June 2015 Issue #62 AMERICAN FRIENDS OF ATTINGHAM L ETTER FROM THE P RESIDENT INSIDE THIS ISSUE: I continue to discover the wonderful communities of Attingham alumni across the country. When I heard that Summer School co-Director Andrew Moore would lecture in conjunction with the exhibition on Houghton Hall at the Legion of Honor, I hopped on a plane for San Francisco. Hank Dunlop ’80; WW ’88; SP ’87, ’91, ’98, ’06, Upcoming Events: 2 ’09, ’14, organized a great group of Bay Area alums who gathered for Andrew’s talk and I had the great pleasure of meeting Ian Berke ’05; SP ’05, Robert Domergue ’87; SP ’93, ’97, ’03, ’05, ’14, Jason Eiband Annual Meeting and Annual Fall Lecture FECS ’14, Deborah Ann Hatch ’01; RCS ’05, Donald Whitton ’74, and others. Andrew was introduced by Martin Chapman ’79; RCS’99, Curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the Fine Arts Muse- with Giles Waterfield ums of San Francisco, and Associate Curator, Maria Santangelo SP ’08, FECS ’13, RCS ’15 was also present. Thanks Hank for all your efforts! 2015 AFA Study 3 In New York, the AFA Board meets each quarter. Michelle Hargrave ’07 kindly Trip: Saint Louis hosted our March meeting at the American Federation of the Arts, seen at right. The American Historical Association (AHA), and the College Art Association 2015 Attingham 4 (CAA), met in New York this past winter and both meetings offered the oppor- Courses Member List tunity to connect with Attingham alums and future recruits. The North American Conference on British Studies hosted a reception at the AHA. (See page 3 for Alumni News 5 more on upcoming NACBS activity.) At the CAA, The Historians of British Art sponsored a lively panel, entitled “Home Subjects: Domestic Space and the Arts in Britain, 1753-1900” (details in Alumni News, page 5). Alumni participation at such conferences provides great visibility for Attingham. 2014 Honor Roll 6-7 Please consider organizing sessions at those conferences you attend! On behalf of AFA, a hearty thanks to Beth Carver Wees ’81, RCS ’04 who served as the Vice-President of Recent Events 7 Selection and Committee Chair from 2001 until 2014. I would also like to thank our Spring intern, Juliet Vinegra who worked with us on the AFA archives, database, events, the office move and many other projects that arose during the semester. We wish her the best of luck as she completes her Master’s degree in Visual Arts Admin- istration at NYU. If you know of any students seeking the real world skills of non-profit work, please encourage The Yale Center for them to contact the office. As we all know, working closely with Cheryl presents a terrific opportunity. British Art and The Paul Finally I want to thank those making contributions to the Annual Appeal, especially at the President’s Circle Mellon Centre for Studies Level and beyond. Such significant gifts go a long way towards maintaining the high level of activity in the U.S. in British Art co-hosted a that you will read about in the following pages. reception at the College Art Association annual — Sheila ffolliott ’79; RCS ’98; SP ’11, ’12, ’15, [email protected] conference in February, during which they announced plans for a L ETTER FROM E NGLAND new joint venture: an online, open access and The National Trust (for England, Wales and Northern Ireland) has been much peer-reviewed journal, in the national press recently. The devastating fire at Clandon Park, Surrey British Art Studies. The has caused great distress. Much has been lost but significant items of the online journal will provide collection were saved and the building shell remains stable. So what of the an innovative space for future? Will the house rise from the ashes as at Uppark? Many Summer new research and School alumni will remember the great debate which followed that fire in 1989. scholarship of the Will this similar disaster hone the skills of another generation of curators and craftsmen? Let us hope so. highest quality on all aspects of British art, Another discussion point to exercise the minds of Attingham alumni is the controversial experiment currently architecture and visual being tried by the National Trust at Ickworth House, Suffolk that has caused considerable consternation among culture in their most art historians. In the splendid library there, the carpet and a suite of furniture made in the 1820s by the royal diverse and international cabinet makers/upholsterers, Banting and France, have been removed in favour of four brown leatherette bean- contexts. bags for public use on the parquet floor ‘to encourage people to dwell and take in the atmosphere’ of the room. Such an odd solution (on a number of levels) to tempt more people to visit the country house makes the work of The Attingham Trust even more pertinent to ensure the survival and understanding of collections in situ. The The call for submissions demand to learn is keen as clearly demonstrated by the bumper harvest of applications from all over the world and guidelines for writing for the four courses offered this year but we must all try harder to pass on the knowledge absorbed so that may be downloaded at others can appreciate the excitement and inspiration we have all experienced together. There is nothing wrong http://www.paul-mellon- with an inviting (comfortable) seat en route around a house but not when it removes part of the history one has centre.ac.uk/408/ come to see. The tragic event at Clandon has put this very much into perspective for me. — Annabel Westman, Executive Director, The Attingham Trust Issue #62 Page 2 U PCOMING AFA P ROGRAMS AND E VENTS Unless otherwise stated, registration fees may be submitted online at www.americanfriendsofattingham.org or by check payable to “American Friends of Attingham,” sent to: AFA, 475 Park Ave. South, Fl. 4, New York, NY 10016. Friday, Sept. 18 Open studio, 5:30 pm; RCGF welcome remarks, 5:45 pm AFA Annual Member’s Meeting, 6-8 pm Renee & Chaim Gross Foundation, 526 LaGuardia Pl (at West 3rd St.), NYC RSVP by September 11; No charge to attend Our Annual Members Meeting is open to all AFA alumni and provides an opportunity to reunite with fellow alumni and stay current on organizational issues. The Members Meeting will precede a quarterly Board of Directors Meeting. Afterward light refreshments will be served and scholars will describe their experiences on the 2015 Attingham Trust courses. This year we will gather at the Renee & Chaim Gross Foundation, in the historic home and studio of American sculptor Chaim Gross (1904-91). Described as a “study in the fusion of art creation, collection, and lifestyle, and a worthwhile visit for anyone interested in 20th century art and over- all biography,” the setting is sure to prompt return visits for a closer look. Saturday, September 19, 1-4 pm* Walking Tour of Hildreth Meière’s NYC Art Deco Murals RSVP required; $25 per person Until recently, a forgotten heroine of Art Deco art and architecture, Hildreth Meière (1892-1961) was once considered the most famous and prolific muralist of the Art Deco style, specializing in the ancient and beautiful art of mosaic. Please join us for a special walking tour led by Catherine Coleman Brawer, co-author of The Art Deco Murals of Hil- dreth Meière (Andrea Monfried Editions, 2014) and accompanied by the artist's granddaughter, Hildreth Meière Dunn, where we will examine some of Meière’s more significant New York commissions. We will begin with her roundels (emblematic of Dance, Drama and Song) at Radio City Music Hall (1932), followed by visits to St. Bartholomew's Church (1928), St. Patrick’s Cathedral (1942) and Temple Emanu-El (1929). The tour will end downtown (traveling via subway) at the Walker- Lispenard Telephone Company Building whose private lobby features a mosaic tile ceiling and tile wall map celebrating global connectivity through the lines of telephonic communication (1932). * Please note that we anticipate the tour to last around 3 hours, however worship services or subway changes may alter our course. 2015 AFA ANNUAL FALL LECTURE THE PEOPLE’S GALLERIES: ART MUSEUMS AND EXHIBITIONS IN VICTORIAN BRITAIN Featuring Giles Waterfield Director of Royal Collection Studies, Curator and Author Monday, September 21, 2015 The Union League Club, 38 East 37th Street, New York City 6:30 pm, Lecture; 7:30 pm, Drinks & Hors d’oeuvres Please join Attingham alumni and friends for the American Friends of Attingham Annual Fall Lecture, a special evening featuring celebrated au- thor, curator and Director of Royal Collection Studies, Giles Waterfield. The lecture will follow the release of his book The People's Galleries (Yale University Press, August 2015), which recounts the emergence of a new type of art museum prevalent in the great industrial cities of Britain dur- ing the latter half of the nineteenth century. Inspired by the desire to improve standards of design among manufacturers and artisans, these galler- ies became powerful tools in the Liberal battle against the violence, ignorance, intemperance and ugliness felt to be characteristic of Glasgow and Manchester. These art museums developed into an entirely novel type of gallery, intended to offer exhibitions and permanent collections aimed at a working class audience. They were for some years hugely popular until around 1900, when there was a shift in taste. During this exclusive lecture for the AFA, Waterfield will consider the deep-seated but fundamentally different development of museums in the USA in the nineteenth century, initially strongly influenced by South Kensington but ultimately developing in a quite different direction.