(Oneida, NY) The Oneida Community Mansion House presents a series of free talks on decorative arts in the Big Hall of the Mansion House at 7 p.m. on three successive Wednesdays in September.
On Sept. 16, Oneida Community Mansion House Curator Tony Wonderleywill kick off the series with “1913 at the Mansion House: From Decorative Arts to Jump-Starting Sherrill.”
This illustrated talk focuses on the events of a single year which witnessed Oneida Community Limited’s transfer of silverware from Niagara Falls to Sherrill, the company’s global promotional efforts including advertising art by Coles Phillips, and various local developments in decorative art and architecture. A wide range of historical materials and objects evoking the year will be on display.
On Sept. 23, Robert Cassetti, Senior Director of the Corning Museum of Glass presents “The Origins and History of Contemporary Glass.” Cassetti joined the museum in 1999 and was named Senior Director in 2007.Cassetti is, himself a glass designer and worked in that capacity for 10 years with Steuben Glass; is an author of articles appearing in the New York Times, Architecture, and Architectural Record; and—not least—Fire Commissioner and Trustee of the Village of Trumansburg, NY.
Anna D’Ambrosia, Director and Chief Curator of the Munson Williams Proctor Art Institute will present “Affordable Luxury: New York Parlor Suites” on Sept. 30.
In the second half of the 19th-century, New York City emerged as an epicenter of fashion, including interior design. Using period images and primary documents, this illustrated program will explore the transition from stuffy, overly ornate parlors of the 1850s to the radical, austere style of the early 20th century.
D’Ambrosio is a recognized expert in 19th-century decorative arts and an award-winning designer of exhibits. Her 1999 book, Masterpieces of American Furniture from the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute won the Victorian Society in America’s prestigious award for furniture scholarship.
A National Historic Landmark, the Oneida Community Mansion House was once home to the 19th century utopian Oneida Community (1848-1880). Today, the building houses a museum with permanent and changing exhibitions, residential apartments, overnight lodging, and banquet and meeting space. Guided tours are available Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. for a nominal fee.
The Oneida Community Mansion House is located at 170 Kenwood Ave., Oneida.
For information call 315-363-0745 or visit www.oneidacommunity.org.