Did you think everything gets quiet here when winter comes and we are only open on weekends?  You’d be surprised! Yes, of course we are still open for group tours and scout programs — but the Log House has been bustling with activity all week.  Volunteers are busily decorating for our annual Holiday Open House, taking place on the first two weekends in December.   During this event, the Log House will be decked out for the holidays in period style and with a focus on Stickley’s own ideas.  Utilizing holiday greens, pinecones, and the home’s forest palette, the decorations will bring nature indoors and spotlight the Arts and Crafts movement’s emphasis on finding beauty in simplicity and in simple materials.

For Stickley, a rich family life was a key part of his Arts and Crafts ideas, and this event addresses his values by providing a peek into Christmas preparations that would have been typical for a family like the Stickleys, including blending Victorian traditions — like making treat-bearing cornucopia and giving handmade gifts–with more modern trends. One vignette imagines Mrs. Stickley preparing to wrap a kimono, a fashionable gift–as was anything related to Japanese culture–for ladies at the time. The Christmas tree itself is a blend of Victorian and modern times, as it is wrapped with a short string of electric lights, which were the latest thing and quite expensive, but in a nod to custom, the tree also includes candles, which were traditional and still the most popular method for lighting a Christmas tree.

While celebrating the holidays, the Holiday Open House is also meant to provide respite during a hectic time of the year. On the porch of the Log House visitors will be invited to relax and enjoy hot cider and cookies, perhaps take a minute to work on a jigsaw puzzle or send holiday greeting to a friend.

 Join us for the Holiday Open House December 3-4 and 10-11 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Or come for a sneak peek at the holiday décor during our annual trunk show, which opens at 11 a.m. on Black Friday, November 25.

What’s Behind the Closed Doors? is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Welcome to the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms!  
 

This 30-acre National Historic Landmark is the centerpiece of Gustav Stickley’s early 20th century country estate.  The Stickley family’s home, known as the Log House, was built in 1911 and is one of the most significant landmarks of the American Arts and Crafts movement.  It has been restored to its 1911 appearance and is operated by the Craftsman Farms Foundation as a historic house museum.  Tours of the Log House are available year round, as well as group tours for clubs, churches, special interested groups, schools, scouts, etc.  

The Museum also offers lectures, workshops, and numerous educational programs, plus two family days each year.   Off-site exhibitions are mounted and exhibition catalogues, which include new scholarship, are produced annually.   

The Museum’s growing collection includes numerous Stickley furnishings, many which are original to the Log House, plus textiles, pottery, metalwork, and archival materials.  In addition to these priceless objects on view in the Log House, an original Stickley bungalow has been furnished with touchable Arts and Crafts furnishings.  A visit to this bungalow, known as North Cottage, allows visitors the opportunity sit in the chairs and fully experience Arts and Crafts living.  Tours of North Cottage must be books in advance. 

The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms is committed to assuring that all individuals can participate in our programs. If you require the use of assistive listening devices or other special assistance please call at least two weeks in advance.   Five handicapped parking spaces are available opposite the Museum entrance, and the building is equipped with a fully handicapped accessible bathroom.  The historic Log House walkways are gravel, but have been graded to make wheel chair access possible.

Visitor amenities include the well-stocked Museum Shop, which carries handmade Arts and Crafts style pottery, tiles, jewelry, as well as books, magazines, and Stickley Museum souvenirs.  A guidebook to the history of the site has been produced and is available on-line and in the Museum Shop.  Beverages and packaged snack food are available for purchase and picnic tables are situated throughout the site.

About is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Special holiday hours at the Stickley Museum means your gift shopping doesn’t have to be a chore. Visit the Museum Shop between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday, November 27 to discover wonderful gifts and escape the frenzy of the shopping mall. And get a free museum tree ornament for yourself with any purchase of $50 or more. Just take a quick turn off of Route 10, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by the natural beauty of Craftsman Farms, and while you’re here, join a tour and relax in the candlelit beauty of the Log House. Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends!

Special Holiday Hours is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

We are making room for new holiday merchandise in the Museum Shop by holding our largest clearance sale in years. This is your chance to scoop up some favorites at up to 50% off! Sale items include tiles, books, gifts, pottery, note cards, baseball caps, teddy bears, copperware, and much more. Stop in soon because the early bird gets the biggest selection!

This sale runs through September 30 and is in-store only and not in our web shop. Items will return to full-price on October 1. Don’t miss your chance!

Museum Shop Clearance Sale Has Favorites at 50% off! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

We know our readers will want the details on this new release on the furniture collection at Grove Park Inn by our long-time Stickley Museum member and supporter Bruce Johnson. New book details Grove Park Inn’s signature furniture collection The book will be available in our gift shop shortly. Email the Museum Shop shop@stickleymuseum.org if you’d like us to reserve one of the first copies for you.

Bruce Johnson Releases New Book is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

The Museum shop is now featuring a beautifully detailed wooden puzzle inspired by the Yoshiko Yamamoto block print of the Log House. The puzzle is exclusively produced for the Stickley Museum by Liberty Puzzles and features dozens of whimsy pieces. Don’t know what that is? Neither did we!

As it turns out, whimsy pieces, also known as figural pieces, are cut into the outline shape of a recognizable subject, such as a person or an animal. The intricacy and broad array of subject matter of these whimsies add a distinct element of charm to the overall puzzle experience.

No one knows exactly when whimsy pieces started to appear in jigsaw puzzles, although it was most likely sometime in the late 19th century. By the late 1920s figural pieces were common among numerous puzzle makers. With the advent and widespread distribution of die-cut, cardboard jigsaw puzzles, whimsy pieces became less and less common. With the exception of hand-cut jigsaw puzzles, today it is hard to find puzzles with whimsy pieces.

We’ve heard from our visitors that these whimsies make our new puzzle irresistible. Visitors have been spending time in the shop bent over the table where the puzzle is spread out—not just trying their hand at the puzzle, but shouting out, “Oh look at the piece shaped like a bird” or “The cut out of the little girl even shows her anklets.” or “Look how many flower cutouts I’ve found!”

What do you think? Have you tried the puzzle? How would you rate its quality? Is it as addictive as our visitors say?

Craftsman Farms Whimsy Puzzle is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

This year’s Annual Spring Members’ Reception will feature a lecture by Jonathan Clancy on “Pottery of the Arts and Crafts Movement.” In his lecture, arranged especially for this event by the American Art Pottery Association, Clancy will offer an overview of the movement and discuss the distinction between Art Pottery and Arts and Crafts Pottery. He will examine the major figures of the movement and the sources they looked to for inspiration.

About Our Speaker: Clancy is on the faculty of Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York, recently curated the exhibition Beauty in Common Things: American Arts and Crafts Pottery from the Two Red Roses Foundation with Martin Eidelberg. Clancy’s lecture will feature many important examples of American Arts and Crafts pottery from the collection of the Two Red Roses Foundation, which are currently on exhibit at the museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida. In addition, he will provide a summary of some of the important discoveries that were made while the exhibition and its accompanying catalog were prepared. Clancy co-authored the catalog with Eidelberg, and following the lecture, he will sign copies of the catalog in the museum shop.

Clancy received his doctorate in art history from the City University of New York’s Graduate Center in 2008 and is currently preparing a book that traces the impact of Transcendentalism on American art and culture. His article “Elbert Hubbard, Transcendentalism, and the Arts and Crafts Movement in America,” has been accepted to The Journal of Modern Craft (London) and will be published in July 2009. In addition, he has written on Rookwood Pottery, the Marblehead Potteries, and presented numerous conference papers on American Fine and Decorative Arts.

Art Pottery Lecture and Reception

Saturday, April 4 4:00 p.m.

Non-members: $12.

Members: FREE

Jonathan Clancy to Speak on Pottery of the Arts and Crafts Movement is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Our museum shop is now open year-round on weekends from 11am to 4pm.  This month the shop is featuring a big sale on Christmas cards, ornaments, calendars, books and more.

We also have many new items including tiles, pottery, books, note cards, gifts, children’s toys, and more.  Beautiful signed and numbered block prints of Craftsman Farms by Yoshiko Yamamoto of the Arts & Crafts Press http://www.artsandcraftspress.com/default.asp have just arrived.

You can be among the first to own Modern Craft Styles by Charles Stickley.   The catalogue reprint of Charles Stickley’s mission furniture was just released is finally available to collectors.  This book includes the complete 117-page Stickley & Brandt Chair Company 1911 trade catalogue, plus a 16-page illustrated history of the company and its principals, Charles Stickley and Schuyler Coe Brandt.  Most Arts and Crafts aficionados know that Charles Stickley was Gustav Stickley’s younger brother and that he made mission furniture-but that is about it.  Until publication of this book, Charles Stickley was the Stickley brother we knew the least about. Even photographs of Charles Stickley were hard to come by.  Even less was known about Charles Stickley’s business partner (and brother-in-law), Schuyler Coe Brandt.   The unabridged 1911 trade catalogue is reprinted in its original size, 9”x12”.  The catalogue shows over 200 designs of Stickley & Brandt mission furniture, including settles, settees, armchairs, side chairs, rockers, footstools, library tables, desks, tabourettes, bookcases, dining room suites and bedroom suites.

And, as always, you can find other unique items when you shop online.

Museum Shop Now Open Year Round! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

December 20 -21, from 11am – 4pm

Still buying presents? Our museum shop will be open this weekend to help you with last minute gift ideas. We have many new gift items, including Christmas ornaments, note cards, calendars, teddy bears, pottery, tiles, books and much, much more. And, as always, you can also shop online.

A Peaceful, Friendly Stop for Last-Minute Holiday Shopping is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms is the early 20th century home of Gustav Stickley, and one of the premier sites of the American Arts & Crafts Movement, which aimed at reforming society through the design of the home and its furnishings. The Farms is a National Historic Landmark and a Save America’s Treasures site. After undergoing a major restoration in 2004, the Museum is now poised to advance its mission by exploring how Stickley’s beliefs apply to life in the 21st century. Our volunteers are essential to achieving our mission to preserve and interpret this important chapter of New Jersey history. We invite you to join the Craftsman Farms “family” and make new friends, while sharing your talents, interests and skills. There are a variety of jobs available, and hours are flexible to accommodate busy schedules.

Volunteer Opportunities Include:

* Giving tours of the Log House for adults and children
* Giving special group tours for interested organizations
* Answering the telephone
* Working in the Museum Shop
* Cataloging museum files and acquisitions
* Helping to set up special events
* Helping to host/hostess special events
* Assisting with Museum mailings, including labeling and sorting
* Assisting with children’s programs
* Taking part in seasonal landscaping days

Special Rewards of Volunteering:

* 10% discount in the Museum Shop
* Invitations to special Museum events
* Invitations to the bi-annual volunteer parties
* Learning about an important moment in NJ history
* Meeting like-minded individuals as well as visitors from around the world
* Flexible hours

The Stickley Museum is open seasonally, from April 1st until mid-November, with a Holiday program three weekends in December. Hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 12 to 3 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 4 PM. Call the Volunteer Coordinator at 973-540-0311 with further questions or to indicate your interests in volunteering.

Via Volunteer at Craftsman Farms

Volunteer at Craftsman Farms! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms