ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — A White House Christmas card collection is one of three special exhibitions that will greet visitors to The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University over the holiday season.
The Quick Center has also announced that it will light the giant Christmas tree in the museum atrium in a public event at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1.
Holiday exhibitions include “Christmas Greetings from the White House: An Exhibition of Art and History,” a collection of more than 30 Christmas cards dating back to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The exhibition includes the Christmas card sent by the Roosevelts in 1944 as well as cards chosen by subsequent first families right up through the Obamas.
The exhibition also features special gift prints given to White House staffers by former presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Clinton. Also included are additional works sent by artists who have designed cards, namely Kay Jackson, Ray Ellis, James Steinmeyer and Thomas McKnight.
The collection is augmented by a series of panels on the traditions surrounding Christmas at the White House, as well as those practiced by the American public from the Civil War through modern times.
The exhibition, housed in the Winifred Shortell Kenney Gallery on the museum’s second floor, closes Jan. 8, 2012.
Returning for its traditional holiday run at The Quick Center is the exhibition of crèches from around the world.
A crèche, or Nativity set, is a group of figurines representing the birth of Christ. It typically includes the holy family, angels, kings, shepherds, animals and often villagers and other characters in accordance with local customs.
The exhibition at the Quick Center includes créches ranging in style from elaborately detailed to refreshingly simple.
Because of the size of the Christmas card collection, however, the crèche exhibition had to be scaled back this year. About 25 crèches are on display. Additional crèches from the collection have been loaned out to area schools and churches for public display over the holidays.
Some of the youngest artists in the Olean area will also be featured in a special holiday exhibition. Winners of The Quick Center’s annual holiday art contest for students in grades kindergarten through fifth will have their works exhibited beginning Dec. 1.
The Quick Center will also hold its annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony on Dec. 1. Lights on the giant tree in the museum’s atrium will be turned on in the 11 a.m. event, which is open to the public.
All Quick Center galleries are free and open to the public. The Quick Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The Quick Center will be closed Nov. 23-25 in observation of the Thanksgiving holiday.
For more information, go to www.sbu.edu/quickcenter.
About the University: Inspired for more than 150 years by the Franciscan values of individual dignity, community inclusiveness, and service, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them.