April 7 th, 2009
Jane Nylander

FOLK ART ON THE MOVE: PARADES AND FLOATS, 1850-1925

Jane Nylander, President Emerita of Historic New England and a well-known scholar, author and speaker, will provide a preview of her current research and forthcoming book. For over two centuries Americans have celebrated their public identity with parades. Marching politicians and soldiers, stirring music, costumed children, colorful flags, banners and floats symbolize traditions and values that Americans hold dear. Sometimes sophisticated, often naïve, parades present visual stories that hold deep meaning for participants and spectators alike. This talk will explore both story and significance, focusing on parades in New England from those celebrating the ratification of the Constitution in 1788 to the Tercentenary celebrations of the 1920s and 1930s.

Jay Williamson, Curator of the Caleb Cushing House Museum in Newburyport, will take a look at the peaceful and refined canvases of the Boston School artists, exploring their local connections and influences. Edmund Tarbell summered in New Castle, New Hampshire; Frank Benson lived in Salem, Massachusetts, and summered in Penobscot Bay; Laura Coombs Hills lived in Newburyport, where John Appleton Brown likewise, vacationed. Williams, who has studied paintings for 20 years, will share his insights into the work of these well-known artists, while identifying and putting into context the work of many lesser known, often accomplished painters whose work turns up from time to time in local auctions, galleries and flea markets.

Bob Barth, a longtime scholar and collector, will share insights gained through his years of collecting and working with ceramics and artifacts, as well as provide tips on connoisseurship in a workshop format. Bob plans a hands-on presentation with some 50 pots from his own collection, comprised of five-six related series in 10th-18th century Dutch, German, English and Oriental earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. He will discuss the development of these wares and how they relate to North America, the Northeast, Portsmouth, and Warner House, where appropriate.

Hollis Brodrick, the well-known New Hampshire dealer, early American history aficionado, and partner in the Portsmouth antiques shop, the Antiquarium, will share tales and treasures in an objects workshop focusing on some of his most recent discoveries in the decorative arts of the Piscataqua region.

Susan Strickler, Director, will host a behind-the-scenes session on the arts of the Piscataqua region, as represented in the collection of the Currier Museum of Art, Manchester. For eighty years, the Museum has focused on collecting the art and crafts of New Hampshire, an outstanding collection, now displayed more handsomely than ever in the recently opened expansion of the building, designed by Ann Beha Architects. Featured will be the works of many anonymous craftsmen, as well as the achievements of such well-known names as John Gaines II, Samuel Dunlap, Judkins & Senter, J. Appleton Brown, Benjamin Champney, and Martin Johnson Heade.

Note: To be held at the Currier, in Manchester, at 6:00 PM

Elizabeth Aykroyd, Curator of the Portsmouth Athenaeum, shares her recent research in identifying paintings that once hung in the Benning Wentworth House in Little Harbor, New Hampshire. From 1760 to 1880, the house was a landmark visited by local residents and travelers. Known for its unusual architecture and romantic intrigue in connection with the Royal Governor’s marriage to his housekeeper, another attraction was the collection of paintings commissioned by Wentworth to underscore his family’s importance. Subsequent owners, the Cushings, added portraits from their connections to the area. This talk will provide a glimpse into the artistic taste of prominent Portsmouth families and the interwoven relationships of the town’s leading families.

Lectures Are Free For Society Members And $10.00 Each For The General Public
All Lectures Take Place At Strawbery Banke Museum’s Tyco Visitor Center, Just Off Of Hancock Street in Portsmouth, NH.
Lectures Start At 5:30 PM With Wine & Cheese Served Before Each Lecture