If you've never attended an Eastfield workshop, consider attending this year. It is an experience you will never forget. The speakers are all top-notch, and it is a rare opportunity for hands-on, in-depth learning in the inspirational Eastfield setting. I've included all the listings for 2012, but highlight the listing for the Ceramics Collectors, Collections, and Connoisseurship, & New Scholarship workshop below. Eastfield workshops are extremely popular, so if you are interested in signing up or learning more the ceramics workshops or any of the other ones, let Don Carpentier know right away at [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. The signup form is also included below. Note that you can stay on-site at Eastfield essentially for FREE.
Hope to see you at Eastfield! Feel free to contact me off-list if you have questions about the workshop or if you'd like a "testimonial."
Terry Majewski (an Eastfield alum)
EASTFIELD VILLAGE WORKSHOP 2012
Workshops for 2012
1. Tinsmithing I
June 4-8 (5 Days) Limit: 8 students
Fee: $440.00
An introduction to the art of tinning designed to provide a basic working knowledge of the late 18th & early 19th century tinning tools, construction techniques & pattern layout. The history of American tinning is covered. Students construct several pieces of tin ware based on traditional designs, using period tools & methods.
William McMillen, Master Tinsmith, Glenmont NY
2. Historic Cemetery Preservation
June 11-13 (3 Days) Limit 12 Students
Fee: $375.00
This program will focus on the proper care, maintenance and repair of historic headstones in old cemeteries. We will begin with lectures showing recent work that the instructor has done and show the steps involved in the process. He will also explain how to evaluate and make a plan for the work that needs to be done. Following these lectures the students will be taught, both by demonstrations and actual hands-on work, how to properly clean and repair old headstones. Several old cemeteries will be visited that are near Eastfield and students will be able to work on some of the early headstones in the cemetery in front of the church at Eastfield. All materials will be supplied. Participants are encouraged to bring photos from their local cemeteries for discussion.
Joe Ferrannini, Proprietor of Grave Stone Matter, Hoosick Falls, NY
3. Tinsmithing II
June 11-15 (5 days) Limit 8 students Fee: $475.00
This course is designed for those who already have experience & a good basic knowledge of construction methods as well as the use of standard tin tools. Students have access to a large collection of tin sconces, lanterns, chandeliers, candle sticks, crooked spout coffee pots, roasting kitchens, etc. which they are invited to examine, measure & copy with the expert help of the instructor. All tools & tin are supplied for the workshop but participants are encouraged to bring examples of tin ware & tools for examination, discussion & use.
William McMillen, Master Tinsmith, Glenmont NY
4. Traditional Rush Seats
June 15-17 (3Days) Limit 6 Students
Fee: $275.00
Through demonstrations and first-hand experience, the participants are introduced to the methodology used to weave natural rush seats. Each student is supplied with enough materials to finish a small-sized chair. Students are expected to bring their own small chair that was constructed originally to have a rush seat, and it must have a structurally sound frame that is ready to be re-rushed. The harvesting of natural rush will be discussed.
Bob Shields, Independent Craftsman, Nassau, NY
5. Ceramics Collectors, Collections, Connoisseurship, & New Scholarship
June 22-24 (3Days) Fee: $465.00
There are many collectors of early pottery in the world, but to some collectors ceramics are far more than just rooms full of pretty pots. It's those special collectors that understand the value of learning all that they can about the items they have selected, and who are willing to share their research with all of us in articles, books and museum exhibitions. These collectors often do research where museum professionals rarely have either budgets or time for these kinds of accomplishments. Fortunately, curators, archaeologists, and collectors today interact like never before with collectors contributing their independent research and discoveries through forums like this at Eastfield and in periodic journals from the Chipstone Foundation, the American Ceramic Circle, the English Ceramic Circle, and the Northern Ceramic Society. This program will look at some of these exceptional scholar collectors and dealers, the objects they've found, and the contributions they have made to the field of historic ceramic research while also commenting on the place of connoisseurship in scholarly collecting.
Lectures will include:
Bob Teitelman's story of his quest for the best British creamwares with American interest. Pat Halfpenny, retired director of collections at the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum and Gardens, Delaware. She is the former curator of ceramics there and at the Potteries Museum, Stoke-on-Trent. She is the author of numerous books on British pottery.
Jonathan Gray's scholarly approach to his collecting ceramics of the Swansea manufacturers. His search has resulted in volumes one and two of Welsh Ceramics in Context as editor and contributor and his newly-published The Cambrian Company. Jonathan is a London banker.
Andrew Baseman has a phenomenal collection of make-do repairs that was recently the focus of a New York Times article. He is a Manhattan interior designer who maintains a blog that illustrates the make-dos in his collection by category, Past Imperfect: the Art of Inventive Repair.
Louise Richardson's search for extant objects matching sherds from Strawbery Banke is just one aspect of her collecting. She will focus here on the eighteenth and early nineteenth-century matches she has made. She is a research associate at the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, historical district/museum.
Joy Hanes collects polychromed creamware and pearlware with a distinct Chinoiserie pattern. She began working in her grandmother's antique shop on Boston's Charles Street when she was a teenager and has been dealing ever since. She has a customer for the same pattern who found matching sherds in her Pennsylvania garden. Joy and her husband, Lee, run Hanes & Ruskin antiques. Joy is a contributor to Ceramics in America.
J.Garrison and Diana Stradling will swap stories of some of their more extraordinary finds and the circumstances surrounding them. They are Manhattan antiques dealers and both are published authors with a long history of scholarly research into both American and British ceramics.
Don Carpentier's search for not only British pots but the tools, molds and other artifacts used in their manufacture will be his subject. Don will also demonstrate many of the potting techniques he researched and now practices as a practical potter.
He is the founder and director of Eastfield Village, has worked on Merchant-Ivory and Martin Scorcese films, taught historic preservation at RPI & UMASS Amherst and established the first workshops of their kind teaching nineteenth-century trades and skills in the US.
Mr. and Mrs. John Vander Sande's search for British and German stonewares, delft, and Chinese Export wares. They spend much of their time researching and finding the appropriate ceramics for their 1697 home in northeastern Massachusetts. John is a retired professor at MIT.
Jonathan Rickard will discuss his thoughts on forty years of discovery in dipped wares. He is the author of Mocha and Related Dipped Wares, 1770-1939 and co-authored papers with Don Carpentier for the ACC Journal and for Ceramics in America. He is a retired advertising, marketing and public relations executive with a fine arts degree who also studied writing at Wesleyan University and ceramic history at NCS summer schools at Keele University and University College, Chester, in England
James Glenn collects 18th century "Brown Mugs and Jugs". His collecting is based on his fascination with how the common people of the first three quarters of the eighteenth century lived and how the objects themselves were developed over time. He is the author of "Brown Mugs and Jugs: A Personal Foray into the Field of Collecting," published in the 2002 volume of Ceramics in America.
6. Beginning Blacksmithing
August 6-8 (3 Days) Limit 6 Students
Fee: $375.00
This course is designed to familiarize the student with the basic techniques of Blacksmithing. The processes of drawing out, welding, upsetting, brazing, heat treating and managing the forge fire will be covered. Students will then begin by making their own set of forge tools. The remaining time will be spent on small projects of the student's choice. Olof Jansson, blacksmith for almost 30 years specializing in making items for museums and historic sites in the Capital District of NY State and the Mohawk Valley.
7. Dating of Historic Structures based on Physical Evidence
August 6-9 (4 Days) Fee: $425.00
The investigation of any Historic Structure requires a good understanding of the building's components with regard to the period style, production techniques and composition, the tools used to make them and when the components were first introduced. There is NO substitute for actually physically investigating a structure and close examination. Following a presentation of the common architectural styles prevalent in the Northeastern U.S. from 1700-1850, participants will be guided through the difficult process of recognizing architectural changes made during the lifespan of a building.
The Sessions will include:
Architectural Styles in Northeastern U.S. 1700-1850- Gilbert Vincent, Independent Scholar, Consultant, & former Director NYSHA, Cooperstown, NY
Period Building Materials and the Processes used to Manufacture Them 1700-1850- Wm. McMillen, Independent Scholar and Craftsman, Glenmont, NY and Don Carpentier, Director Eastfield and Craftsman
Fireplaces, Chimneys, Brick, Stonework, and Plaster; from the mid Atlantic States to New England- Hugh Mc Kinney, independent Scholar, Craftsman, Historic Mason, Dillsburg, PA, Wm. McMillen, and Don Carpentier
History of Moldings with a Demonstration of the use of a Molding Plane, Wm. McMillen, Don Carpentier, Robert Adam, independent Scholar, Craftsman and Founder of the Preservation Program at N. Bennett Street School, Boston, MA
Evolution of Builder's Hardware from 1700-1850- Wm. McMillen, Don Carpentier, Robert Adam
Windows, Shutters, Blinds, Doors and Paneling- Robert Adam and Wm McMillen
Timber Framing Systems from 1700-1850- Wm. Mc Millen, Don Carpentier, and Robert Adam
Roofs, Cornices, Guttering Systems, Leader Heads and Exterior Ornamental Features- Wm. McMillen, Don Carpentier, and Robert Adam
Historic Paints and Their Investigation -Brian Powell, Architectural Conservator with a particular expertise in historic paints who works with Building Conservation Associates in Boston. MA
Yardscapes and Dependencies; Summer Kitchens, Spring and Well Houses, Wood Sheds, Privies, Barns and other features in period yards- Eric Gradoia, Architectural Historian, Mesick, Cohen, Wilson, Baker Architects, Albany, NY
There will be a period Dinner served as part of the program in the Briggs tavern on the evening of Tuesday August 7th at NO additional charge.
8. Furniture Conservation- Repairing and Reproducing Period Finishes
August 13-15 (3Days) Limit 6 Students
Fee: $ 375.00
Aside from the obvious need for structural integrity of a piece of early furniture, the original surface is of major importance. The legs of a table were as much a part of the original design as the painted, grained or French Polished surface. Often the nicely aged or worn surface is very appealing to many collectors. In this program students will be shown some minor types of woodworking repairs, but this course is designed to primarily to help repair, reproduce and match appropriate surfaces for furniture that has lost the integrity of its surface.
John Kovacik, Furniture Conservator/Restorer, Little Falls, NY
9. Everyday Fabrics of the 18th Century
August 17-19 (3 days) Limit 20 Students
Fee: $185.00
What did common people wear in the 18th century? What kinds of textiles did they use every day? This three-day class will explore textile availability for clothing and household furnishings in America in the 18th century. Much of the surviving textile evidence explodes the myths about what fabrics were available for common use both as dress and for household fabrics in the 18th century. For example, surviving fragments of clothing found at the London Foundling Hospital from the 1740s to the 1770 point to the misconception about the availability of printed cotton clothing for the poor and middle class.
We will explore surviving evidence for common clothes and walk through many of the inventions and changes in technology that allowed certain fabrics to come into common use. Students will learn basic textile identification to understand fiber content, density, yarn construction, and the other physical evidence for dating textiles. We will explore primary documentation for determining availability of fabrics from inventories, probate records, and store advertisements; examine the timeline of invention and technology in textile production, including spinning, weaving and printing; and consult Don Carpentier's extensive textile and clothing collection. Students are also encouraged to bring one or two objects for identification.
Rabbit Goody, Textile Historian, Founder & Owner of Thistle Hill Weavers, and Jill Maney, Independent Scholar & Business Manager, Thistle Hill Weavers
To register for this program please CALL 518-828-2729 or email [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
10. 19th Century Graining and Marbling Techniques
August 20-21 (2 Days) Limit: Students
Fee: $425.00 This class will begin with a survey of styles, types and methods of graining and marbling used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Participants will examine a large collection of original examples of graining and marbling in Eastfield's collection. They will be familiarized with the tools and materials necessary for the work and then spend the remaining time actually working with these various techniques. Mr. Rutan will demonstrate a variety of methods that he has learned over his many years as a decorative painter. All materials will be supplied for the workshop. Kevin Rutan is the proprietor of Fe Fi Faux in Greensboro, NC and is a graduate in faux woods and faux marble from the prestigious Guegan Institute of France.
About the Workshops at Eastfield Village
We continue to offer workshops & symposia in the traditional trades & domestic arts. Our goal is to maintain the highest educational standards. In these difficult financial times, it is important for many homeowners to be able to deal with the issues of historic home maintenance & restoration on their own without hiring contractors to do the work. Even for those who can still afford to hire contractors, it is important that they be aware of the processes involved in the work to insure they are getting the highest quality workmanship on their projects.
There are a great number of research & restoration projects in the works at Eastfield & as usual, students may be involved in many phases of these projects.
Preservation Laboratory - Eastfield's collections are not available to the public. Workshop participants taking classes at the Village have access to more than twenty buildings & can study the collection of thousands of architectural elements & typical artifacts from the daily lives of early America.
In some courses students are involved in actual preservation work & have the experience of working first hand with the tools & materials of the trades being taught. The depth & detail of the courses are unique to Eastfield, since many of the courses are five days long. The emphasis is not only on lectures; many programs include extensive hands-on work. The craftsmen who teach these courses are available & happy to answer your specific questions & problems.
Unique experience - Students at Eastfield Village have come from as far as London & Alaska as well as from all over the U.S. & Canada. Museum professionals representing large institutions like Williamsburg, Cooperstown, Sturbridge, Upper Canada Village & numerous other restorations & museum facilities have also studied at the Village. The mixture of novices, whose interests are their own old houses, & museum professionals, who are looking to expand their specific skills, provides a dynamic opportunity to learn.
The lure of Eastfield is more than its curriculum. Students who take the classes at the Village are encouraged to live there during their courses. This offers a special opportunity to understand the daily lives & work of the tradesmen of the pre-industrial age. Meals may be cooked in the late-18th century kitchens. Accommodations are rope beds with straw & feather ticks. Eastfield offers an opportunity to be with others - students and teachers - of similar interests. Most evenings there are gatherings in the Briggs Tavern & lively conversations in front of a warm fireplace. We hope to have some rudimentary hot showers this season for the use of those staying at the Village.
Eastfield Origins - Eastfield Village is home to its creator, Donald Carpentier & his family. He moved the first building, a blacksmith's shop, into his father's "east field" in 1971. In the years since, Don has amassed a collection of buildings & artifacts & established the nationally known Workshops. The stated time period is 1787 - 1840 & all the buildings date from those years. They include a towering Greek Revival church, a thirteen room 18th century tavern & many smaller buildings devoted to the individual trades, including carpentry, tinsmithing, printing & shoemaking.
Lodging at Eastfield Village - One of the most intriguing facets of Eastfield's workshops is the experience of living in the Village during the class. Eastfield's taverns are available FREE OF CHARGE for those wishing to stay as our guests in early 19th century accommodations. The only requirement is that each person choosing to stay at the taverns supply 10 ten-inch white candles. Terry M. notes that there are also motels and B&Bs in the vicinity. Ask Don Carpentier or Terry for recommendations.
Tours & Special Events- Eastfield is now open, by appointment for tours by groups of 10 or more and available to rent for special events like weddings, meetings and parties. It may also be rented as a location for commercials and period films. Both antiques and reproductions are now for sale in the E. A . Brown General Store by appointment.
Eastfield is located in southern Rensselaer County, near the Massachusetts border.
Registration Information and Policy - Registration is on a "first come - first served" basis. A non-refundable deposit of 50% of the tuition must accompany the registration. The remainder must be received by Eastfield no later than three (3) weeks prior to the commencement of the workshop. Exact traveling directions will be mailed upon receipt of registration. No refunds will be given after six (3) weeks prior to that particular workshop. (Registrants from outside of the United States are asked not to send personal checks. Please send a cashier's check or money order in U.S. funds). The fee may also be paid using PayPal( see registration form). Eastfield reserves the right to cancel any workshop if minimum subscription levels are not met. In this case, a full refund is given. 518-420-5686
Registration Information
Registration is on a "first come - first serve" basis. A non-refundable deposit of 50% of the tuition must accompany the registration and the remainder must be received by Eastfield no later than three (3) weeks prior to the commencement of the workshops, or the registrant will lose their space in class and their deposit. Exact traveling directions will be mailed upon receipt of your DEPOSIT. No refunds will be given after six(6) weeks prior to that particular workshop. (Registrants from outside of the United States are asked not to send personal checks. Please send a cashier's check or money order in U.S. funds.) Payments may be made through PAYPAL using the Eastfield Email address. Phone 518-420-5686
Class Registration Form
Name_______________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________
Phone Number_______________________________________
Email Address_______________________________________
Occupation__________________________________________
Will you be staying as our guest(s)? Yes____ No_____
Are you on our mailing list? Yes____ No_____
How did you hear about us?_____________________________
CLASS FEE SELECT
1. Tinsmithing I..................................................$ 440.00_____
2. Historic Cemetery Preservation...........................$ 375.00_____
3. Tinsmithing II.................................................$ 475.00_____
4. Traditional Rush Seats.......................................$ 275.00_____
5. Ceramics Collectors, Collections, Connoisseurship,
& New Scholarship...............................................$ 465.00_____
6. Beginning Blacksmithing....................................$ 375.00_____
7. Dating of Historic Structures based on Physical
Evidence....................................................... $ 425.00_____
8. Furniture Conservation- Repairing and
Reproducing Period Finishes...............................$ 375.00_____
9. Everyday Fabrics of the 18th Century- To register for this
program please CALL 518-828-2729 or email [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
10. 19th Century Graining and Marbling Techniques...$425.00_____
Total ...............................................................$__________
Amount Enclosed..................$__________
Please enclose a check made out to Eastfield Village and
send it to- Eastfield Village
P O Box 465
Nassau, NY 12123
Email [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Phone- 518-420-5686
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