(HUDSON, N.Y.) – A fundraising reception for the Edna St. Vincent Millay Society at Steepletop, featuring a new exhibition of rare photos and personal treasures of the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, will take place on Millay’s birthday, Saturday, February 22, 2014, from 5:30 to 9:30 pm at McDaris Fine Art in Hudson. A limited edition photo print of Steepletop, by photographer Glynnis McDaris will be featured in a silent auction at the reception.

The rare photos in the exhibition have never been seen before by the public. They reveal Millay’s true bohemian nature and illustrate the unique way she lived her life at her home in Columbia County. This is also the first time that Millay’s personal treasures will be on view outside her home. Steepletop, the poet’s historic estate in Austerlitz, is a rare living museum where Millay’s artifacts have remained perfectly in place in since her death there in 1950.

Edna St. Vincent Millay was the most celebrated poet of her time and a significant figure in the 20th century American literature. Throughout her career, Millay led a life unfettered by conventions. Nowhere could she enjoy personal freedom and her own boundless imagination more than when she retreated to Steepletop, her beloved country estate. It was there that Millay, an avid naturalist, led a lively social life surrounded by 800 acres of farmland, wildflowers, hills, and forests that allowed her to escape the demands of career and celebrity in New York’s West Village.

Tickets to the special fundraising reception and silent auction are $25 per person and can be purchased by calling 518-392-3362, e-mailing allison@millay.org, or visiting Edna St. Vincent Millay Society at Steepletop. Proceeds from this event will benefit the restoration of historic Steepletop and the conservation of the museum’s collection, natural grounds and gardens.

.