September 28, 2007
DAS members explore Piranesi’s architectural, interior and furnishing designs
Members of the DAS enjoyed a private viewing of the exhibition Piranesi as Designer, led by Piranesi expert and co-curator John Wilton-Ely, which is on view at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. This event was held in honor of Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, the 2006 recipient of the Robert C. Smith Award of the DAS.
October 28, 2006
A mélange of decorative arts in Philadelphia
Decorative Arts Curator and DAS President David Barquist led this spectacular special tour of the American Decorative Arts Collections at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Attendees then toured the widely acclaimed Tesoros/Treasures/Tesouros: The Arts in Latin America, 1492-1820 exhibition, a pan-national exhibit featuring some 260 works, including sculpture, furniture, gold and silver objects, ceramics, and textiles created by indigenous, mestizo and European artists.
October 20, 2006
Music and art at the American Folk Art Museum, New York
DAS members enjoyed live music in the atrium of the American Folk Art Museum and explored two fascinating exhibitions.
Folk Art Revealed included objects ranging from fine traditional folk art forms such as quilts, paintings, sculpture and painted furniture to the captivating work of contemporary self-taught artists, offered a deeper understanding of folk art and its role in people’s lives.
A Deaf Artist in Early America: The Worlds of John Brewster, Jr. was the first comprehensive retrospective exhibition of John Brewster, Jr. (1766-1854), an itinerant artist who painted hauntingly beautiful portraits in elite households of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and eastern New York state.
February 10, 2006
Private tour of painted furniture exhibit
At the invitation of American Folk Art Museum director Maria Ann Connelli, DAS members gathered at the New York City institution for a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the exhibition Surface Attraction: Painted Furniture from the American Folk Art Museum. Curator Stacey Hollander led an enjoyable and informative tour exploring the transformative power of paint and its potential to act as a vehicle of culture, fashion, regional identity and imagination. Jewel Stern, recipient of the DAS's 2005 Robert C. Smith Award, was recognized at this event.
October 1, 2005
Newark Curator Celebrates Silver Anniversary with Silver Exhibit
Ulysses Dietz, curator of decorative arts at the Newark Museum of Art, celebrated his 25th anniversary at the institution by organizing a stunning exhibition entitled Style, Status, Sterling: The Triumph of Silver in America. Dietz explained that “This exhibition traces American’s love affair with sterling silver.” The Decorative Arts Society, Inc. was treated to a lively and informative tour of the exhibit and the 1885 Ballantine House, now a wing of the Museum. At an elegant lunch in the Trustees Room, Dietz was presented with an award for excellence for his contribution to the decorative arts field, both nationally and internationally, during his tenure at the Museum. The 2004 winners of the Robert C. Smith Award were also recognized.
June 10, 2005
Exploring European Decorative Arts in Washington, DC
Liana Paredes, curator of western decorative arts, gave DAS members an in-depth tour of the Hillwood Museum, Marjorie Merriweather Post’s former estate renown for its marvelous collection of French and Russian decorative arts. Tour participants were also treated to a walk-through of the special exhibition Eva Zeisel: The Playful Search for Beauty, led by curator Karen Kettering. The show draws on new research and surveys the eminent designer’s work while focusing on 1932 through 1936, which Zeisel spent in the Soviet Union, and the impact of the period on her later production.
February 26, 2005
“Fancy” Tours Enjoyed in Baltimore
Participants enjoyed a morning tour of American Fancy: Exuberance in the Arts, 1790-1840, on view at the Maryland Historical Society. Later that afternoon the group toured the Mount Clare Museum, Baltimore’s finest example of a grand Georgian manor house.
May 14, 2004
Designer Christopher Dresser “shocks” at the Cooper-Hewitt
Stephen Van Dyk, chief librarian and exhibit team curator at the Cooper-Hewitt-National Design Museum (New York, NY), treated DAS members to a special tour of the fascinating exhibition Shock of the Old: Christopher Dresser.