Excitement in St. Petersburg

Some of you may have heard the news earlier this year, and quite frankly, we’re surprised it didn’t spread like wild fire. As the Two Red Roses Foundation formally announced plans for the construction of the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement (MAACM), which will become the permanent home for the Foundation’s comprehensive collection. The museum will be located in the thriving downtown arts district of St. Petersburg, Florida, near the Craftsman-styled bungalows found in the historic Old Northeast and Kenwood neighborhoods of the city. Situated on a 3.5 acre site, the collection will be housed in a four-story, 110,000-square-foot building designed by award-winning Tampa architect Alberto Alfonso. Projected for completion in late 2017, the museum will be a cultural destination for the millions of visitors to St. Petersburg each year, as well as a lively community center of art, education, and enjoyment for the surrounding communities.

For those of you unfamiliar, The Two Red Roses Foundation is a non-profit educational institution dedicated to the acquisition, restoration, preservation, and public exhibition of important examples of furniture, pottery and tiles, lighting, woodblocks, textiles, photography, architectural faience, and fine arts from the American Arts and Crafts Movement. The Foundation was endowed by generous gifts from Florida businessman Rudy Ciccarello — who has assembled one of the largest personal collections of Arts and Crafts objects in America — and exists to foster public recognition and appreciation of the high quality craftsmanship and design philosophy of the early 20th century.

Now, before you start thinking this is all just some fantasy land daydream (110,000 square feet of Arts and Crafts?!), check out the very latest news from the Two Red Roses. After nearly four years in the making the Two Red Roses Foundation’s furniture collection’s catalog So Various Are The Forms It Assumes, Arts and Crafts Furniture From The Collection of the Two Red Roses is expected to arrive from the printer this month. This project is the combined effort of noted author David Cathers, generally regarded as the foremost authority on Gustav Stickley and Mission furniture in the US, Alex Vertikoff, renowned photographer whose images of Arts and Crafts homes and interiors have appeared in books and magazines dedicated to the period, and Marquand Books a recognized leader in the production of museum art manuscripts and catalogs.

And, in edition to So Various Are the Forms It Assumes being released later this month, another catalog, These Humbler Metals was released earlier this year, featuring the American Arts and Crafts Metalwork of the Two Red Roses Foundation. Seems Rudy and his staff are staying busy. Stay tuned to ArtsAndCraftsCollector.com as we continue coverage on this massive museum undertaking. We’re excited…are you?

For more information on the Two Red Roses Foundation and the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, please visit www.tworedroses.com.