Collectors' Forum - A Taste for the Past: Collecting in America

Collectors of all types – young and old, experienced and amateur – have shaped the identities of American museums and historic sites since the 19th century. Bayou Bend, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Biltmore, The Henry Ford Museum, and Old Sturbridge Village all began as private collections of objects, assembled by passionate individuals.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Kindred Spirits: A.B. Wells, C. Malcolm Watkins and the Origins of Old Sturbridge Village, the 2015 Collectors’ Forum will examine collecting in America, from its roots in the early 19th century through the present day. Join us for lectures and workshops examining the origins of collecting, as well as influences, trends, prominent personalities, and  some of the challenges collectors face in today’s market.

The Forum's Lectures will include:

Gatherers of Grandma’s Attic Treasures: The Antiquarian and the Connoisseur
Jane Nylander, President Emerita, Historic New England

Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House
Philip Hayden, Architectural Historian

“A Little Bit of Everything”: A.B. Wells, Malcom Watkins and the Origins of Old Sturbridge Village
Tom Kelleher, Historian & Curator of Mechanical Arts, Old Sturbridge Village

Developing a Collection in Today’s Marketplace
Craig and Alison Jewett, with Hollis Brodrick