The Decorative Arts Trust - Fostering appreciation for the decorative arts

Emerging Scholars Colloquium

In conjunction with the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust, we present a virtual colloquium on January 25

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Virtual Tour at the Brooklyn Museum

On January 28, join us for a virtual tour of the new installation of American Art at the Brooklyn Museum

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Winter Programs Package

The Trust is excited to announce an exclusive three-month program package

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Critical Operations Support Fund

Contribute to the Decorative Arts Trust to ensure our survival through these uncertain times and allow us to continue to serve our friends, emerging scholars, and partner institutions

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Membership with the Decorative Arts Trust

Your support allows us to achieve our mission of promoting the study and appreciation of the decorative arts

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Collaboration, Partnership, and Support

Help us continue our mission to promote and foster the appreciation and study of the decorative arts

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LATEST NEWS

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Jan 22

Open

The virtual Colloquium is this upcoming Monday, January 25! Join the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust (CAHPT), in conjunction with the Decorative Arts Trust, for our 5th-annual Emerging Scholars Colloquium. This year’s program will be virtual and introduce a new format that includes two joint presentations.

The first pairing features Mary Fesak, PhD Candidate in American Civilization at the University of Delaware, and Jeffrey E. Klee, Vice President and Senior Director of Architecture at CAHPT, who will discuss the history of 19th- and 20th-century stables with particular attention to CAHPT’s stable at Millford.

The second pairing spotlights Allie Cade, Senior Curator and Director of Woodwind Studies at the Sigal Music Museum, and Grant Quertermous, Curator and Director of Collections at CAHPT, who will share a fascinating conversation on musical instruments and associated seating furniture.

Registration fee: Pay What You Can.
Register today at: https://decorativeartstrust.org/colloquium-2021/. *Link in bio*

Pictured: Detail of The Musical Infant Sisters, published by Thomas McLean, printed by Henry Richard Cook, London, 1826. © The Trustees of the British Museum.

@classicalamericanhomes
@sigalmusicmuseum
@udamciv
#TrustVirtual
#TrustEmergingScholars
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#Architecture
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History
#Research
#MusicHistory

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Jan 21

Open

On Thursday, January 28 at 7:00 pm we will share a virtual tour of the @BrooklynMuseum. Decorative arts curators Catherine Futter and Elizabeth St. George will lead us through an experimental reinstallation of their American art gallery. This new interpretation is designed to share objects with new narratives to create a more inclusive space. Join us as we enjoy a Joshua Johnson painting, a traveling desk, tortoise shell combs, a Thomas Commeraw jug, and so much more.

Register for this virtual Trust Tour at https://decorativeartstrust.org/brooklyn-museum-trust-tour. *Link in bio*

@decartskc
@lizbethofgeorge
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History
#Research
#MuseumFromHome
#VirtualTour
#Brooklyn
#NYC

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Jan 15

Open

We could all use a laugh right now. Find some joy in clay with Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy’s January Trust Talk. Angelik shared her exhibition ‘Sleight of Hand,’ which brings together six contemporary artists in the US who create humorous or eccentric objects in clay, centered around complex issues of race, gender, among other pressing social and political realities of our day. This compelling exhibition at the @CenterforCraft through January 22. Watch a recording of Angelik’s Trust Talk if you are unable to make it to Asheville.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/1bki-rGWQGU *Link in bio*

And purchase a copy of her insightful catalogue here: https://my-site-105162-107679.square.site/product/-sleight-of-hand-catalog/65?cs=true

Pictured: 'Sleight of Hand' exhibition at the Center for Craft. Photos by Black Box Photography. See https://www.centerforcraft.org/exhibition/sleight-of-hand for details.

@angelik.wiki
@extremecraft
@madmuseum
@eversonmuseum
#TrustVirtual
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#Ceramics
#ContemporaryCraft

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Jan 14

Open

On January 25, join the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust (CAHPT), in conjunction with the Decorative Arts Trust, for our 5th-annual Emerging Scholars Colloquium. This year’s program will be virtual and introduce a new format that includes two joint presentations.

The first pairing features Mary Fesak, PhD Candidate in American Civilization at the University of Delaware, and Jeffrey E. Klee, Vice President and Senior Director of Architecture at CAHPT, who will discuss the history of 19th- and 20th-century stables with particular attention to CAHPT’s stable at Millford.

The second pairing spotlights Allie Cade, Senior Curator and Director of Woodwind Studies at the Sigal Music Museum, and Grant Quertermous, Curator and Director of Collections at CAHPT, who will share a fascinating conversation on musical instruments and associated seating furniture, such as the John Broadwood & Son piano pictured here.

Register today at: https://decorativeartstrust.org/colloquium-2021/. Registration fee: Pay What You Can.

Pictured: John Broadwood & Son, Piano (detail), c. 1797, London. Mahogany with fruitwood inlay. Collection of Classical American Homes Preservation Trust, Accession No. 00907.

@classicalamericanhomes
@sigalmusicmuseum
@udamciv
#TrustVirtual
#TrustEmergingScholars
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#Architecture
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History
#Research
#MusicHistory
#Music

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Jan 12

Open

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Jan 8

Open

Need a break? We added some new digital puzzles for you to complete online, including a favorite picture of the Palazzo della Ragione in Padua from our Study Trip Abroad to Venice and the Veneto in fall 2017. Enjoy! https://decorativeartstrust.org/in-the-field/puzzles/

We venture back to Italy in fall 2021, this time exploring the northern region cities of Genoa, Turin, and Milan: https://decorativeartstrust.org/northern-italy/.

#TravelsWithTheTrust
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#Art
#Architecture
#Design
#Travel
#Italy
#Puzzles

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Jan 4

Open

Although deceivingly lustrous as if made of metal, Woody De Othello’s ‘Outward and Outbound’ is a deflated ceramic faucet that twists upon itself like a balloon animal. The object has no utilitarian function and instead conveys an internal struggle.

Join us at 7:00 pm ET this Thursday, January 7, for a Trust Talk virtual lecture with Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy. Her ‘Sleight of Hand’ exhibition brings together six contemporary American artists who create humorous, eccentric, or anthropomorphized objects in clay, centered around complex issues of race, gender, and immigration status, among other pressing social and political realities of our day. The exhibition was originally shown at the Center for Craft and will be expanded for display at the Museum of Arts and Design . After her presentation, Angelik will be joined in conversation with artist, scholar, and Everson Museum of Art curator Garth Johnson.

Register for this virtual lecture at https://decorativeartstrust.org/ceramics-trust-talk/.

Image by Black Box Photography.

@angelik.wiki
@extremecraft
@centerforcraft
@madmuseum
@eversonmuseum
#TrustVirtual
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#Art
#Ceramics
#CeramicArts
#Sculpture
#Clay
#Exhibition
#Curator
#ArtHistory
#Research

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Dec 28

Open

Both happy and sad, this sculpture explores the human defense mechanism of producing a seemingly opposite reaction to intense stimuli, such as nervous laughter or tears of joy, to allow the processing of real feelings. The work represents artist Diana Yesenia Alvarado’s advice on dealing with adversity.

Join us for our January Trust Talk where we will explore contemporary ceramics that use humor in art to facilitate the sharing of complicated subject matter, whether personal or political,and provide an optimistic outlook. On January 7 at 7:00 pm ET Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy will lecture on her exhibition, ‘Sleight of Hand.’ The exhibition brings together six contemporary American artists who create humorous, eccentric, or anthropomorphized objects in clay, centered around complex issues of race, gender, and immigration status, among other pressing social and political realities of our day. After her presentation, Angelik will be joined in conversation with artist, curator, and scholar, Garth Johnson. Register today!

Register for this virtual lecture at https://decorativeartstrust.org/ceramics-trust-talk/.

Pictured: Diana Yesenia Alvarado, ‘Smile Now Cry Later,’ 2019. Earthenware, glaze, silver luster, and flocking. Image by Black Box Photography.

@angelik.wiki
@extremecraft
@centerforcraft
@madmuseum
@eversonmuseum
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#Art
#Sculpture
#Clay
#ArtHistory
#History
#Research

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Dec 23

Open

Hi Decorative Arts Trust! This is Melissa King here. Last week I gave a Trust Talk to speak about my experience in the field of art conservation as a burgeoning preventive conservator. I am currently the Samuel H. Kress Fellow in Preventive Conservation at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (@smithsoniannmnh) and the Museum Conservation Institute. Preventive conservation is a specialization within art conservation that focuses specifically on measuring and mitigating deterioration risks on our collections. In my talk I went over the “10 agents of deterioration,” which include: physical forces, biodeterioration, pollutants, light, incorrect relative humidity, incorrect temperature, water, fire, thieves/vandals, and dissociation. I also shared many useful tips for preserving our own personal collections and was joined in the end by Rebecca Kaczkowski (Preventive Conservator at the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Insitute) for a discussion about trends in the field and ways to adapt this practice to non-museum settings. You can check out the recording here: https://decorativeartstrust.org/preventative-conservation-post/
(Photo credit: Jennifer Bosworth)

#DecorativeArts #ArtConservation #Thisisconservation #preventiveconservation #10agentsofdeterioration #collectionscare #HVAC #IPM #emerencypreparedness #Safetyfirst #preservation

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Dec 22

Open

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Dec 22

Open

On January 25 from 12:30-2:30 pm ET we are hosting our annual Emerging Scholars Colloquium live on Zoom.

The Classical American Homes Preservation Trust (CAHPT), in conjunction with the Decorative Arts Trust, is pleased to offer our 5th-annual Colloquium for young scholars in the decorative arts field. This year’s program will be virtual and introduce a new format that includes two joint presentations.

The first pairing features Allie Cade, Senior Curator and Director of Woodwind Studies at the Sigal Music Museum, and Grant Quertermous, Curator and Director of Collections at CAHPT, who will share a fascinating conversation on musical instruments and associated furniture.

Our second pairing spotlights Mary Fesak, PhD Candidate in American Civilization at the University of Delaware, and Jeffrey E. Klee, Vice President and Senior Director of Architecture at CAHPT, who will discuss the history of 19th- and 20th-century stables with particular attention to CAHPT’s stable at Millford (pictured).

We will miss gathering at the Baker House and have to trust you to make your own Bloody Marys and ham biscuits, but will be on call should you need any assistance. We look forward to sharing this scholarship!

Registration fee: Pay What You Can.

Register at: https://decorativeartstrust.org/colloquium-2021/.

This event is sponsored in part by Mr. & Mrs. Donald B. Ayres, III and is a benefit for the Decorative Arts Trust’s Emerging Scholars Program.

@classicalamericanhomes
@sigalmusicmuseum
@udamciv
#TrustVirtual
#TrustEmergingScholars
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#Architecture
#HamBiscuits
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History
#Research

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Dec 18

Open

Although the Trust is unable to host our traditional Antiques Weekend program in January, we are thrilled to offer a tempting variety of exclusive tours of museums, auction houses, and galleries to deliver all the fascinating finds and discoveries of New York’s Americana Week right to you. We will be circling the boroughs to bring you tours of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Levy Galleries, the Neustadt Collection, Hostler Burrows, Christie’s, and Sotheby’s. Live programs will be offered at 12:00 pm and 7:00 pm on January 19, 20, and 21. With your registration you will also receive links to watch recordings of the tours at your convenience after they air. Please join us, and enjoy the spirit of Americana Week from the warmth and comfort of your home.

Registration Fee: Members $150.00; Non-Members $200.00 (which includes a complimentary membership for 2021)

Register at https://decorativeartstrust.org/americana-week-2021/.

@christiesinc
@sothebys
@theneustadt
@levygalleries
@hostlerburrows
@brooklynmuseum
#TrustVirtual
#TheWinterShow
#Antiques
#Americana
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History
#Research
#Antiques
#AmericanaWeek
#MuseumFromHome
#NewYork
#NYC

IN THE FIELD

Exploring the Charles and Ray Eames House

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Emerging Scholars Colloquium

Virtual Tour at the Brooklyn Museum

Winter Programs Package

Critical Operations Support Fund

Membership with the Decorative Arts Trust

Collaboration, Partnership, and Support

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