30th Anniversary Stickley Weekend Details Announced

From the desk of Executive Director Vonda Givens…

 

If you haven’t attended annual The Stickley Weekend hosted by the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, 2019 would be a good year to start. Over October 12-13, we’ll gather to continue our yearlong 30^th anniversary celebration (which kicked off at the Arts and Crafts Conference last February) and mark the occasion with our annual Scholars Symposium, museum Open House and The Craftsman Gala. The Stickley Weekend will bring together Arts and Crafts enthusiasts from across the country, who make this annual trek to celebrate all-things-Stickley amid the beautiful autumn setting of Craftsman Farms, to support the museum and to enjoy the community of other people who love what they love. Of special interest this year: the ongoing construction on our new Education Center. And Symposium attendees will get the chance to have a first look inside! Consider this your personal invitation to join us.

 

 

 

 

Stickley Weekend will launch on Saturday morning at 9:30 with the 9^th annual Scholars Symposium. This year’s Symposium will feature an impeccable roster of distinguished speakers including Meghan Melvin, the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Curator of Design at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, who will speak about the MFA’s ongoing exhibition Boston Made: Arts and Crafts Jewelry and Metalwork. Jessica Douglas-Home, author of William Simmonds: The Silent Heart of the Arts and Crafts Movement, will also join us for a presentation investigating the life and work of this underappreciated Arts and Crafts sculptor.

 

We’ll be pleased to welcome David Cathers back to the museum to present the Amy Stahl Memorial Lecture. Cathers, who is the guest curator for the museum’s current exhibition, The American Arts and Crafts Chair: “A Message of Honesty and Joy” presented a brief overview of the exhibition at the opening back in June. His Symposium presentation will offer a full exploration of this exhibition and the thirteen chairs it features. The Symposium will conclude with lunch and a hardhat tour of the new Education Center, a “first look” tour planned especially for Symposium attendees. (Please note: The Symposium has limited space and is expected to sell out. To learn more or for early registration, call 973-540-0311 or email [email protected].)

 

 

The Craftsman Gala, the heart of the weekend and the museum’s most important fundraiser of the year, will be co-chaired this 30^th anniversary year by Leigh Ann and Bruce Johnson. Well known to readers of this website, Leigh Ann and Bruce have been supporters of the museum since its early years and Bruce is a past recipient of the museum’s highest honor, the Als Ik Kan award. We’ll also welcome special guest John Walcher, Vice President and Senior Specialist at Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, who will be our auctioneer for the evening. Held at the nearby Mountain Lakes Club, the evening will include cocktails overlooking beautiful Mountain Lake, dinner, and silent and live auctions to benefit the preservation of Craftsman Farms and the daily operations of the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms. (For tickets, information on Gala sponsorship, and more, call 973-540-0311.)

 

 

The festivities will continue on Sunday with a free Open House at the Stickley Museum focused on our ongoing exhibition and featuring a visit from special guest artisan Nawal Motawi, founder of Motawi Tileworks, makers of distinctive American art tiles, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Motawi will be on hand to meet visitors and discuss the work and philosophy of Motawi, which for more than 27 years, has been dedicated to making the world a better place by making beautiful things. (Free, no reservation required.)

 

 

For tickets, information on Gala sponsorship, and more, call 973-540-0311 or email at [email protected].