January 7-10
January 11-14

Working Wood in the 18th Century: Bedroom Furniture

Colonial Williamsburg and Fine Woodworking present the eleventh annual Working Wood in the 18th Century conference at Williamsburg during the week of January 7-14, 2009.  The topic is bedroom furniture.  Mack Headley and the staff of the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Trades Cabinetmaking Shop will present the design and construction of two mid-eighteenth-century bedsteads, one a high-post, the other a low-post.  They also will make a mahogany child’s cradle.  While the focus will be on the woodwork, beds are incomplete without their hangings and other textiles, many of which were cleverly engineered, and curators and conservators will show how to “dress” the products of our woodworking shops. 

In addition to beds, Historic Trades cabinetmakers will demonstrate the production of several looking glasses/mirrors, including techniques such as joinery and gilding that are applicable to picture-frame making as well.   Finally, we will be joined by noted educator and craftsman Steve Latta, who will present the construction and decoration of a Portsmouth, New Hampshire,-style lady’s dressing table, taking the symposia for the first time into the exploration of a formal, high-style Federal case piece.  

As always, these demonstrations will concentrate on period methods of workmanship, and close-up video monitoring will show the processes in detail.

Speakers Include:

• Tara Gleason Chicirda, curator of furniture, Colonial Williamsburg
• Beth Gerhold, textile refurnisher, Colonial Williamsburg
• Mack Headley, master cabinetmaker, Colonial Williamsburg
• Kim Ivey, associate curator of textiles and needlework, Colonial Williamsburg
• Steve Latta, educator and craftsman, Thaddeus Stevens College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
• Kaare Loftheim, journeyman cabinetmaker, Colonial Williamsburg
• Bill Pavlak, apprentice cabinetmaker, Colonial Williamsburg
• David Salisbury, journeyman cabinetmaker, Colonial Williamsburg
• Chris Swan, furniture conservator, Colonial Williamsburg
• Brian Weldy, apprentice cabinetmaker, Colonial Williamsburg

The conference is informal. Participants’ comments and questions are welcomed.  During morning and afternoon breaks, speakers display their work, tools, and materials; demonstrate techniques; and chat with participants.  To include more participants while keeping the conferences small enough for everyone to be involved, two virtually identical programs are offered (with some changes in the sequence of presentations).  Please note that the first session begins Wednesday evening, January 7, and closes Saturday afternoon, January 10.  The second program begins Sunday evening, January 11, and closes Wednesday afternoon, January 14.

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Register online

February 1-5

The 61st Annual Colonial Williamsburg Antiques Forum
The Origins of American Style

American decorative arts, inspired by British and other European antecedents, evolved steadily over the course of the nation’s first three centuries. Fresh expressions of style emerged with every passing decade and new forms were introduced regularly, especially in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. At the 61st annual Colonial Williamsburg Antiques Forum, The Origins of American Style, you are invited to explore this rich and varied heritage.

The 2009 Forum will bring together a host of widely recognized speakers to investigate the remarkable furniture, silver, ceramics, textiles, paintings, and buildings produced in early America. More than twenty curators, collectors, and historians (including three from Great Britain) will present their latest findings in a series of illustrated lectures and video-assisted workshops. Scheduled speakers include English decorative arts scholar Lisa White, Winterthur’s Brock Jobe, and American furniture specialist Erik Gronning of Sotheby’s.

In addition to the formal program, Forum guests may register for optional hands-on workshops with the Colonial Williamsburg collections and private tours of historic homes in the region. Please plan to join us February 1-5, 2009, for The Origins of American Style.

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Register online

February 22 - 25

"Quilted Fashions"
400 Years of Quilting

The process of quilting textiles to enhance their warmth, comfort, and luxury has been around for thousands of years. And quilts still speak to people today, whether it is the concept of creating beauty from small bits and pieces, giving one’s self through a special handmade gift, or connecting with a past ancestor through his or her surviving quilt. To some, quilts evoke family, friends, warmth, and tradition. To others, quilts are striking art objects hung on the wall.

This symposium brings together nationwide experts for two days of illustrated lectures on quilts and quilted clothing from 1600 to the present. Optional workshops and special behind-the-scenes tours give participants the opportunity to learn a new technique or see museum artifacts close up.

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Register online

March 22 – 26

37th Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA)
“Making History Interactive”
CAA 2009 Williamsburg

The 37th Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology, “Making History Interactive,” will be held in Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A., March 22–26, 2009. The conference theme will explore how digital technologies make it possible to access and investigate our cultural heritage in new ways and how we as scholars can use these innovative approaches to engage the public in the study of the past. The meeting will be held in the Williamsburg Lodge Conference Center, adjacent to Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area, and is being sponsored by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the University of Virginia.

For further information, please visit the conference website: http://www.caa2009.org

Register online

May 1
*Note Date Change*

63rd Colonial Williamsburg Garden Symposium
The Natural Rhythm of Gardening

A natural rhythm is always present in our gardens.  We can become attuned to the rhythm and cycles of our plants and landscapes as they change through the seasons if we garden in harmony with our surroundings.  Colonial Williamsburg’s 63rd Garden Symposium will focus on that natural rhythm and how to create gardens that are both aesthetically rich and ecologically sound. 

Speakers will share tips that promote healthy plants, beautiful landscapes and responsible gardening.

• Felder Rushing, horticulturist, writer, and lecturer, will begin the symposium with his philosophy on “Slow Gardening:  Enjoying Our Gardens in a Hectic World."  
• James van Sweden, author and founding partner of Oehme, van Sweden & Associates in Washington, D.C., will present “Natural Gardens: Embracing an Aesthetic of Region and Seasonal Change." 
• Renee Shepherd, owner of Renee's Garden seeds, will discuss “From the Ground Up:  What’s New and Unique from Seed?” 
• The day will culminate with dinner and a program by David Howard, horticulture consultant, who will discuss the trends in gardening he has observed during his 30 years of gardening in England. 

In addition to the featured speakers, there will be several, smaller break-out sessions throughout the day which will examine a specific topic in more detail.  The date for the symposium is Friday, May 1, 2009.  There also will be optional tours, both on and off site, offered on Thursday, April 30 and Saturday, May 2. 

Held at the Williamsburg Lodge and Conference Center, the symposium has been sponsored jointly by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the American Horticultural Society, and Fine Gardening magazine.  Additional information and registration will be available in January 2009.

September 20-22

“A very large curious & compleat Assortment”
Textiles for Interiors, 1730–1830

An understanding of the design, construction, and materials of textile furnishings is of primary importance to scholars and designers who focus on the recreation of traditional and historic interiors. For more than 25 years, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has taken the lead in reinterpreting the use of textiles in historic interiors from the eighteenth century.

This symposium gathers the leading American and English scholars in the field to review the design and composition of textile furnishings available between 1730 and 1830, including upholstery, bed and window treatments, and floor coverings. Complementing the lectures will be special tours in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area and optional workshops. Particular attention will be given to the accurate, yet practical, application of these design tenets for today’s interiors. Because it is becoming more and more difficult to find authentic reproduction textiles, hardware, passementerie, and qualified fabricators, Colonial Williamsburg will provide a venue for well-respected vendors and booksellers who are able to supply the essential resources for fabricating authentic textile décor.

November
8 - 10

Foodways in the 18th Century: Bringing Virginia's Bounty to the Royal Governor's Table

January 13-16 and 17-20

Working Wood in the 18th Century

February 7-11

Antiques Forum

March 18 – 21

Salt-glazed Stoneware in Early America: Collecting, Archaeology, and Research