ORANGE — The Stark Museum of Art in Orange, Texas, will host a Holiday Exhibit Celebration from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 15, and Tuesday, Dec. 18. The event highlights the special holiday exhibit “On the Wing: Birds in Books of Hours,” which features illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages. Local music groups will entertain guests and light refreshments will be served in the lobby. Admission to the event is free with a donation of a non-perishable food item, which the Museum will be collecting for local charities.

On Saturday, Dec. 15, the Lone Star Pipe Band will perform traditional Celtic music on the pipes, drums and other instruments. The musicians of the Lone Star Pipe Band, with Jeff Courts serving as Pipe Major, will perform traditional Scottish and Irish music on the highland bagpipes and drums. The bagpipe selections will be alternated with ballads, sung by vocalists and played on the keyboard or guitar.

On Tuesday, Dec. 18, band students from Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School will play holiday music. Students, under the direction of Steve Schoppert, will perform in small ensembles and give historical introductions to their selections.

During both evenings, docents will give brief tours of On the Wing and also of the Museum’s other special exhibition, National Geographic Greatest Photographs of the American West.

The four Books of Hours in “On the Wing” are opened to pages that show how birds were represented both symbolically and decoratively. The exhibit includes Christmas-themed imagery, such as the “Annunciation.” Dating from the fifteenth to the early sixteenth century, each Book of Hours was painted by hand with rich decorative details by French, Dutch and Flemish artists. The exhibit also includes a tablet computer holding images of other pages of the manuscripts. Visitors can simulate turning the manuscript pages. “On the Wing” will be on view through Jan. 12, 2013.

“National Geographic Greatest Photographs of the American West” features a collection of iconic Western images gathered by “National Geographic” over a span of some 125 years. “National Geographic Greatest Photographs of the American West” will be on exhibit through January 26, 2013. This exhibition was organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in collaboration with the National Geographic Society and Museums West, presented by The Mays Family Foundation.

“We invite the public to attend one or both of these special evenings, an annual tradition of the Museum. Experiencing music and art while visiting with friends and neighbors is a wonderful way to celebrate the season,” said Sarah Boehme, Managing Director.

“The Museum always welcomes children, and the holiday exhibit celebration is a delightful event for the whole family. We remind parents that children under the age of 12 need to be accompanied by an adult,” said Boehme.

The museum store will be open and will feature the Museum’s 2012 holiday card and bookmark. All visitors will be given a coupon for 30 percent off one item in the Museum Store. These coupons will be redeemable during the Holiday Exhibit Celebration, taking place on Dec. 15 and Dec. 18.

The museum’s celebration is scheduled in coordination with The W.H. Stark House’s Holiday Open House, also from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m., Dec. 15 and Dec. 18.

Located at 712 Green Ave. in Orange, Texas, the Stark Museum of Art is open to the public 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The museum is closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Group tours are available by appointment. For more information call 409-886-2787 or visit www.starkmuseum.org.