RI Historical Society -- 2010 Annual Newell D. Goff Lecture

Sunday, May 16, 2:00p.m.
2010 Annual Newell D. Goff Lecture
Salomon Center, Room 001, Brown University
For more information: Dalila Goulart
(401) 331-8575 x45
 
 
Whether it is a hobby or a life-long passion, antiquing in New England has become a common pastime. For owners and collectors of antiques, these objects offer a unique opportunity to experience a previous era, appreciate superb craftsmanship, and sometimes profit in a lucrative market.

Come learn the origins and changing notions of collecting and antiquing in New England at the 2010 Annual Newell D. Goff Lecture of the Rhode Island Historical Society. This year’s panel is titled “Making the New England Mummies Dance: Creating and Hunting Antiques in New England” and will feature leading voices in the field today: Leslie Keno, of Sotheby’s, Associate Professor Briann Greenfield, Ph.D. of Central Connecticut State University, and Scott and Rae Davis, proprietors of the Rhode Island Antiques Mall.

Leslie Keno has been actively involved in the field of American antiques since childhood. Keno joined Sotheby's American Furniture and Decorative Arts Department as a cataloguer in 1980, and was appointed director of the department in 1983. He and his brother Leigh make regular appearances as appraisers on the PBS series "Antiques Roadshow” and are co-authors of Hidden Treasures: Searching for Masterpieces of American Furniture.

Dr. Briann Greenfield is associate professor of history and coordinator of the public history program at Central Connecticut State University. She received her Ph.D. from Brown University and her specializations include New England regional culture, public and popular memory, and the history of historic preservation. Greenfield is author of Out of the Attic: Inventing Antiques in Twentieth-Century New England, which traces the rise of the modern market for antique goods and the transformation of antiques from family keepsakes to valuable artistic objects.

Scott and Rae Davis are owners of the Rhode Island Antiques Mall in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, one of the largest outlets of its kind in New England. The Davises have been “antiquing” for the past 25 years. They purchased the former Jabbour Electronics building in Pawtucket and have run the Antiques Mall since October 2007. The Mall has gained wide attention of collectors and dealers alike because of the high caliber of its antiques.

The Rhode Island Historical Society 2010 Goff Lecture is co-sponsored by the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage at Brown University. The lecture takes place on Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. in Salomon Center, Room 001 at Brown University. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary. For more information, please contact Dalila Goulart, Programs Coordinator, at (401) 331-8575 x45 or programs@rihs.org.