THE DECORATIVE ARTS TRUST AT THE WINTERTHUR INSTITUTE

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library is currently hosting its annual Winterthur Institute, featuring courses taught by Winterthur staff and guest lecturers. This two-week intense course of study focuses on American decorative arts from the 17th through the 20th centuries. Winterthur houses the largest collection of decorative arts made or used in America between 1640 and 1860, so the Winterthur Institute offers a unique opportunity for participants to experience firsthand significant artifacts. Several courses are taught in period rooms and exhibition spaces at the museum, and participants also have the opportunity to go on field trips to local historic sites.

Today the Decorative Arts Trust’s executive director, Matthew Thurlow, is lecturing on neoclassical furniture at the Institute, as well as offering two workshops.

The Trust is also pleased to have helped sponsor a scholarship to the Institute. This year’s recipient, Alexandra Parker from Fairfax, VA, is a graduate of the Smithsonian-George Mason Decorative Arts program. Parker is currently completing her thesis on American-made knife boxes and their cabinetmakers. To date her studies have focused on the history of furniture and textiles and she has interned with the National Museum of American History, the White House Historical Association, and the Fairfax County Park Authority.

The Trust offers a variety of scholarships for graduate students and young professionals in the decorative arts field. The deadline for our next scholarship opportunity, the Dewey Lee Curtis Symposium Scholarship, is tomorrow. Learn more here and apply today. Find out more about all of the scholarship opportunities offered by the Trust on our website.