Conferences, Forums, and Workshops at Colonial Williamsburg

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.

Download brochure (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Download Reading List (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Register online

November
8-10

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

Virginia’s eighteenth-century gentry delighted in fine dining. Gathering together friends and associates for a lavish and elegant meal was an important social and political event.  Learn about the very best of dining in early Virginia by joining us for Colonial Williamsburg’s first “Dining in the Eighteenth Century” conference, featuring the culinary arts and dining customs of the colony’s most prestigious household. Noted food historian, author, and chef, Ivan Day will join Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Trades foodways staff, curators, historians, and archaeologists to explore how the bounty of colonial Virginia’s rivers, fields, and forests found its way to the richly furnished tables of its political and social leaders.

The three-day conference begins on Sunday evening with a keynote address by Mr. Day on the state of the art of fine dining in eighteenth-century England. The Monday morning session will delve into selecting recipes, procuring ingredients, and preparing the dishes of a royal governor’s dinner. Tuesday morning will focus on presentation, table settings, service, and dining etiquette. Both afternoons will offer workshop sessions on colonial chocolate making, brewing beer, and ice cream, as well as private tours of food-related collections and sites with Colonial Williamsburg experts.  And, of course, no food conference would be complete without a chance to eat! There will be an eighteenth-century-inspired luncheon at one of Colonial Williamsburg’s historic taverns and a concluding banquet at the Williamsburg Lodge that reflects how historical foods can be adapted to and inspire modern fine dining as well.

For those who just can’t stay out of the kitchen, on Wednesday we will offer special, limited capacity workshops during which participants, working with Historic Trades foodways staff in Historic Area kitchens, will prepare and eat an eighteenth-century meal.

Registration will open during the spring of 2009. Capacity is limited and early registration is encouraged.

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Register online

2010

January 13-16 and 17-20

Working Wood in the 18th Century

February 7-11

“Well made & Exceeding Fine”: The Decorative Arts of New England
62nd Colonial Williamsburg Antiques Forum

Scholars have been documenting the arts and crafts of early New England for more than a century and a half, but new and exciting discoveries continue to be made on a regular basis.  At the 62nd Colonial Williamsburg Antiques Forum, “Well made & Exceeding Fine”: The Decorative Arts of New England, you are invited to explore this rich and diverse heritage. 

The 2010 Forum will bring together a group of widely recognized authorities on the remarkable furniture, ceramics, textiles, paintings, and buildings that were produced in New England between 1680 and 1830.  More than twenty curators, collectors, and historians will present their latest findings in a series of illustrated lectures and video-assisted workshops.  Scheduled speakers include Jane Nylander, president emerita of Historic New England, scholar and author Kemble Widmer, and noted New England auctioneer Ron Bourgeault.

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 7-11, 2010, for “Well made & Exceeding Fine”: The Decorative Arts of New England.

March 18 – 21

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