Historic Triangle residents will get a glimpse into the past with this year’s Colonial Williamsburg Antiques Forum.
The forum, scheduled for Feb. 24-28, will include an array of programs and lectures delving into past American material culture, according to a Colonial Williamsburg news release.
The theme of this year’s forum is Early American Craftsmanship: Influence and Innovation.
The antiques forum will focus on the influence of immigrants’ home cultures on their work and American consumers, the release said.
“British, German, French, African and other trade practices are evidence of these influences in the goods produced from Maine to Louisiana,” the release said. “Simultaneously, America’s distance from the Old World, its access to different materials and interactions between diverse cultural groups created a fertile environment for innovation in the arts.”
Speakers for the event include June Lucas, director of research at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Kentucky Art Historian Estill Curtis Pennington and Lisa Minardi, noted scholar on Pennsylvania-German culture.
Curators from Colonial Williamsburg will speak on several topics including “Two Nations Divided by a Common Craft: Silversmithing in Britain and America,” and “The Swords of George Washington,” the release said.
Hands-on workshops will also be available for forum attendees to see the Colonial Williamsburg collections, and private tours of historic homes in the region will be offered.
The antiques forum is “renowned as one of the leading annual decorative arts gatherings in the country that attracts curators, scholars, collectors and aficionados each winter,” the release said.
The fee to attend Antiques Forum is $650 per person and includes three continental breakfasts, three coffee breaks, two afternoon refreshment breaks, an opening reception, a closing reception and dinner, all presentations and a Colonial Williamsburg admission ticket valid through March 5.
Special rates are available at the Colonial Williamsburg Hotels for conference registrants.
Full-time museum professionals can receive a 50-percent discount off the full registration fee, limited to two professionals per qualifying institution. An opening reception is included with the museum professional registration; however, the closing reception and dinner are not included (a separate ticket for the closing reception and dinner may be purchased for $85).
For further information or to register, visit colonialwilliamsburg.org/conted or call 1-800-603-0948 from Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
