Holiday displays give extra sparkles at Woodmere Art Museum
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Woodmere Art Museum offers a unique holiday display with extra sparkle.
Nestled in Chestnut Hill is a small museum that's known for showcasing the spirit of Philadelphia's art scene, but around the holidays the spirit of Christmas sparkles inside Woodmere.
"Woodmere was originally someone's home so I think that during the holidays we want you to feel like we're embracing you and welcoming you at this special family togetherness moment."
Each exhibit will have you caught in a moment of awe. Just take a look down the hallway at Winters at Wanamaker's.
Where director and CEO William Valerie explains the spark of inspiration behind the illustrations from the designer of Wanamaker's iconic holiday displays.
"These Pastels by Jon Winters are the actual plans for holiday transformation of the experience of shopping and of course, every city around the world has holiday displays but it started right here in Philadelphia," Valerie said. "This is art this was something that hadn't been done before."
In another room of the museum, a twinkle will catch your eye from a tree trimmed in sparkle.
"Some of these are from my personal collection and there from my childhood like this pink beetle here," Jeanette Turnbull said.
One of Woodmere's neighbors Jeanette Turnbull took a print, gave it pop, and now it's the Woodmere Christmas tree. While unconventional it surely shines.
"It is such a different representation of a Christmas tree so you want to ponder it and if you're really into the jewels you want to look and see what everything is," Turnbull said.
And still to be discovered is a dollhouse replica of a Germantown home and other pieces of Germantown's history that tell the tales of this season.
"In Germany, in the 19th century Belsnickel was a peddler who would come around the holidays, and instead of normal things he would go around selling he would bring toys for children," Valerie said. " An immigrant family brought him with them from their home in Germany sometime in the middle decades of the 19th century and this is the character from whom the idea of modern Santa Claus developed."
William Valerie left a final thought for the holidays with the exhibits.
"The holidays are a time of creativity and that's Woodmere's and any art museum's contribution to the season is to tap into the creativity that goes into all things holiday," Valerie said.