More Details Announced For Craftsman Farms Celebration

It's shaping up to be one of the most memorable Arts & Crafts weekends of the year.

On October 15-16, the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms will be hosting a number of exciting events marking the centennial of Gustav Stickley's Log House in Morris Plains, NJ. Their event coincides with the first leg of the traveling exhibition, "Gustav Stickley and the American Arts & Crafts Movement," at the Newark Museum from September 15-January 2.

Beginning at 11:15am on Friday, October 15, guided tours of Craftsman Farms will be available, along with a special tour of recent restoration projects and new acquisitions at 5:00pm and 6:00pm. Pre-registration is required for the two special tours.

At 7:00pm Friday evening, author Leslie M. Freudenheim will present a seminar on the San Francisco Swedenborgian Church, considered to be one of the most important early Arts & Crafts commissions. This will take place at Craftsman Farms. Pre-registration is required since seating is limited.

On Saturday, October 16 the Newark Museum will be hosting a symposium from 10:00am until 2:30pm entitled "Honest & Beautiful: The Arts & Crafts Home in America." Three leading speakers will be featured that day: Ulysses Grant Dietz ("The Victorian Roots of the Arts & Crafts Movement"), Kevin Tucker ("Gustav Stickley and the Arts & Crafts Home in America") and Joseph Cunningham ("The Artistic Furniture of Charles Rohlfs").

The cost of the symposium is $15 for Craftsman Farms members and $25 for non-members.

That evening the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms will host a Gala Homecoming at the nearby historic Mountain Lakes Club. The festivities will include cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, dinner, a silent auction, a live auction and dancing.

The evening will also mark the presentation of the Als Ik Kan Award, which will be given to John H. Bryan, retired chairman and chief executive officer of the Sara Lee Corporation. Mr. Bryan has long been recognized for his philanthropic contributions in the arts both in this country and abroad. He has an extensive collection of Arts & Crafts furnishings at his home, Crab Tree Farm, and has been a longtime supporter of the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms.

For more detailed information on the weekend's activities, please go to http://www.stickleymuseum.org.

For information on the Gustav Stickley exhibition, please go to http://www.newarkmuseum.org.

- Bruce Johnson