing, professional photography, contributing to magazines and newspapers, and presentations at national conferences. This workshop covers the qualities of light and how cameras can take advantage of it.

This workshop will take place in the Montgomery Museum Community Room, which is currently not ADA accessible.

Join the Montgomery Museum in the morning for a Tai Chi Gung class! Gentle physical movements of this practice promote balance, flexibility, and stress reduction.

Join local artist, photographer, and Tai Chi Gung practitioner, Jean Galloway as she leads you through warm-ups and standing exercises in the museum lobby.

$5 for Museum Members

$10 for non-members

18+ participants only. Wear comfortable clothing!

With words and music, this program celebrates one of the most influential country music stars of the 1920s and 1930s – Vernon Dalhart.  Dalhart was the first artist to record a million-selling hit, the two-sided 78 RPM disc featuring “The Wreck Of The Old ‘97” and “The Prisoner’s Song.”  Both of those recordings are enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame, and Dalhart was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  He was a prolific artist by any standard, making over 4,000 recordings between 1916 and 1939. Dolly Parton, Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, and Mac Wiseman are just a few of the many artists who have covered songs first recorded by Vernon Dalhart. But despite his significant impact, Dalhart has been overlooked for decades.

Drawing on five years of extensive research, music historian Dr. Ted Olson shares the story of Dalhart’s diverse and influential recordings and discusses the reasons for his relative obscurity today. Multi-instrumentalist and singer Jack Hinshelwood provides the live soundtrack for the program, rendering faithful versions of Dalhart classics like “Wreck of the Old ’97,” “The Prisoner’s Song,” “Home On The Range,” “Jesse James,” “The Freight Wreck at Altoona,” “The Big Rock Candy Mountains,” and other traditional and original songs that formed the core of early country music.

This program will additionally be joined by special guest, old time music master Mac Traynham.

Tickets are $25 each.

Generously Sponsored By:

Mary Ann Hinshelwood

David Reemsnyder

Join the Montgomery Museum in the morning for a Tai Chi Gung class! Gentle physical movements of this practice promote balance, flexibility, and stress reduction.

Join local artist, photographer, and Tai Chi Gung practitioner, Jean Galloway as she leads you through warm-ups and standing exercises in the museum lobby.

$5 for Museum Members

$10 for non-members

18+ participants only. Wear comfortable clothing!

Come join the Montgomery Museum's upcoming history presentation, with presenter Daniel B. Thorp, a Virginia Tech Associate History Professor! He'll be talking about an extraordinary freedom suit that took place right here in Montgomery County - which you can learn more about in his newly published book "Seeking Justice: The Extraordinary Freedom Suits of an Enslaved Virginia Family."

Before the Civil War brought emancipation to the South, some enslaved people managed to use the legal system— the same one that had concocted and long perpetuated their bondage — to sue for their freedom from owners who unlawfully held them in slavery. Daniel Thorp will tell the story behind Unis v. Charlton’s Administrator, one of the most extensive freedom suits in all of American history. It began when a woman, known only as Flora, was born in Connecticut and sold into slavery in Virginia. Her children sued, and over more than thirty years, four cases involving almost fifty plaintiffs moved through the Virginia court system before finally reaching a conclusion in 1855.

Visit the museum and listen to this presentation - it will take place at 5 PM on Thursday, September 18. This talk is free and open to the public!

Join the Montgomery Museum in the morning for a Tai Chi Gung class! Gentle physical movements of this practice promote balance, flexibility, and stress reduction.

Join local artist, photographer, and Tai Chi Gung practitioner, Jean Galloway as she leads you through warm-ups and standing exercises in the museum lobby.

$5 for Museum Members

$10 for non-members

18+ participants only. Wear comfortable clothing!

Have you heard an autoharp before? If you like traditional Appalachian music, you've likely heard one and not realized it!

On Heritage Day, August 23rd at 1 PM, John and Kathie Hollandsworth will be offering a fascinating presentation on the history and production of the autoharp instrument. The autoharp was developed in Philadelphia in the 1880s, so it is somewhat unique as an American invention. Come learn about it’s history and see the various parts and tools used to create these instruments!

This presentation is free and open to the public! Come join the presentation in the Montgomery Museum's Community Room to celebrate traditional Appalachian music!

Have you ever wondered how musical instruments, like guitars, banjos, violins, and more are made?

If you have, you're in for at Heritage Day treat! On August 23rd at 11am, luthier Mike Mears will be giving a presentation at the Montgomery Museum on the history, design, and components of instruments that he creates. These musical instruments form the foundation basis for Appalachian music.

This presentation is free and open to the public. Come join the presentation in our Community Room and celebrate traditional music!

Join us for a journey back in time at Heritage Day 2025, sponsored by the Montgomery Museum of Art & History! Immerse yourself in the rich history of Christiansburg, VA, on August 23, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, in downtown Christiansburg, 4 E Main St. & 300 South Pepper St.

Step into the past with over 40 vendors showcasing crafts, artifacts, and more. Indulge your taste buds with a variety of delectable treats from food trucks while enjoying the delightful tunes of live music and dance throughout the day. Keep the little ones entertained with a hayride and specially curated activities just for them!

Dive into the stories of our town’s fascinating past through captivating art and history exhibits, and don’t miss the chance to bid on unique items at our silent auction. Visit the Montgomery Museum Gardens for a native plant sale and learn about our local agriculture.

Embrace the spirit of the 1800s by dressing up in period garb – highly encouraged for all participants! Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply looking for a day of fun, Heritage Day promises an unforgettable experience for everyone.

Save the date, invite your friends and family, and let’s make Heritage Day 2025 a celebration of our shared history and community spirit. See you there! #HeritageDay2025 #ChristiansburgHistory #MontgomeryMuseum

Heritage Day Live Performance Schedule:

Main Stage (at the intersection of Main & Roanoke St):

• 10:00 am - Mac Traynham

• 11:00 am - John & Kathie Hollandsworth

• 12:00 pm Ricky Cox & Willard Gayheart

• 1:00 pm - Mike Mitchell & Son

• 2:00 pm American Roots (Fred Benfield)

  Pepper St Gazebo (300 Pepper Street)

• 10:00 am - MJAM

• 11:00 am - Virginia Hollow (Carrie Hinkley)

• 2:00 pm - Ash Devine

Indoor Museum Presentations

11:00 -12:00 History, Design, and Components Luthier Presentation - Mike Mears

1:00 -2:00 History of the Autoharp - Kathie & John Hollandsworth

Silent Auction at the Museum

Come inside the Montgomery Museum to bid on some fantastic silent auction items! There are over 50+ items and baskets to choose from including gift cards, wine, books, children’s items and much more! Bidding closes at 2:30 pm.

Hayride

Take a free hayride between Main St. and Pepper St. to visit all the festivities. The hayride leaves from the courthouse every

10-15 minutes.

Food Trucks

Food Trucks on Roanoke Street: Bootleg BBQ, Wang Foods, Bolt Milling Co. Ice Cream

Food Truck at Pepper Street: Simple Fixins - hot dogs, hamburgers, sno cones, lemonade

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The Montgomery Museum of Art & History is pleased to announce the opening reception for the new Building Montgomery history exhibit and art theme show. These two exhibits celebrate local art and history, offering a rich representation of local cultural heritage, architectural history, and artistic talent.

Buildings do more than just provide shelter. The materials, building forms, and fashionable details can tell us much about the people who built and used them. The Building Montgomery history exhibit explores the changes in architectural styles and techniques over time while the art exhibit captures some of the examples around the county.

Featuring an exploration of buildings that remain standing today as well as a lost architecture section, this exhibit focuses on the development of the county through architectural styles. In addition, special features on the building companies and contractors in the county are included in the exhibit. The Montgomery Museum’s Executive Director, Sherry Wyatt has previously worked as an architectural historian and will be offering guided tours of the exhibit and answering questions about the architectural history of the county during the opening reception.

The history of Montgomery County is seen through architecture - and is further interpreted through the creation of artists. The Building Montgomery Theme Show features nine local artists, offering a glimpse into how they view the built environment around them. Artists exhibited include Judith Crowgey, Diamond Gabriel, Matt Gentry, Sue Hossack, Stacy Penven, Savannah Penven, Melissa Pilkington, Diane Relf, and Donald Sunshine. In addition several paintings from the Judy Ridinger collection featuring historical building in the area are included.

This exhibit and reception are generously sponsored by Nest Realty of the New River Valley. Join the Montgomery Museum for the reception of the Building Montgomery history exhibit and Building Montgomery Theme Show art exhibit on Thursday, July 17 from 5 - 7:00 PM! Refreshments will be served during this free event.

As our Give Local story for this year surrounds community service, this reception is also celebrating our wonderful volunteers. The museum itself depends heavily on volunteers to provide collection care and community programming - help us celebrate over 100 volunteers!

This reception serves as the exhibit reception for our new exhibit "Portraiture & Photograph: Changing Techniques & Technology," which examines the tradition and cultural phenomenon of portraiture - what it meant to the sitters, the technological processes, and how portraits were perceived by society. Using early daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, crayon enlargement photographs, film, and instant cameras, this exhibit tracks portraiture from the 1840s to present day. The portraits themselves feature individuals from the local area, providing a close tie to the cultural heritage of Montgomery County.

Help us also reach our fundraising goal of $61,240 - which will help support and grow out exhibits, collection, and community programming.

After you add your Paint Night Registration to your cart, scroll to the top of the page and select the shopping cart icon in the upper right corner to go to the checkout page. We look forward to seeing you!

In a rich celebration of local history and art, the Montgomery Museum is hosting two exhibits: Portraits of the Blues developed in collaboration with the New River Blues Society and the traveling exhibit Shining a Light on Christiansburg Institute from Christiansburg Institute, Inc. The museum is pleased to share these two special exhibits with the community.

Join us at the reception for Portraits of the Blues and Christiansburg Institute’s Shining a Light traveling exhibit on Thursday, March 27 from 5 - 7:00 PM! Food and refreshments will be served. Live Blues music will be performed during the reception.

The Art of Happiness

The Montgomery Museum of Art and History is offering self-help coping tactics and strategies by using art exhibits, materials, and spaces as helpful tools to address mental health issues. This interactive series entitled, “The Art of Happiness,” will focus on aspects of positive psychology and the role that art can play in general happiness and well-being. Now in its third year, this program series will be held at the Montgomery Museum once a month through January - March, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The museum will remain open late on these dates to allow participants the opportunity to see all the museum exhibits and spaces. Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged.

The goal of this program series is to highlight and raise awareness about mental health issues and accessibility in a non-traditional way while simultaneously offering unique methods and strategies to cope with things like stress, anxiety, and depression. Making space for art therapy in a museum or cultural center can have very profound effects as it relates to experiential self-help.

Two years ago, the museum garnered state-wide attention when it was awarded the 2023 Innovation Award by the Virginia Association of Museums. The museum was given this prestigious award for the Art of Happiness based on its merit as a new program series that created positive change in the community through innovation and creativity.

The sessions will be led and facilitated by Shelby Wynn, a registered art therapist and licensed professional counselor. “I am very excited to be partnering with the Montgomery Museum for the next few months,” Wynn said. “Art is such an integral part of mental health – be it fine art, movement, or music – and it is inspiring to have an organization such as the museum find it important to bridge the gap in mental health awareness. I am honored to be a part of something so innovative.”

All materials will be provided by the museum and no art experience is required. The series is designed to be a free community-building, self-help experience rather than an outpatient group patient therapy session. To register for the Art of Happiness sessions, click the button below.