Well, of course there were the holidays. Travel south to Hollie's folks in WV and then back north to my folks in NE Ohio. And then...there was the exhibition.
Back in the spring, I was extremely honored to be invited to curate an exhibition of Ohio decorative arts at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio in Lancaster. It's a great little museum that hosts 2-3 exhibitions per year, some they sponsor, others they simply host. Opening next weekend will be Equal in Goodness: Ohio Decorative Arts 1788-1860. To my knowledge, it's the first comprehensive examination of Ohio's decorative arts ever. And the published catalog (thanks to a generous donation from the Johns family of Lancaster) will be the first major work on Ohio material culture in over two decades. The show runs through June 5 and the catalog will be available through the museum's gift shop beginning next weekend.
While I spent a good deal of time since April working on this show, the bulk of my December and January have been consumed by it. There are over 200 objects from over 50 lenders. There was tremendous amounts of research and writing, lots of time on the road transporting these objects from hither and yon to Lancaster. (Quick thanks and plug for my employer Garth's who gave me lots of freedom in my schedule and footed the bill for photography, design, and much more!) Let me put it this way...this weekend is the first free weekend I've had since there were green leaves on Ohio's trees!
So...my apologies for the lapse in communications, folks. But we're back and ready to resume our efforts to help create a flourishing antiques trade for another generation.
