Spring/Summer 2009Volume 11, Number 1www.ACSCNY.org

Society Holds Annual Winter Party embers of the Arts & Crafts Society of Central New York (ACSCNY) gathered at the home of board member Geraldine de Berly to shake off those winter doldrums at the group’s Annual Winter Party on Sunday, January 18, 2009.

Dr. de Berly’s residence – a stunning Tudor half-timber-style house with Arts & Crafts flourishes designed by legendary Syracuse architect Ward Wellington Ward for the Hunziker family in the mid twenties – is located on Robineau Road and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Among the striking architectural features of the house are the superbly crafted millwork and signature art glass medallions from the studio of Henry Keck. The commodious residence provided an exceptionally appropriate setting for the occasion.

A highlight of the afternoon was the Society’s Annual Silent Auction. Decorative tiles, books and exhibition posters were offered; an overnight stay at the Oneida Community Mansion House,

including a tour and breakfast, added a new slant to the traditional silent auction feature. One outstanding offering was a gorgeous art pottery vase in frosty blue and white, decorated with a portrait of the de Berly residence (Hunziker House) itself! (See article below.) Needless to say, Dr. de Berly came in with the winning bid on that item.

The Annual ACSCNY Winter Party is much anticipated and is always a wonderful occasion to connect with friends who share our passion for the Arts & Crafts movement.

The Robineau Road Vase Gary Quirk

I became involved with the Arts and Crafts Movement long before I ever heard of it. You see, I got my start in the movement’s grandchild: the Studio Artists’ Movement of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. As a young potter, selling coffee mugs and teapots late in the 70’s, I began to hear of this great artistic out-pouring before the first war that championed the integrity of the individual artisan and sought to instill honest values in the hand-crafted goods they produced. Equally, these honest values could flourish in the lives of the artisans as well as the users of their goods. This all spoke to the young hippie that I was and to some extent I’ve tried to live that life.

I’ve dabbled in various art mediums – enjoyed a little wood work, learned a bit about arts & crafts furniture and the movement from Dave Rudd while helping him with some minor furniture repairs in the 80’s. continued on bottom of page 4

Hello,

Our country and the world are going through one of the most difficult economic times we have ever experienced. We may never know the world as we once did. Understanding the demographics of our group I’m sure many of you are feeling it. The Arts and Crafts movement came on the coattails of the great financial panic of 1893. It took four years for the country and its economy to get back on track. I can’t help but think that the Arts and Crafts movement at the turn of the century helped many people create a better life for themselves.

People today as in yesteryear need to adjust to this new world, this new way of life. We should be involved in the green movement and not living in the disposable society we do. We should be living to our means and not beyond and planning for our future. We also should have nothing in our homes that is not useful, beautiful or that does not brings us enjoyment. Sound familiar?

The mission of our society is to educate our members of the past and through this we can better understand the present and what may be in store for us in the future. Knowing what drove Gustav Stickley and his contemporaries to develop their craft and understanding why social groups of the late 19th century established themselves in many parts of our country could guide us into a more fulfilling lifestyle.

These social groups or societies, many of them with the title of Arts and Crafts in their names, had a product or promoted the art of the craft. Our society’s product is education.

This year we are planning several events. Three talks, a trip and a symposium are all in the works. I would hope everyone in our membership takes advantage of these and that they bring you enjoyment, some level of enlightenment and a means of moving us closer to our new way of life.

Dave Rudd

From Our President

2009 Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference: A FIRST-TIME VISITOR’S IMPRESSIONS.

Lee Jones

irst, just in case a few readers are unfamiliar with the venue, a review of a few basic facts about the Grove Park Inn may be helpful. The resort, built upon the side of Sunset Mountain and overlooking Asheville, North Carolina, was opened in 1913 by patent medicine magnate Edwin W. Grove and was significantly expanded in the 1980s. The exterior of the main building is covered with local granite boulders retaining quite jagged surfaces and is crowned with a red tile roof with curved contours recalling thatched roofs. The cavernous main lobby is dominated by two massive, facing fireplaces constructed of similar stone. A number of signature furniture pieces were commissioned for the hotel from Roycroft and the Roycroft copper shop made numerous lighting fixtures for the public areas of the hotel as well as fixtures such as drawer pulls for the guest rooms. The resort’s current owners have continued to maintain the Arts and Crafts theme and have collected numerous period pieces representing many makers that are present throughout public areas of the hotel and placed to be used by the guests. The majority of guest rooms are located in the newer wings and include all amenities currently expected

The Grove Park Inn, Asheville, North Carolina. Photo: N. Gordon Gray

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Bruce Manwaring, 1940-2009

Bruce Manwaring born in Middleboro, MA was 68 when he suddenly passed away on February 7, 2009. Bruce received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1962. Traveling to California, he attended the Claremont Graduate School (now Claremont University) studying painting at Scripps College where he received a BA. After serving as Chairman of the Art Department at Jamestown College, he continued on to receive an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Massachusetts. In 1970, Bruce was hired as an Assistant Professor in Printmaking and Illustration at Syracuse University where he helped to build up the Printmaking Program as part of the Experimental Studios Department. This Department, which he chaired for five years, became the present Studio Arts Department. He and his wife, Nicora Gangi, are co-partners of Machaira Studio, which was formed in 1986. Bruce has served as Area Coordinator of the Printmaking Program and has taught courses in Foundation Drawing, Lithography, Relief, Monoprint, and Stained Glass. He retired from Syracuse University in the spring of 2007 after 43 years of teaching.

Bruce’s prints have been exhibited regionally, nationally, and internationally in numerous juried and invitational shows. They are in the collections of the Free University in Amsterdam; The Munson Williams Proctor Institute; the Tyler Gallery at SUNY Oswego; the Scripps Gallery in Claremont; and in numerous private collections in the US, Canada, England, Germany, and the Netherlands. Bruce was a member of the founding board of the Arts and Crafts Society of Central New York and a familiar face at our events. His soft spoken gentleness will be missed.

Mary Ann Smith, PhD

Mary Ann Smith, PhD, founding board member and former ACSCNY president, died on September 22, 2008. Dr. Smith taught History of Architecture and Preservation in the School of Architecture at Syracuse University for 19 years until she retired in 1993. She was a longtime resident of Fayetteville, NY, and was active in preservation in that area. Smith was perhaps best known as an expert on America’s foremost leader of the Arts & Crafts movement, Gustav Stickley, about whom she wrote the seminal study, Gustav Stickley, the Craftsman. Professor Smith was widely regarded as a pioneering scholar of the Arts & Crafts revival. A death notice published in the Spring 2009 issue of Style 1900 magazine described Mary Ann Smith as “an enthusiastic educator, preservationist and connoisseur.” Mary Ann was our mentor and friend, and she is much missed.

in a top-notch resort; the rooms in the original part of the Inn have been most sensitively updated to provide most of these amenities without the loss of the historic charm. (A tip - courtesy of Gordon Gray - is to make your registration/reservation for the conference/hotel package early if you prefer to stay in the older section of the Inn; reservations commence in January for the following year’s conference.)

Components of the conference begin on Thursday and continue through Sunday and there is never a lack of something to do. Essentially all of the function rooms in the complex were in use for the Conference.

The main lecture seminar presentations were in a large ballroom, which was configured to simultaneously accommodate all attendees with three projection screens giving a close-up view of the speaker or slides from the speaker’s presentation. These lectures were spread out into four blocks, running two to three hours each. Friday night’s presentations were “Arts & Crafts Across the Pond: American Interpretations of British Arts & Crafts Icons” by Brian Coleman and “Frank Lloyd Wright: Prairie School Architecture and Furnishings” by Cheryl Robertson. Saturday morning’s treats were “‘The Roycroft Copper Shop” by

Doug McFarland and David Kornacki (including revelation of the ultimate Karl Kipp collectible for the non-squeamish) and “My Three Favorite Art Potteries” by David Rago (George Ohr was entirely predictable, with the surprise being Roseville for its position as a “gateway drug” attracting new collectors). Saturday evening brought a comprehensive biographical review of the many Stickley Brothers and their commercial endeavors with “The Stickley Legacy” by Michael Clark and Jill Thomas-Clark and a preview of an upcoming PBS documentary “Elbert Hubbard & The Roycrofters.” Sunday morning’s presentations were “Woodblock Prints: The ‘Art’ in Arts & Crafts” by Nancy Green and “Textiles of the Arts & Crafts Movement” by Ann Chaves.

A number of tours are offered both within the Inn and its environs and in greater Asheville. A walking tour of the Grove Park Inn is a great way to start out on Friday morning and may be followed by a tour through the adjacent Biltmore Industries facilities where hand-loomed fabrics were once made and where several artists now maintain their studios. The works of the fabric mill were then advertised as “homespun,” but the collection of now long disused, but still interesting, equipment

In Memoriam

2009 Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference, cont’d...

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he Arts and Crafts Society of Central New York is pleased to sponsor a competition for a commemorative poster for a symposium on Women Ceramists of the Arts & Crafts Movement to be held at the Everson Museum in October, 2009. An award of $500.00 will be given for the winning design as judged by the Board of Directors of the ACSCNY. Everyone is eligible. Multiple entries are acceptable. Digital entries are due by July 15, 2009 at Dalton’s Gallery, 1931 James St., Syracuse, NY 13206. Contact: Dave Rudd at 315 463 1568 or rudd@daltons.com.

Judging criteria:1. A graphic that adheres to the principles of the Arts & Crafts Movement (John Ruskin, William Morris).2. A design that commemorates all women ceramists in the movement (e.g. McLaughlin, Nichols, Robineau, Perry, Newcomb).3. A product using quality materials with the machine playing a supporting role (Gustav Stickley, Frank Lloyd Wright). We anticipate a run of about 100 produced in a manageable size and done in a cost effective and timely manner.

Poster information:1. Title: Women as Visionaries- Women as Participants Symposium on Women Ceramists of the Arts & Crafts Movement2. Date: October 17, 20093. Place Everson Museum Syracuse, New York4. Speakers: A. Patricia Bartinique Susan Montgomery Ellen Paul Denker Elizabeth Fowler Steven Kern Debora Ryan5. Sponsors Arts and Crafts Society of Central New York Everson Museum New York State Council on the Humanities

Detailed bios and update information at www.acscny.org

Society Funds Felicity Ashbee Booklet he Arts and Crafts Society of Central New York is proud to have played a role in memorializing our Arts and Crafts colleague Felicity Ashbee. Cleota Reed, a friend of Felicity for many years, was instrumental in bringing her to Syracuse, helping publish her book on Janet Ashbee and doing a book signing at Dalton’s. Cle is involved in the recent exhibition “Felicity Ashbee: A Life of Her Own” at the Court Barn Museum in Chipping Campden, England.

Several months ago Cleota approached the board of our society asking for a modest grant to publish a book on the work of Ms. Ashbee. We were happy to help. The catalogue “Felicity Ashbee: A List of Her Literary Work” Compiled by Cleota Reed for The Court Barn Museum, Chipping Campden, England is included in this mailing. Additional copies are available at $15.00 each from Dalton’s and benefits our society. The Arts and Crafts Society of Central New York is willing to consider other possible grant applications for projects directly related to our own mission

statement.

And most recently, I have returned to clay work -- producing bas relief art tile in what my customers tell me is an Arts and Crafts style. So, I’ve joined the Arts & Crafts Society of CNY to explore my own roots.

As a new member, I marked my calendar for the Winter Party and Silent Auction, knowing I wanted to make something as a donation. I had created a series of designs for my molded tiles that celebrates the trees and houses I see on evening walks around my neighborhood on the east side of Syracuse. Seeing the photograph on the

party invitation of Geraldine de Berly’s wonderful Arts and Crafts home told me just what I wanted to make but I did not want to make a tile. I had been thinking of making pots again, something I’ve not done for a long time. So I decided to throw a pot and carve directly into it and make a truly one of a kind piece.

I did not title it the “Robineau Road Vase”. I heard that title being used at the party. I like it. The only change I might make is to call it “Robineau Road Vase: Number One”.

The Robineau Road Vase, cont’d...

ACSCNY Sponsors Poster Competition

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hen the Society last visited the Martin Complex in spring 2006, the 40 million dollar restoration project was approximately half-way completed. The skeletal structure of the reconstructed 100 foot-long pergola—a covered walkway that once connected the main Martin mansion with the garage / stables / chauffer’s quarters, the conservatory featuring a nine foot high casting of the Winged Nike of Samothrace sculpture, and the smaller Barton House, built first on the site for Martin’s sister—was in place. Although the pergola was only partially finished when we visited back in 2006, the view down that structure afforded a sense of Wright’s unequalled mastery of spatial dynamics. In addition, the foundation footings for the “barn”—the term locals use for the garage / stables / chauffer’s quarters—and conservatory had been poured. The originals of these auxiliary structures had been demolished in the late ‘50s, leaving only the main Martin House, the Barton House, and a small gardener’s cottage, in order to build two shoebox-like apartment buildings, effectively gutting the complex and destroying the entire concept of its essential unity. Also recently completed when ACSCNY visited the Martin Complex in 2006 was installation of roofing for the main

mansion and the Barton House, consisting of thousands of hand made terra cotta tiles. This roof job, we were told, cost over 3 million dollars. The shoebox apartment buildings had been purchased and demolished, making possible reconstruction of the pergola and outbuildings, and ultimately reunification

of the entire complex. Martin House curator Jack Quinan personally took us through those areas of the complex not under construction. Today, all auxiliary buildings have been rebuilt, fulfilling the most ambitious restoration project ever undertaken

on any Wright site. The Wisteria Gift Shop has been moved from its former home in the Barton House dining room into much more spacious quarters in the “barn.” Exterior restoration details have been completed. A sleek, modern visitor center, the Greatbatch Pavilion, designed by the dean of Harvard’s School of Architecture, Toshiko Mori, was dedicated and opened in March 2009. Remaining final phases of the project include restoration of the main house’s interiors, as well as replication and conservation of the legendary Martin “Tree of Life” light screens. Visitors returning to the site and seeing it for the first time since our 2006 bus trip will be stunned by the progress made at the Darwin D. Martin House Complex.

contradicts the precision of that claim. A Walking Discussion of the Grove Park Inn’s Collection by Michael Clark and Jill Thomas-Clark on Sunday would have tempted, had I not already enjoyed Gordon’s coverage of the same route shortly after our arrival.

Numerous small group discussions are offered throughout the conference, usually scheduled for a one-hour time slot, and while some are presented several times, there are often hard choices about which to attend and which to forgo - an excuse to return next year! There are also demonstrations each day, as well as well as three-hour workshops (requiring pre-registration and additional fees) on Thursday and Friday. Additionally, a number of museum display type exhibits stand in the lobby for the duration of the conference.

The Contemporary Craftsfirms Show opens at 1 pm on Friday (and reopens Saturday and Sunday) and features booths

displaying contemporary art and objects inspired by Arts and Crafts style; a concurrent Books and Magazine show is also offered. The Antiques Show opens at 3 pm on Friday and continues on Saturday and Sunday and features many of the nation’s foremost Arts and Crafts specialist dealers. Offerings included serious museum-grade treasures, but fears about the effects of the economy also brought out some wares for bargain hunters. I do not know what impact the economy had upon sales at the show, but apparently, overall turnout for the Conference and shows was little diminished.

Not all of the “food” was for the mind and eye; the resort incorporates several fine dining facilities and the good times would hardly be complete without an abundance of delicious food; the grand breakfast and dinner buffets in the Blue Ridge Dining Room remain most memorable and beckon me to return again next year.

2009 Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference, cont’d...

ACSCNY Bus Trip to Revisit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin D. Martin Complex Bill Bowen

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Upcoming EventsSaturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7, 2009ACSCNY Two-Day Trip to Buffalo and TorontoTour Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House Complex in Buffalo and see “George Ohr Rising” exhibition at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto. For more info contact Dave Rudd @ 463-1568.

Sunday, September 13, 2009, 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.ACSCNY Annual MeetingBusiness meeting, lunch and tour of the Oneida Community Mansion House to be given by Executive Director Patricia Hoffman

Saturday, October 17, 2009A Day-Long Symposium: Women as Visionaries -- Women as Participants: Women Ceramists in the Arts & Crafts MovementHosmer Auditorium, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY

Wednesday, November 5, 2009, 6:00 p.m.Arts & Crafts Book ArtsBird Library, Syracuse University

Mark your calendars!For more information, contact Dave Rudd at (315) 463-1568.