Day Trip to the Furniture Study of the Yale University Art Gallery with Curator-led Tour

Join members of the CMCH Decorative Arts Council on a special bus trip to the Furniture Study of the Yale University Art Gallery. Our visit will begin with a tour of Art and Industry in Early America: Rhode Island Furniture, 1650-1830, led by exhibit curator Patricia E. Kane, the Friends of American Arts at Yale Curator of American Decorative Arts. After a break for a delicious lunch, we will enjoy a guided tour of the Furniture Study, which houses more than 1,000 works from the Gallery’s collection of American Decorative Arts. You won’t want to miss this wonderful small group tour experience.

The bus will depart the CMCH promptly at 9:00 am and return at approximately 5:00 pm. Lunch is included with the tour.

Free for CMCH Decorative Arts Council Members

$85 for CMCH members, $100 for non-members

To register for the trip, please contact Adult Programs Manager Jenny Steadman by phone at (860) 236-5621 or email Jennifer_steadman@chs.org.

More information on the  exhibit and the Furniture Study:

The Furniture Study houses more than 1,000 works from the Gallery’s collection of American Decorative Arts. This installation of chests, tables, chairs, desks, clocks, cupboards, looking glasses, and woodturnings charts important stylistic developments in American craftsmanship and design. Since the opening of the Furniture Study in the 1960s, efforts have been made to acquire a representative selection of works that offer the opportunity for in-depth study of both stylistic development and regional differences. The Furniture Study also houses a selection of historical tools associated with woodworking and cabinetmaking. The collection is particularly strong in colonial and Federal furniture, mostly from the Mabel Brady Garvan Collection.

Art and Industry in Early America: Rhode Island Furniture, 1650–1830

August 19, 2016–January 8, 2017

This groundbreaking exhibition presents a comprehensive survey of Rhode Island furniture from the colonial and early Federal periods, including elaborately carved chairs, high chests, bureau tables, and clocks. Drawing together more than 130 exceptional objects from museums, historical societies, and private collections, the show highlights major aesthetic innovations developed in the region. In addition to iconic, stylish pieces from important centers of production like Providence and Newport, the exhibition showcases simpler examples made in smaller towns and for export. The exhibition also addresses the surprisingly broad reach of Rhode Island’s furniture production, from the boom of the export trade at the turn of the 17th century and its steady growth throughout the 18th century to the gradual decline of the handcraft tradition in the 19th century. Reflecting on one of New England’s most important artistic traditions, Art and Industry in Early America encourages a newfound appreciation for this dynamic school of American furniture making.

Exhibition organized by Patricia E. Kane, the Friends of American Arts at Yale Curator of American Decorative Arts.