It might seem odd that Ruth Appelhof is currently in Rome, assembling a book proposal on the American artist Lee Krasner. But most everything about the project embraces the improbable and the serendipitous.
Almost two years ago, when Ms. Appelhof announced her retirement from Guild Hall, she told The Star that she wanted to revisit some interviews she had taped during a summer she spent with Lee Krasner.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced today that Valerie Balint will join the organization as the new program manager of the Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios (HAHS) program, based at Chesterwood in Stockbridge, Mass. Balint’s mission is to enhance the relevance and reputation of HAHS member sites in their communities so as to contribute to a national conversation on the arts in American public life.

Beyond the quaint center of Lenox, Mass., past Gilded Age Berkshire cottages and down a winding, tree-lined path, a bright white stucco and glass building stands out against the pines: the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio. Built 75 years ago, the Bauhaus structure was home to George L.K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen, an artist couple often referred to as “Park Avenue Cubists.”

When the Roger Brown Study Collection in Chicago mounted the HAHS travelling exhibition, it augmented the show with additional works of art, a slide show in the gallery, and an on-line brochure. The Roger Brown Study Collection, established by Brown to preserve his home and studio environment as a teaching tool, is affiliated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). The HAHS exhibition, retitled “Compare and Contrast – 39 American Artists,” explores the roster of HAHS sites through the lens of Roger Brown’s ideas, critiques, and related works, in hopes of inspiring rigorous comparing and contrasting by SAIC’s faculty, students and our guests.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation named African House, located at Melrose Plantation in Natchitoches, a National Treasure. Unique in its structure and unknown purpose, the building is also home to world-renowned folk artist Clementine Hunter's murals. In naming the African House a National Treasure, the National Trust is committed to supporting the site's restoration. The National Trust's HOPE Crew ("Hands-on Preservation Experience" Crew) will address repair needs on the roof and other exteriors. HOPE Crew is an initiative of the National Trust that trains thousands of crew members in useful historic preservation skills.