MUSEUM
NEWS
BY CARA ZIMMERMAN
THE AMERICAN ANTIQUES SHOW 2007 he museum's much-anticipated annual American Antiques Show(TAAS),held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York in January,once again lured patrons and impressed critics. Phenomenal artworks,displayed by 45 dealers, contributed to the most successful run in the show's six-year history. Roberta Smith,ofthe New York Times, summed up the show:"Art fairs can put some fairly magnificent obsessions on display, where they function like traps. Step into a booth,and an unfamiliar area of visual culture suddenly exerts an irresistible force,changing your life. Few art fairs do this as seductively as the American Antiques Show" Hundreds of museum friends, including Martha Stewart, Ken Burns, Harvey Fierstein, and Bette Midler, helped kick offthe four-day show at the festive and exciting Gala Benefit Preview. Sumptuous food was provided by Canard,Inc.The embroideries, quilts, paintings,furniture, decoys, and weathervanes on display throughout TAAS embodied the finest examples of American art and decorative objects. In conjunction with the show, the museum organized a number ofeducational programs: a walking tour with Stacy C. Hollander, the museum's senior curator; a Folk Art Explorers day trip to view private collections in the city; an event for young collectors focusing on how to build and showcase a collection, sponsored by Country Home; and appraisals by experts Helaine Fendelman, David Gallager, and Jane Willis. Two special receptions were held in conjunction with TAAS: Laura and Mark Goldman hosted a cocktail party for platinumlevel ticket buyers to view their impressive collection oftrade
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88 SPRING/SUMMER 2007 FOLK ART
figures in their downtown loft, and Elizabeth and Irwin Warren hosted a cocktail party for TAAS regional chairs and members of the museum's National Council at their home,where guests enjoyed viewing their beautiful collection ofearly American folk art. TAAS 2007 was organized by cochairs Barry D.Briskin and Joan Johnson; executive chairs Edie and Barry Briskin, Lucy and Mike Danziger,Joan Johnson, and Laura and Richard Parsons; show manager Karen DiSaia; and executive director Caroline Kerrigan Lerch.
From left: trustee Barry Briskk,
Catherine Brawe'?'
4„.
Jeffrey Pressman anprustee Joan M. Johnson
From left: Dinah Lefkowitz, Ronald Bourgeault, and trustee Kristina Johnson
rr, k. Susen and Jerry Lauren
bara Wilkerson, trustee John Wilkerson, and Arthur Hoffman
R. Scudder Smith (left) and Vic
From left: Haydee Caroline Kerrigan Lerch, and Zelia Lerch
Phyllis Kossoff and Jan Willem van Bergen Henegouwen
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES KOCH