For a second year, in celebration of National Preservation Month, HAHS and the Florence Griswold Museum hosted a virtual three-part series of curated pairings of talks and guided conversation focused on the future of historic house and studio interpretation.
These free, 90-minute live-stream presentations were designed to foster discussion, inviting public audiences into dialogues that are often restricted to conversations among professional peers.
This year we focused on how sites address self-examination in their ongoing strategic planning and interpretation, and how they are reacting to contemporary issues such as climate change.




Friday, May 13, 2022 AT 3 pm
Week 1: Climate Change and Sustainability
“Art, Innovation, and the Power of the Sun”

Stephanie Soldner
Director
Soldner Center, Aspen, CO
Paul Soldner loved the sun. The pioneering ceramicist, teacher, teacher, founder of Anderson Ranch Center, inventor, and self-taught green builder employed the sun’s power, energy, light, and symmetry, in both his artwork and in the design and construction of his home and studio. Paul and his wife, Ginny, hand-built their creative spaces spanning 40 years and incorporated local, natural, and recycled materials whenever possible. Now, daughter Stephanie is carrying forward their legacy.
“And the Creek Don’t Rise: Steps to Sustaining Endangered Properties”

Amanda C. Burdan
Senior curator
The Brandywine River Museum of Art Chadds Ford, PA
The Brandywine River Museum of Art, which maintains the historic homes and studios of the Wyeth family of artists, was severely impacted by the unprecedented flooding of Hurricane Ida in September 2021. In an institution with a mandate to protect both the environment and art, what happens when the two come into conflict? Although the historic homes and studios of the Wyeth family of artists are located out of harm’s way – for now – this talk outlines precautions being undertaken to ensure their future safety.




Friday, May 20, 2022 at 3 pm
Week 2: Re-examining Site Interpretation
“Emphasizing the Experience: Reinterpreting the Winslow Homer Studio”

Christian Adame
Peggy L. Osher Director of Learning and Community Collaboration
Portland Museum of Art, Portland, ME
How do we center visitor immersion within historic spaces? How do we bring historic spaces to life? In this talk, hear about how the Portland Museum of Art designed and implemented a refreshed visitor experience and interpretative approach at the Winslow Homer Studio in Prouts Neck, Maine.
“Future/Past: Reimagining Audience Engagement at the Wharton Esherick Museum”

Emily Zilber
Director of Curatorial Affairs and Strategic Partnerships
Wharton Esherick Museum, Malvern, PA
How does an organization develop interpretation and programming that celebrates its 50-year history as a public institution and points towards the possibilities for its future? This talk will focus on the questions that the Wharton Esherick Museum has asked itself as it reimagines audience engagement and continuing impact on contemporary creatives.




Friday, May 27, 2022 at 3 pm
Week 3: Amplifying Voices
“Centering Native Artistic Traditions in the Home of an Anglo American Painter”

David Burton
Director
Grace Hudson Museum, Ukiah, CA
From its beginnings, the core narrative of the Grace Hudson Museum & Sun House has focused on the relationship of Anglo-American painter Grace Carpenter Hudson (1865-1937) and Pomo peoples, who were the predominant subject matter of Hudson’s artwork. Hudson’s success as a professional artist was established in the final decade of the 19th century, when her portraits of Pomo children and adults, and scenes of Pomo cultural life, became popular. Situated in Ukiah, the seat of Mendocino County, the museum is within easy reach of a dozen or more Pomo communities. That does not necessarily guarantee that those communities will become engaged, let alone develop an affection for the institution. In this presentation, museum director, David Burton, will explore how the core narrative has expanded and been refined, through research, the growth of its collections, and conscious and pro-active efforts to bring Pomo peoples into the life of the museum and the stories it tells.
“A Japanese Gentleman: Japonisme and the Legacy of Genjiro Yeto at the Bush-Holley House”

Maggie Dimock
Curator of Exhibitions and Collections
Greenwich Historical Society, Cos Cob, CT
Now open to the public under the stewardship of the Greenwich Historical Society, in the late 19th century the Bush-Holley House in Cos Cob, Connecticut, was the center a flourishing art colony. Josephine and Edward Holley moved their family into the ca. 1730 colonial saltbox in 1882 and began running a boardinghouse, frequented by several of the leading painters of the American Impressionist movement, including John Henry Twachtman, Childe Hassam, J. Alden Weir and Theodore Robinson, as well as many of their students and followers. Among this group of young aspiring artists was Japanese immigrant Genjiro Yeto (1867-1924), the son of a porcelain factory owner who came to the United States in 1890. Yeto found his passion in painting and built his career in the United States as an illustrator. This talk will offer details and reflections on how Yeto, his legacy, and his presence in Cos Cob have been explored and interpreted for visitors to the Bush-Holley House.
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