The Decorative Arts Trust

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The Decorative Arts Trust

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The Decorative Arts Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes awareness, encourages appreciation, and champions the study of the decorative arts and material culture through educational programs, communications, and grantmaking.

07/31/2026

𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬: 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘖𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 is a visually stunning celebration of America’s spirit through ordinary, surprising, and overlooked handcrafted objects spanning more than 250 years. The title is the official book of Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, Craft in America’s nationwide initiative in which the Decorative Arts Trust is a participating organization.

Edited by Emily Zaiden, Director and Lead Curator of the Craft in America Center, with a foreword by Carol Sauvion, the visionary behind the Peabody Award–winning series 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 on PBS, the book features contributions from Glenn Adamson, Alexandra Alevizatos Kirtley, Nonie Gadsden, Monica Obniski, Roberto Lugo, Mira Nakashima, and Decorative Arts Trust Executive Director Matthew A. Thurlow as well as many more scholars and makers.

Read more about 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 in this 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 post: https://decorativeartstrust.org/handwork-book-post.

07/24/2026

Have you heard of Functional Fashions? In the mid-20th century, Shannon Rodgers designed for disability under Jerry Silverman’s brand, Jerry Silverman, Inc., collaborating with the nonprofit Clothing Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) on an accessible clothing line. Rodgers created at least 23 Functional Fashions in his Parisian-style silhouettes, and as the businessman of the brand, Silverman also sat on the CRDF board.

Natalie Wright received a Decorative Arts Trust Research Grant to study Functional Fashions at the Kent State University Museum and Kent State’s Special Collections and Archives. Read about her discoveries in this new 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 post: https://decorativeartstrust.org/functional-fashions-post.

Pictured: Natalie Wright (left) and Dr. Sara Hume (right) examining a 1966 Jerry Silverman, Inc. Functional Fashions dress from Wright’s own collection; Shannon Rodgers (1911–96) for Jerry Silverman (1910–84), Dress (Detail), 1969, American. Silk and wool with rhinestones. Kent State University Museum, gift of Mrs. James Spearman, 1987.077.0002 ab. Photo by Natalie Wright; Marian Stephenson (photographer, 1896–1973) for the Clothing Research and Development Foundation, Virginia Connors (model, 1923–96) wearing Jerry Silverman, Inc., 1969. Image courtesy of Natalie Wright and Mary Joan Connors.

07/22/2026

Save the dates: Our Spring 2027 Symposium in Houston will be held April 14–18! Explore staggering collections at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), dazzling European decorative arts at Rienzi, Ima Hogg’s celebrated American material culture collection at Bayou Bend, and outstanding examples of Modern architecture.

See https://decorativeartstrust.org/houston-symposium-2027 to learn more. As a reminder, members at the Ambassador and Champion levels receive the first opportunity to register. We hope to see you in Houston!

Pictured: Rienzi, the MFAH house museum for European decorative arts.

07/17/2026

Our final day in Canada was full of incredible sites! As well as an out-of-hours tour of the Quebec Parliament Building (images 1–5), built 1877–86 based on designs by architect Eugène-Étienne Taché, we enjoyed curator-led experiences in the National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec (images 6–9) and an exploration of the Quebec Craft Center (MMAQ) with Director Thierry Plante-Dubé (images 10–14).

Historian David Mendel's walking tour of Upper Town included the 1800–04 Holy Trinity Cathedral (images 15–17), the late-18th-century Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec (image 18.), the Seminary of Quebec (image 19), and the The Joan of Arc Garden in The Battlefields Park on the Plains of Abraham (image 20).

Thank you for following along with our Sojourn to Quebec! Would you like to join one of our tours? See our calendar of upcoming programs at https://decorativeartstrust.org/calendar-of-events.

07/16/2026

Our second day of touring took us from Montreal to Quebec City, and we would love to highlight some standout sites for you!

The Château Dufresne mansion complex in Montreal (images 1–9) was constructed between 1915 and 1918 by Montreal architects Jules Renard and Maurice Perrault for brothers Marius Dufresne and Oscar Dufresne. The interiors were decorated by French artist and designer Guido Nincheri and other craftsmen who produced painted ceilings, murals, stained glass, carved woodwork, and ornamental plasterwork. The museum’s collection includes furniture, ceramics, textiles, clocks, and silver.

The Ursuline Monastery and Museum is perched on the brow of a hill overlooking Quebec City’s historic Upper Town. The first convent on the site was built in 1641–42, and the present complex was developed in phases between 1687 and 1850 after damage from several fires. Original timber framing, woodwork, staircases, roof structures, and metalwork have been carefully preserved. The magnificent chapel altar (images 10–12), completed in 1730 by Noël and Pierre-Noël Levasseur, is a masterpiece of French Canadian wood sculpture.

The monastery museum (images 13–20), located in the former house of Madame de La Peltrie, an important benefactor of the Ursulines, was first opened to the public in 1936. The 17th- to 19th-century embroidery collection is especially impressive, as well as displays of religious objects, furnishings, and Indigenous artifacts. The final image is reminiscent of the Decorative Arts Trust's own logo!

Rounding out the day was an amazing lecture about Quebec City with historian David Mendel, at our Quebec City headquarters, the famed Fairmont Le Château Frontenac hotel!

07/15/2026

We're in Quebec! Our Summer Sojourn began in Montreal, with a fascinating walking tour with architectural historian Justin Bur followed by a captivating lecture by Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Curator of Decorative Arts and Design Philippe Halbert at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

The first full day of touring featured guided visits to standout sites in Montreal. Executive Director André Delisle welcomed us to Château Ramezay (images 1–4), an early-18th-century site that stands as one of Montreal’s oldest surviving examples of French colonial architecture.

Philippe Halbert and former curator Rosalind Pepall led out-of-hours tours at the MMFA (images 5–16) and the stunning 1894 Bourgie Hall. Highlights included a late-18th-century commode, a late-18th-century chalice by Robert Cruikshank, an 1810-17 silver pax attributed to Salomon Marion, and 𝘈 𝘝𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘤 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦 𝘋𝘦 𝘓𝘦́𝘷𝘺 by Cornelius Krieghoff (1863).

The Canadian Centre for Architecture features the Shaughnessy House, seen in images 17–18, a Second Empire-style mansion that dates to 1874–75.

Noel Guyomarc’h graciously hosted us at his gallery and shared objects from his personal jewelry and decorative arts collection (images 19–20).

07/09/2026

The Wadsworth is home to a rare, 17th-century leather jerkin, also known as a buff coat. Made from animal hide (likely bovine), the garment was a form of armor and offered protection in combat. Contemporary accounts describe buff coats repelling arrows and sword strikes. For example, in a 1637 account, American colonial militia leader Captain John Underhill wrote of a “buffe coat” stopping an arrow during a skirmish.

Thanks to a Dean F. Failey Grant from the Decorative Arts Trust, the Wadsworth has conserved this buff coat and prepared it for display during the exhibition 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺: 𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴, on view through September 27, 2026.

Read more and see before-and-after pictures in this new post in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯: https://decorativeartstrust.org/wadsworth-leather-jerkin-post.

Pictured: Johanna Tower of Windsor Conservation examines the buff coat during conservation treatment. Photo by Maria Baranova.

07/07/2026

Save the date to join us in California, where we will soak in the sun and historic sites of the Monterey Peninsula! March 17–21, 2027, are the dates for this Sojourn encompassing Carmel-by-the-Sea, Pacific Grove, and Monterey, where we will uncover the legacy of early California settlers and visionaries with expert guides leading the way. This intimate experience offers rare access and rich insights into one of the most enchanting corners of the Pacific coast.

See https://decorativeartstrust.org/carmel-by-the-sea-sojourn-2027 for more information. As a reminder, Decorative Arts Trust members at the Ambassador and Champion levels receive first opportunity to register.

Pictured: Carmel Mission Basilica.

07/02/2026

On Collecting250.org, enjoy a glimpse of American craftsmanship during the revolutionary era!

Image 1: This silver hot water urn was made by Richard Humphreys and engraved by James Smither in Philadelphia in 1774. The urn was presented to Charles Thomson, Secretary of the First Continental Congress, and is the earliest documented work of art made in colonial British North America in the Neoclassical style. (Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1977-88-1.)

Image 2: This Pennsylvania-made Kleiderschrank (clothes press) is notable for its extraordinary decorations that show the name of its owner, Georg Huber of Manheim, PA, and the date it was made, 1779. (Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1957-30-1, photo by Gavin Ashworth.)

Image 3: Deborah Loomis Brace created this bed rug around 1772 in Torrington, CT. At that time, bedding textiles were often the most expensive item in the home. These works were made from loops of yarn sewn to or looped through a loosely woven backing. (Yale University Art Gallery, 1934.378.)

Image 4: This chest (or caja) was built between 1775 and 1825 in the Rio Abajo Region of what is now New Mexico. Furniture-making flourished in colonial New Mexico in the 18th and early 19th centuries, as Spanish missionaries and settlers waged a contested existence alongside Indigenous groups. The chest’s heraldic designs epitomize Hispanic culture in this remote area, which was tethered to New Spain via the trade route known as El Camino Real. (Yale University Art Gallery, 2000.83.1.)

Image 5: Born about 1720, Cesar Chelor is the earliest documented Black planemaker in Colonial America. Chelor learned the art of plane making from his enslaver, Francis Nicholson. When Nicholson died, his will emancipated Chelor and provided him with woodworking tools and land. Chelor continued to work as an independent planemaker in Wrentham, MA, for the following 30 years. This late-18th-century plane is stamped “CE CHELOR LIVING IN WRENTHAM.” (Historic Deerfield, 2022.9, photo by Penny Leveritt.)

See Collecting250.org for more!

07/01/2026

Registration is open for our New Orleans Sojourn: https://decorativeartstrust.org/new-orleans-2026. We explore the city and environs on November 10–14, and then we offer an optional tour of river road plantations on November 14–15.

Founded in 1718 as a French outpost on the Mississippi River, New Orleans has served as an important economic and cultural hub for 300 years under successive waves of European and American rule. The traditions, superstitions, and material cultures of French, Spanish, Creole, and African residents weave together into a jubilant tapestry of life on the water, lived out loud.

Friends and experts guide us on tours through the enchanting architecture of the French Quarter, the alluring beauty of the Garden District, and distinguished museum collections. Experience the extraordinary sights and sounds of the Crescent City as never before in an unforgettable exploration of the region’s diverse culture.

See https://decorativeartstrust.org/new-orleans-2026 to learn more and to register. Don’t delay: this program will sell out quickly!

Pictured: St. Louis Cathedral, French Quarter, Historic New Orleans Collection Merieult House photo by Steve Sweet, Oak Alley Plantation photo by Ron Paul, Longue Vue, Newcomb Museum of Art photo by Harriet Sophie, Newcomb Museum of Art 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 exhibition, New Orleans Museum of Art.

Address

206 West State Street, Suite 300
Media, PA
19063

Telephone

+16106274970

Website

http://www.decorativeartstrust.org/

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