The Museum of New Hampshire History in Concord will share its "Treasures of New Hampshire" with a new exhibition opening on Saturday, March 5. More than 100 of the most interesting objects from the museum's decorative arts collection will be on display, ranging from fine quilts to Revolutionary War artifacts. The exhibition will be on view through June 4, 2006.
Concord, NH (PRWEB) February 21, 2005 -- "The Society's collections offer the most complete picture of the social, economic and cultural history of New Hampshire, and are considered the best collection in the United States documenting the life and culture of New Hampshire and northern New England from the late 17th century to today," says Wesley Balla, the New Hampshire Historical Society's director of collections and exhibitions. The new exhibition will offer the most interesting examples from the Society's 6,655-object decorative arts collection, which includes furniture (500), mirrors (45), clocks (160), silver (1,900), pewter (250), ceramics (2,400), and glassware (1,400).
"The aim in doing this exhibition is to enable people to look at objects in new ways and derive greater meaning from the things that surround of all us in daily life," says Balla. Visitors will be encouraged to explore not only the objects in the museum gallery, but also those in their own homes and communities to find overlooked treasures, past and present, or to gain new perspective concerning their own everyday man-made environment.
The objects in the exhibition will be arranged neither by time nor date of manufacture, as they would likely be in a more traditional decorative arts exhibition. Rather, the objects will be grouped into appealing and comprehensible units, some featuring objects of a certain type or material (clocks or silver), with others highlighting those used by a certain individual or group (Daniel Webster or the Shakers).
A series of free lectures and concerts will be presented in conjunction with the Treasures of New Hampshire exhibition. All Sunday programs will begin at 2 p.m. and be held at the New Hampshire Historical Society's library, located at 30 Park Street, Concord.
-Sunday, March 6, 2 p.m.
The Warp and Weft of a Lifetime: The Discovery of a New Hampshire Weaver and Her Work, Donna-Belle Garvin, Director of Publications, New Hampshire Historical Society.
-Sunday, March 13, 2 p.m.
All That Glitters Is Not Gold: The Story of New England Silver, Barbara Ward, Ph.D., Director and Curator of the Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden.
-Sunday, April 3, 2 p.m.
Quilts in New Hampshire: Piecing the Story Together, Hilary Anderson, curator at the National Heritage Museum of Lexington, Mass.
-Sunday, April 17, 2 p.m.
Brittle Beauty: The Story of the Glass Industry in New Hampshire, 1781-1886, Alan Rumrill, Executive Director of the Cheshire County Historical Society.
-Friday, August 5, 7 p.m.
Traditional New England Barn Dancing with Two Fiddles, featuring Jacqueline & Dudley Laufman. To be held at the Museum of New Hampshire History, 6 Eagle Square.
-Sunday, November 6, 2 p.m.
Behind the Dial: Connecticut Clocks and New Hampshire Migrations, Stephen Sanborn, craftsman and independent scholar.
-Sunday, November 20, 2 p.m.
Colonial and Federal Era Furniture and the Portsmouth Craft Community, Johanna McBrien, editor, Catalogue of Antiques and Fine Arts.
-Sunday, December 4, 2 p.m.
At Home in America, 1750-1870, Elisabeth Garrett, Vice President for Collections and Interpretation, Strawbery Banke Museum.
Founded in 1823, the New Hampshire Historical Society is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing New Hampshire history through the Museum of New Hampshire History and the Tuck Library.
The Museum of New Hampshire History is located at 6 Eagle Square off Exit 14 from I-93 in downtown Concord. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Free museum parking is offered in the museum lot off Storrs Street
For more information or directions call 603/228-6688, or visit the Society online at www.nhhistory.org.
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