Lost Mansions and Estates of the Twin Cities

Tuesday, January 24, 2012
7 p.m.

History Lounge, Minnesota History Center
345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul
Free; no reservations needed
Information: 651-259-3000 or online

Join Larry Millett, author of the new book Once There Were Castles: Lost Mansions and Estates of the Twin Cities as he brings back to life the lost “castles” that haunt the Twin Cities and tells the stories of these grand houses and of those who built and lived in them. Book signing to follow program.

Five Outrageous Women of the Arts & Crafts Movement
An illustrated talk by Anne Stewart O’Donnell

Sunday, January 29, 2012
2 to 4 p.m.

Hillcrest Community Recreation Center
1978 Ford Pkwy., St. Paul
Bungalow Club members free; nonmembers $3
No reservation necessary

Sex! Scandal!  Well, maybe a little.  But even when they were perfect ladies, these remarkable women found ways to develop their considerable talents, made careers for themselves, and exerted a broad influence on other craftsmen and thinkers.

The Twin Cities Bungalow Club will fly former Style 1900 magazine editor Anne Stewart O’Donnell in from Maryland to offer an entertaining and informative presentation.

Through more than 200 images—period portraits as well as exciting color photos of art pottery, bookbindings, furniture and textiles—O’Donnell will explore the lives and work of five females who shaped the Arts & Crafts movement: 

• Irene Sargent, editor of The Craftsman;
• stained glass artist, book designer, and philanthropist Sarah Wyman Whitman;
• ceramist and teacher Adelaide Alsop Robineau;
• William Morris’s daughter May Morris, a master needleworker; and
• Alice Moore Hubbard, writer, feminist, and wife of Elbert Hubbard, founder of the Roycroft community.

Anne Stewart O'Donnell received an MA in the history of decorative arts in New York City from the program jointly offered by Parsons The New School for Design; The Smithsonian Associates; and Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.  The former editor-in-chief of Style 1900 magazine, O'Donnell has researched and written extensively on the Arts & Crafts movement in the United States and abroad.  She is the author of C. F. A.Voysey: Architect, Designer, Individualist and Motawi Tileworks: Contemporary Handcrafted Tiles in the Arts and Crafts Tradition.

The Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference

February 17–19, 2012

Asheville, N.C.
www.arts-craftsconference.com

Since 1988, the Grove Park Inn and Bruce Johnson have hosted the national Arts & Crafts Conference and Antiques Show, showcasing the country’s finest seminar speakers, recognized experts, reputable antiques dealers, educational tours, workshops and discussions, as well as respected artists and skilled artisans from across the country.

For the past 24 years collectors from across the country have converged on this historic Arts & Crafts resort now featuring a world-famous spa and the finest convention facilities for a three-day educational conference and three selling shows: ; the Arts & Crafts Antiques Show; the Contemporary Craftsfirms Show; and the Books, Magazines & More Show.

Every event, from the daily Small Group Discussions to the Seminar Presentations to the three shows—Antiques; Contemporary Craftsfirms; and Books, Magazines & More—is organized and structured with the typical Arts & Crafts collector in mind.

Minnesota Clay
A LearningLife Course

Wednesdays, February 22 through March 7, 2012
Three meetings, 6 to 8 p.m.

College of Continuing Education
University of Minnesota
$125
Register online or phone 612-624-4000
Event ID 185911
www.cce.umn.edu/learninglife

From the early days of production with ceramics epitomized by companies such as Red Wing Pottery to the rise of a contemporary ceramics community propelled by influential University of Minnesota professor Warren MacKenzie, Minnesota has long been a hotbed for the ceramic arts. 

Over the course of three class sessions, gain a deeper knowledge of the international history of ceramics; the development of Minnesota’s vibrant community of potters; the remarkable ceramics collection of the Weisman Art Museum; and the work of three artists who are shaping the future of the medium.

Classes on February 22 and March 7 will meet at the Continuing Education and Conference Center on the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus; class on February 29 will meet at the Weisman Art Museum, 333 East River Road, East Bank campus.

Arts & Crafts Events at Gabberts

Gabberts Design Studio & Fine Furniture – Edina
3501 Galleria, Edina
Free admission but reservations requested
Register online at www.gabberts.com (click on the event title)
or call 712-258-1300

A Snapshot in Time
Thursday, February 23, 2012
6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Gustav Stickley.  The Wizard of Oz.  Women’s suffrage.  What do these seemingly disparate things have in common? How do they connect to the Arts & Crafts Movement in America?  Join Kent Gebhard, Gabberts decorative arts expert, as he discusses the cross currents of politics, literature and furniture design at the turn of the last century.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Thursday, March 1, 2012
6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Stickley historian Mike Danial will guide you through images of Arts & Crafts-style and other vintage furniture to determine which ones are considered good, bad or ugly. This presentation was created for the Minnesota Woodworker’s Guild but is open to the public.

Stickley Roadshow
Saturday, March 3, 2012
1 to 2 p.m.
Enjoy a rare insider’s look at one of America’s most legendary furniture companies with Mike Danial, Stickley historian. Danial is an expert in furniture history as well as woodworking and furniture care.

Annual Artisan and Restoration Expo
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Noon to 4 p.m.
Spend some time with craftspeople to help you complete the look for your home. Arts & Crafts-style artisans exhibiting include Stone Hollow Tile, Boom Glass Art, North Prairie Tileworks, Steve Salek Restoration, Master Framers, The Parchment Press, and Cindy Lindgren illustrations.

A Comparison of Arts & Crafts Antiques
Identifying vintage objects that are good, better and best

Thursday, April 12, 2012
7 to 9 p.m.

Eastwood Gallery
404 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul
Lower level (stair access only)
www.eastwoodgallery.com

Have you ever wandered through an antiques shop and wondered why a pot made by Weller is marked $80, while one of similar shape and size made at the University of North Dakota is marked $800? Or why an unmarked set of vintage copper bookends is $60; a set by Roycroft is $500; and one made by the Handicraft Guild of Minneapolis is $1,100? Why does one table lamp with an art glass shade sell for $300, while another for $1,400? Why does one Mission chair sell for more than twice another?

Join us at Eastwood Gallery in St. Paul, where owners Cameron Quintal and Brian Smith will use antiques from their shop to explain how quality, rarity and provenance help determine what ends up on the price tag.

Eastwood Gallery, which specializes in vintage and new items for the bungalow owner and Arts & Crafts collector, opened in 2001. The owners are longtime collectors and students of the period, as well as organizers of the Annual Twin Cities Arts & Crafts Show and the Annual Chicago Arts & Crafts Show.

Friends School Plant Sale

Friday, May 11, 2012, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 12, 2012, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, May 13, 2012, noon to 4 p.m. (Sunday is discount day)

Minnesota State Fair Grandstand
Free admission and parking
http://friendsschoolplantsale.com/about

Each year on Mother's Day weekend in May, Friends School puts on the biggest fundraising plant sale in Minnesota, perhaps even in the Midwest! For three days, over 2,300 varieties of plants are offered for sale.

The sale is held in the Minnesota State Fair's Grandstand building. Free parking is available anywhere on the Fairgrounds, but especially in the Midway, just southwest of the Grandstand. Be sure to check out the “What’s New This Year” webpage before you go.

The sale includes a full line of annuals, perennials, climbing plants, native wildflowers, and vegetables, with selected water plants, roses, and trees and shrubs. The 2011 catalog of offerings is available for reference on the sale’s website.

Printed versions of the new catalog are mailed around April 1 each year to anyone on their mailing list or can be found at many libraries, coffee shops, and natural food co-ops in Minneapolis and St. Paul.  To get on the mailing list, email frontoffice@fsmn.org – include “add to plant sale list” in the reference line.

Entirely volunteer-run, the Friends School Plant Sale has become a Twin Cities institution with loyal fans. You can become a volunteer (which gives the added incentive of being able to shop at the pre-sale Thursday event). Signups are open February 1 through the week of the sale.

2012 Twin Cities Bungalow Club Home Tour

Saturday, May 12, 2012
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bungalow Club members free;
non-members $5

Tour starting address to be announced
Mark your calendar for May 12 and join us for this annual Twin Cities Bungalow Club celebration of vintage homes. We’ve already selected some homes for the tour but could use more.
    
Do you have a charming bungalow or other early 20th century house?  Do you appreciate other homeowners who put their houses on tours so you can benefit from their ideas and enthusiasm? Then you may be a candidate for the 2012 Bungalow Club’s spring home tour.

Contact us by email (mail@bungalowclub.net) or call 612-724-5816.