Fortunate Hunt Country patrons and supporters forgot the steamy July evening weather when they were recently invited for cocktails and a sneak preview of the National Sporting Library's new Museum.

The completely renovated and expanded Vine Hill evoked an extraordinary array of positive comment and compliment as guests ascended the limestone steps to enter the new wing. Crossing the airy opening gallery, they went up the sweeping spiral staircase to beautifully lit and appointed exhibit rooms on the second floor.

Designers and architects have created pristine new wing galleries, welcoming and elegant, that integrate seamlessly with the renovated wing where every historic fireplace mantle and wide-plank floor has been impeccably restored. Attention to detail has been visibly and pleasantly the watchword throughout.

"We are so proud of it," Board Chairman Manley Johnson said. "The National Sporting Library Board's decision to expand into the fine art field was made to help keep the history and legacy of America's great country life alive and well. We are immensely pleased to create this museum for our community."

In fact, the mission of the National Sporting Library and Museum, is to 'preserve and to share the art, literature and culture of horse and field sports.' Located on the Library's Middleburg, Virginia campus, the Museum will house a rapidly expanding permanent collection of fine paintings, sculpture and objets d'art.

Scheduled to open in the Autumn of 2011, visitors will be welcomed through the doors of the historic brick structure to view exhibitions in a delightfully inviting setting very reflective of the setting for which these works were originally commissioned.

According to NSLM Executive Director Rick Stoutamyer, the renovation and expansion of Vine Hill, the Federal Manor House that will be home to the Museum, is primarily finished although there are punch list items to be completed and tweaks to the lighting that are very much the purview of Curator F. Turner Reuter, Jr.

"Turner is doing a fabulous job," Rick emphasized. "His dedication and enthusiasm are unparalleled and focused."

Without question, everyone on the NSLM team, the board, the directors, the administrators and staff, deserve immense credit for envisioning, funding, planning and bringing into existence a truly exceptional new American institution.

Proof of the quality and caliber of their vision and commitment extends beyond the beautiful building to the opening exhibition, "Afield in America, 400 Years of Animal & Sporting Art, 1585-1985" that will debut October 11th, 2011.

Curator Reuter designed the opening exhibit to raise awareness of the importance of animal and sporting art as a reflection of American history and cultural life. To include over one hundred works of fine art, the exhibition evolves naturally from his highly regarded book, 'Animal and Sporting Artists in America,' which was published by the NSLM and is now being reprinted.

"I am very excited to be at the printers again this summer with the NSLM's newest publication, our opening exhibit catalogue, under production. I believe that animal and sporting art are inseparable," Reuter emphasized.

"The term 'afield,' is an adverb that is very useful in this exhibition for both its primary and its secondary definitions: The primary definition… In, or to the field… is very apt. And the secondary definition… Away from home or to or at a distance… is equally appropriate. Early in our country's history, animal and sporting artists were active practitioners of the field sports. They were afield to paint as often as they were to hunt, fish, ride and shoot. They were often working away from home and, frequently, were travelers or immigrants to this country, seeking both opportunity and inspiration in a new land.

"American born or otherwise, many were adventurers or explorers working afield, far beyond the confines of the academy or studio. Our inaugural exhibit will create a context in which visitors can learn about and begin to appreciate the work of these individuals."

Organized by theme, the exhibit will include these categories: Artist Naturalists & Explorers; Budding National Style; Equine; Hunting with Hounds; Livestock; Angling; Sporting Portraits; Pets; Trompe l'Oeil and Still Life; Shooting; the West; and Wildlife.

According to Reuter, the 150 paintings and sculpture shown within these categories will help illustrate how American animal and sporting artists have developed a unique national style reflective of our people, the rich variety of our wildlife and the breadth of our national landscape.

"It is my hope that the exhibition will convince visitors not only of the value of these works as an expression of American life and culture, but, ultimately, that they are a reflection of ourselves," Reuter explained.

Paintings and sculpture have been drawn from the NSLM's permanent collection as well as from private collections, museums and other institutions throughout the United States. The exhibit will include iconic American artists including Albert Bierstadt, Alfred Jacob Miller and Frederic Remington as well as those by recognized masters of the animal and sporting art genre, including John James Audubon, Edward Troye, Arthur F. Tait and William T. Ranney. The works of other fine American sporting artists, which have long been esteemed by enthusiasts of the genre, but, until recently, were often overlooked by art historians are also an important focus of the exhibition. Included in this group are William Herbert Dunton, Herbert Haseltine, Thomas Hewes Hinckley, Anna Hyatt Huntington, Alexander Pope, Ogden Pleissner, Percival Rosseau and John Martin Tracy.

For further information about the new National Sporting Museum and its exhibition, "Afield in America," please contact the Curatorial Department, 540 687 6542, extension 14, or visit www.nsl.org.