Oak Saw Horses, Gustav Stickley, The Craftsman Workshop, c. 1910

During the six years they lived at Craftsman Farms, the Stickley family hosted weddings, dances, parties and other occasions with many guests; the girls’ threw lively dances often inviting friends from out of town, Stickley’s daughters had their weddings on the property, among other events and gatherings.  Now, we have a new clue as to how these soirées took place.

In 1971, Arts and Crafts scholar, Robert Judson Clark interviewed Barbara Wiles, Gustav Stickley’s daughter.  Barbara told him her father had the factory make a collapsible table to be used during social events or any time a large number of people were dining in the log house.  The tabletops were likely oak planks, butted together like a typical Craftsman tabletop, but they were supported on elegant Craftsman saw horses.  During a visit to Craftsman Farms at around the same time, Clark found a pair of those saw horses still present, and acquired them from the Farnys, who owned the Farms at the time.  They supported his desk for the next twenty years before he sold them to distinguished Stickley scholar, David Cathers, who for the past twenty-one years used them to support his desk.  Now, wanting to share these unique pieces with others, Cathers had new supports made for his desk and he and his wife Susan kindly donated the pair to the Farms.

The saw horses represent a form traditionally reserved for the carpenter’s workshop; a straight long bar supported by four canted legs joined by an “H” stretcher.  Here, Stickley has cleverly adapted this common form into beautiful and unique pieces of furniture for his home.  The tenons on each saw horse come through the legs at an unusual angle to compensate for the slant of the A-frame and the keys are elongated and visible, emphasizing its structural qualities.  They are held together at the top with metal fasteners, presumably so they could be readily disassembled and put away until they were needed next, and are finished in a mellow medium brown.  They are unique examples of Craftsman furniture made specifically for Craftsman Farms, and according to experts, are the only known Craftsman saw horses in existence.

Now, once again residing where they did 100 years ago, these saw horses offer some additional insight into the Stickley family’s social life at Craftsman Farms, how they lived and entertained,  and the many parties, dinners, dances, and weddings that the family hosted while they lived here.

The saw horses will be on view at The Stickley Museum in the future.  Please watch for the announcement.

A Glimpse of Social Life at Craftsman Farms is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

The Log House at Craftsman Farms, March 2012. Photo by Ray Stubblebine.

Spring has sprung at Craftsman Farms!  Beginning this week, the museum and shop will be open for expanded hours on weekdays. 

Thanks to your recent and steady support, the Stickley Museum is now open from 11 to 4 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays YEAR ROUND.

As recently as 2009 the museum was only open seasonally and was closed entirely between November 15 and April 1.  Since then we have been able to open on weekends year round, but Friday hours had been limited to noon to 3 in the warm weather and there had been no Friday hours at all throughout the winter months.

The Stickley Museum is an independent 501(c)3 organization and does not receive operating support from the Township or State budgets.   It is the continued support and generous contributions of our funders and members that has made our expanded hours possible.  THANK YOU!

Additionally, we will be open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12 – 3 p.m. with tours at 12:15 and 1:45 through November 15.

EXPANDED HOURS THANKS TO YOU! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

"Mr. Stickley's Lighting" Exhibition at the 25th Annual Arts & Crafts Conference.

At this year’s Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference, the Stickley Museum introduced the 5th installment in our “Mr. Stickley” exhibition series: “Mr. Stickley’s Lighting.” The series continues to examine different aspects of Gustav Stickley’s career, and this year’s focus on lighting is one of the most popular!

We began with an exhibition in the Great Hall of the Grove Park Inn for the duration of the conference. Although space limitations meant the exhibition was not comprehensive, it included a wide variety of examples of Stickley’s lighting in the form of lamps, lanterns, sconces, and candlesticks, using a variety of different materials including wood, pottery, hammered copper, brass, and iron. Lampshades made of wicker, split bamboo, silk, linen, and glass also helped to fully illustrate Stickley’s approach to lighting design.

On Saturday night of the conference, trustees Mark Weaver and Pete Mars led a small group discussion that was attended by 67 people! The discussion related Stickley’s lighting designs to its historical and cultural context – lighting in American homes in the early part of the 20th century and the psychological and esthetic impact of interior electric lighting at that time. Of course, you can’t talk about early electricity without mentioning Thomas Edison, the man who brought us the electric light bulb. Interestingly both his labs in Menlo Park and his home in Llewellyn Park were reasonably close to Stickley’s Craftsman Farms.

Twilight Tour

We continued to explore Mr. Stickley’s lighting with “An Electric Evening” on Sunday, March 4.  The evening began with the return of Pete Mars’ Twilight Tour. This tour gave participants a glimpse of evening life during the time the Stickleys were in residence at the Log House. Pete further explored the development of electric lighting within the context of Craftsman Farms, and illuminated the features of the Log House design that shine most beautifully in the evening light. Anyone who has had the chance to visit the Log House knows that, although quite dimly lit, the soft glow created by the amber glass and copper lanterns does give one a distinct feeling of warmth and calm.

Mark Weaver lectures on Mr. Stickley's Lighting during "An Electric Evening."

Following the tour, Mark Weaver’s “Mr. Stickley’s Lighting” lecture shed some additional light on Stickley’s approach to developing his domestic lighting fixtures. For example, Stickley used lampshades as both the means to achieve a desired lighting effect and as a prominent design feature in a room. He favored Japanese wicker shades of split bamboo or willow lined with heavy Habutai silk in soft rich shades of red, green, dull yellow, or orange.  Domestic light came from a variety of fuel sources. As seen in the Log House, electricity, oil, candles, and denatured alcohol – or ethanol – were all used in lighting at the time.

For further reading, the exhibition catalogue – “Mr. Stickley’s Lighting” – is available for purchase on our website.

And be sure to check out this great video with clips from Pete’s tour!  Many thanks to David Lowden for the video.

Twilight Tour of The Stickley Museum led by Pete Mars.

It’s Electric! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

An object on loan to us may spend months or even years on view.  But eventually all good things must come to an end.  These objects in time may leave the museum and return to their owners where they will be cherished and enjoyed in a different setting.  Such is the case with the hexagonal library table, a Stickley piece – similar in design to the table originally in the home – that has been on view in the living room of the Log House for the past few years.

We were fortunate to have the table for as long as we did, but soon enough it will be on its way back to Bill and Patsy Porter.  But not to worry.  Thanks to the generosity of Stephen Gray, a “new” hex table has already taken its place.

Wednesday afternoon this newly loaned hexagonal library table arrived at the Farms after a long journey.   Ensuring the safety of an object during travel is always the top priority in these circumstances.  An object in transit can face any number of unpredictable mishaps.  So, to best avoid any bumps and bruises along the way, the table had been generously cushioned with moving blankets, secured in place, and of course, handled with great care.  Upon arrival, handlers carefully unloaded the table onto the porch of the Log House where it was unpacked and examined for damage by the chair of the museum’s collections committee.  Finding none, the table was situated in the living room and interpreted to reflect the documented appearance of the space in 1911.  Fortunately, our precious cargo had been carefully transported and arrived unscathed!

With almost identical dimensions to the previous table, this is an early, rare Stickley hexagonal oak library table from 1901, withthe original leather top.  It was featured in the noted Wadsworth Athenium exhibition, At Home With Gustav Stickley: Arts & Crafts From the Stephen Gray Collection. The exhibition ran from October 11, 2008 to January 4, 2009. The table is illustrated in the exhibition catalog on page 53 and can also be seen behind Mr. Gray in a photo on page 10.

The new hex table is now on view in the Living Room of theLog House.  The previous table has been temporarily relocated to the dining room until its departure from the Farms at the end of the month, offering visitors the rare opportunity to personally compare the construction and design of the two tables.

Library Table #410, c. 1901
Oak, leather
Gustav Stickley
Eastwood NY
30” x 48”

Can you Spot the Differences? is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

You are invited to our Annual GPI Kick-Off Party!  Come to the 25^th Annual Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference a day early and kick off the weekend with an evening of casual fun and entertainment in the Homespun Shops of Biltmore Industries, just steps from GPI.

Join us on Thursday, February 16 for the festivities.  Begin the evening at our welcome table in the Estes-Winn Memorial Automobile Museum (open just for us!), enjoy local beers and wines during cocktail hour, and choose one of two seatings to indulge in a dinner menu that embraces the regional fare.

Author, historian, and art-potter, Rodney Leftwich, will speak on the pottery tradition of Western North Carolina.

But that’s not all! The North Carolina, bluegrass string-band Country Farm, is sure to liven things up even more with toe-tapping performances throughout the evening.

We’ll cap off this enjoyable evening with a fascinating lecture by our featured speaker, well-known author, historian and art potter Rodney Leftwich.  A native of Western North Carolina, Rodney Leftwich is a full-time potter, deeply inspired by the history of North Carolina pottery.  He exhibits his work at GPI each year, has written numerous articles and essays on art pottery, and has personally researched and collected works by the region’s early potters.  His talk, The Pottery Tradition of Western North Carolina, will cover a range of topics including the utilitarian origins of art pottery in the Asheville area, and the works of Walter B. Stephen and Oscar Bachelder.

Your all-inclusive party ticket includes: museum and gallery visit, cocktails, live music, pottery lecture by Rodney Leftwich, dinner and dessert. Tickets are $140 each.

Download the Reservation Form here or check our website for more information.  Advanced reservations are required! So don’t wait!

North Carolina bluegrass string-band, Country Farm, will perform at this year's GPI Kick-Off Party!

Don’t Miss this Pull-Out-the-Stops Good Time! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

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

Great news! The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms blog is listed on Art.Alltop.com,  an online magazine rack of top arts-related feeds. We’re really pleased to be included!

Stickley On Alltop is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Want to know as soon as we publish new content? You can now add the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms to your favorite feedreader by subscribing to our feed. Or you can get our blog updates in your inbox when you subscribe to The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms Blog by email.

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Photographers Monika Broz and David Mielcarek took some gorgeous engagement photos for Clancy and David at the Stickley Museum at Craftman Farms!

You can see more photos in their gallery or on MadLoveBlog.

If these have inspired you to have your own engagements pictures at Craftsman Farms, contact Pete Mars at 973-540-0311 or email info@stickleymuseum.org

Engagement Photos At Craftsman Farms is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

I discovered this great collection of photos of the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms on Scott’s blog. Great pictures of a Craftsman Farms daytrip!

For more pictures, or to add your own, visit our Flickr pool!

Stickley Museum Photos is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms