Modern-day Bellamy

Ashley Relf helps draw new visitors, events to historic mansion

In 2013, the BELLAMY MANSION MUSEUM experienced a record year, hosting over 20,000 visitors for regular tours, educational and community events, fundraisers, and private rentals.

ASHLEY RELF, operations manager for Bellamy since February 2013, says the historic Wilmington site plans to continue that trend throughout 2014.

“This year, we are breaking our previous admissions records every month and have added even more events to our calendar,” Relf says.

The Bellamy Mansion, a sprawling antebellum home in downtown finished in 1861, opened as a museum in 1994 after extensive renovations.

“We live in a city that has so much to offer visitors and community members, we really focus on making sure we are reaching new audiences and expanding our programming to encourage preservation, history, art, and education in new ways,” she says. “The Bellamy is so much more than a museum in a house at this point.”

Relf attended the graduated liberal studies program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. While in the program, she says, Relf was laid off from a corporate job that she had been with for nearly seven years.

“I took the opportunity to focus on redirecting my career into something I was passionate about, museum work,” she says. “I began volunteering under the head researcher at the Cape Fear Museum and learning about museum research, practices, and collections. When a part-time position opened at the Bellamy, my mentor from (Cape Fear Museum) recommended I apply.”

Within only four months, she was promoted into the full-time operations manager position.

“It has been a great opportunity to combine my previous work experience with a creative environment that allows for growth and development in the areas I was missing in the corporate field,” she says.

Relf notes that events such as Family Fun Day, which drew over 900 people last year, exemplify the Bellamy’s ability to impact the Wilmington area while also inspiring the staff to remember to get creative.

“It is important to focus on things that people are excited to attend and to be diverse enough in our programs that we can appeal to as much of Wilmington’s population as possible,” Relf says. “It’s fun for us to have the opportunity to present such a range, from history lectures and jazz concerts to student overnight field trips and this winter, a masquerade party.”

Relf points to Bellamy’s focus on supporting other nonprofits and local businesses as important.

“We are fortunate to be the venue for things like the Wilmington Wine & Food Festival and the Cucalorus Opening Night Party because those are really unique events in Wilmington that I enjoy as well,” Relf says.

She says Bellamy currently has a strong support base of nearly 500 donors, with significant sponsors for their regular fundraisers, known as Preservation Celebrations.

Relf notes that officials with Bellamy, which is a private nonprofit, recognize that members and donors are essential in providing much needed funding, especially for the free programs they put on for the community.

“We have to make it before we can spend it,” Relf says. “So much of what we do is free with an opportunity to donate because it is so important that everyone have the opportunity to attend something that interests them.”

Relf says the biggest challenge in her work is the elusive work/life balance.

“Because we are such a small staff – only three full-time employees – and we are essentially open seven days a week with programs and events held during off-hours, it can be hard to draw the line and not attend all the things that you have put time and energy into planning,” she says. “I am so thankful for our part-time support staff and our nearly 150 volunteers; we physically couldn’t do what we do without them.”

But the projects themselves are exciting, Relf says.

“For me, seeing a new exhibit that I had a hand in designing or curating is a thrill,” she says. “Being able to dig through the archives and collections and discover new things about the family and the history of the site and life in Wilmington in general is a really fun part of my job.”

Then there getting to experience the growth in community events and being encouraged to be creative with future programming.

“Ultimately it is simple, if I have to work an event, I want it to be something I enjoy being at, and I think that is the real cornerstone of how we choose to move forward with our programs and events,” Relf says. “I love hearing other people’s ideas for the site because passion is inspiring, and it translates into the events themselves.”

To view more of photographer Katherine Clark's work, go to www.katherineclarkphotography.com.