The 2016 Oswaldo Rodriguez Roque Memorial Lecture and Symposium opens with a lively talk by Philip D. Zimmerman, a museum and decorative-arts consultant, author, teacher, and appraiser. Zimmerman explores the history of American furniture study, offering a unique and expert perspective on the current state of the field and illuminating the particular opportunities and challenges facing decorative-arts scholars today. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Art and Industry in Early America: Rhode Island Furniture, 1650–1830 and its accompanying symposium, Zimmerman’s keynote lecture provides a context for the more focused presentations taking place on Friday, September 16. Followed by a reception.
Lecture and symposium made possible by the Oswaldo Rodriguez Roque Memorial Lectureship Fund, established by a generous gift from the Chipstone Foundation and contributions by family, friends, and colleagues in memory of Oswaldo Rodriguez Roque, B.A. 1972, M.A. 1975, a scholar of American paintings and decorative arts.
Lecture, Studying American Furniture in the Present
Unknown chairmaker and Caleb Gardner, Jr., upholsterer, Easy Chair, Newport, 1758. Walnut (primary); maple (secondary). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mrs. J. Insley Blair, 1950, inv. no. 50.228.3 [RIF768]. Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Image Source: Art Resource, NY