Skinner, Inc. is proud to announce its sponsorship of Four Centuries of Massachusetts Furniture. Through the sponsorship, Skinner is providing financial underwriting as well as in-kind support for the exhibitions presented by the participating institutions in the Four Centuries project, including the Concord Museum, the Fuller Craft Museum, Historic Deerfield, the Massachusetts Historical Society, Old Sturbridge Village, and the Peabody Essex Museum.
Uniting these six organizations with five others, including Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library; Historic New England; the Colonial Society of Massachusetts; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the North Bennet Street School, Four Centuries of Massachusetts Furniture began in March 2013 at the Winterthur Furniture Forum and extends into 2015. The project includes three symposia, two major books, an online database of Boston furniture, dozens of public events, as well as six exhibitions for which Skinner is providing corporate sponsorship. These eleven institutions have come together in an unprecedented collaboration that celebrates furniture-making in the Bay State while simultaneously furthering the cause of scholarship and research in this area.
Skinner is pleased to be involved as a corporate partner with the exhibitions related to Four Centuries of Massachusetts Furniture, which begin this week with “The Best Workman in the Shop: Cabinetmaker William Munroe of Concord” at the Concord Museum. Continuing through 2015, the exhibitions promise a diverse and wonderful range of insights into Massachusetts furniture and the lives of its makers for both antiques connoisseurs and students of American history, and include “Furniture Masterworks: Tradition and Innovation in Western Massachusetts” at Historic Deerfield, “The Cabinetmaker and Carver: Boston Furniture from Private Collections” at the Massachusetts Historical Society, “Made in Massachusetts: Studio Furniture of the Bay State” at the Fuller Craft Museum, “Delightfully Designed: The Furniture and Life of Nathan Lombard” at Old Sturbridge Village, and “Hidden in Plain Sight: Revealing the Masterworks of Nathaniel Gould” at the Peabody Essex Museum.
“Four Centuries of Massachusetts Furniture is a groundbreaking new collaboration among eleven cultural institutions, and Skinner is very pleased to sponsor the exhibitions presented as a part of the project,” said Karen Keane, CEO, Skinner, Inc. “The common goal of the project is to document and share with the public the impact of Massachusetts on furniture-making in America from the earliest years of British settlement to the present.”
“Skinner has certainly played a significant role in bringing many fine examples of Massachusetts furniture to market,” said Brock Jobe, Professor of American Decorative Arts at Winterthur. “The enthusiastic response from Karen Keane and her colleagues, and Skinner’s commitment to supporting the exhibitions, have been key elements in the success of Four Centuries of Massachusetts Furniture.”
More information: skinnerinc.com
