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| Home | Articles | The Decorative Arts Trust Celebrates its 30th Anniversary |
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by Kimberly Schrimsher
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On a Study Trip Abroad, Trust members visited Palladio's Villa Cornaro.
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Trust members stroll a "live oak alley" up river from New Orleans on an Optional Tour of a 2003 symposium.
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Collectors and art enthusiasts revel in discovery. Finding a little-known house museum with a treasure trove of pottery, absorbing the delicate detail of a painted table, or viewing a private collection in the presence of top scholars and curators are the kinds of experiences The Decorative Arts Trust provides in rich abundance. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Trust continues its pursuit of American material culture by enlightening and engaging members with stimulating venues filled with history, art, and objects.
The Decorative Arts Trust, a national nonprofit educational organization dedicated to the study of American decorative arts, keeps abreast of the most recent discoveries in the field by taking its members directly to the source to experience Americana first-hand. The Trust's spring and fall events encompass an intensive, four-day study of a selected area's history and artistic significance. At the core of each symposium are lectures from local curators and regional experts who are on the cutting edge of research in their field. "The Trust brings brilliant local scholarship together in regions around the country so members can connect the "whats" and "whys" of the past with the objects and people of the present," says Trust Director Penny Hunt, who is responsible for planning and organizing each Trust event and is the organization's charismatic leader.
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Says Trust member Barbara Bailey of Houston, TX, "You are educated and prepared [ahead of each outing], so when you're at the various historic places...you're sort of meeting an old friend. It's one of the best ways of seeing and learning about an area."
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On Nantucket, Trust members visit the Jethro Coffin house of 1686, the oldest house on the island.
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Over the years, the Trust has explored more than sixty-five venues. Highlights included the internal vaults of the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday show in Philadelphia, the White House, Ima Hogg's legendary collection in Houston's Bayou Bend, the great houses of the Hudson River Valley, and the private eighteenth-century furniture collections in Bermuda; this November they visit Jamestown to celebrate its 400th anniversary. An annual excursion is a visit to New York City in January for Americana week, which includes a VIP pre-tour of the Winter Antiques Show as well as various tours of private collections in the area.
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The Trust was founded in 1977 by Dewey Lee Curtis, then curator at Pennsbury Manor. "From the start, the Decorative Arts Trust was meant to fill a void; there weren't many books on American decorative arts in the 1970s," says Hunt. Following Curtis' retirement he expanded the Trust to a national level that traveled to various cities in hopes of combining the love of learning with a sociable atmosphere. Former Trust presidents Gray Boone, John Frazier Hunt, and Wendell Garrett continued Curtis' early ambitions and fostered the Trust's growth and stature in the decorative arts field. Thirty years later, Curtis' beloved Trust is still going strong with more than 1,200 members nationwide plus members in France, England, Bermuda, and Canada.
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On a second Study Trip Abroad based on the Grand Tour, Trust members ascend an old carriage way to visit the Clemente Doria family in their newly restored historic home outside Genoa.
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"It provides a way for people with like interests to get together, learn more, and make good friends," says Trust governor Bruce Perkins of Washington D.C. The Trust welcomes members of all ages and interests, and many members claim that this diverse mix contributes to the organization. "We have a solid core of members who love the Trust," he says, "and always make the symposiums they attend interesting."
In 1996, the Trust expanded its symposiums by adding one international trip a year in order to study and appreciate the antecedents of American culture. This fall, the Trust traveled to Austria for an exclusive study of the Hapsburg Empire and its influence on the decorative arts. This follows the last two trips of tracing the Grand Tourist trails through Italy.
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Director, Penny Hunt, and a trust member discuss a Vermont chest of drawers at the Bennington Museum on the 2006 symposium visit to the Berkshires.
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Trust members at the Legion of Honor during the San Francisco symposium, 2005.
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The Trust also maintains a significant presence in the educational field by awarding various scholarships to graduate level students. In addition, to honor exceptional life-long work of persons in the field of American decorative arts, the Trust regularly presents its prestigious Award of Excellence. Says currant Trust president Jonathan Fairbanks, "There has never been a better time to be a member of the Trust -- the arts field is producing many knowledgeable young professionals and we see new and exciting information everywhere."
In keeping with the Trust's educational mission, annual membership fees are modest, ranging from $15 for a student to $35 for an adult. Members receive three trust newsletters per year and are eligible to register for all symposiums. Graduate students in the field may also apply for symposium scholarships. For more information about membership, Trust news, or a schedule for the upcoming symposium in Jamestown, please visit www.decorativeartstrust.org or contact the Trust at 106 Bainbridge Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147. Tel: 215.627.2859.
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Kelly Schrimsher is a senior at Emory College in Atlanta, Georgia. She attributes much of her interest and passion in the decorative arts to her membership in the Trust.
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