A partnership between Historic Artists’ Homes & Studios and the Florence Griswold Museum

In celebration of National Preservation Month, join us for a three-part series of curated pairings of talks and guided conversation focused on the future of historic house and studio interpretation.

Facilitated by Valerie A. Balint, Senior Program Manager, Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios, and Amy Kurtz Lansing, Curator, Florence Griswold Museum

Offered virtually on the GoToWebinar platform • No charge

Week 1: Opening Eyes to New Narratives

Presentations #1 & #2 • Friday, May 7, 3pm • REGISTER HERE

Queering Memory and the Alice Austen House

Victoria Munro, Executive Director • Alice Austen House, Staten Island, NY

Munro explores the process of transformation of this historic home to reinterpret and truthfully represent the life and work of Alice Austen to include LGBTQ+ histories in its permanent gallery spaces and public and educational programs. From scholars’ research and planning through to implementation and outside partnerships, the Alice Austen House has begun to provide safe and inclusive programs for contemporary LGBTQ+ storytelling and continues to identify ways to enhance our social and historical responsibilities to the LGBTQ+ community.

Unrolling the Work of Weaver Loja Saarinen

Kevin Adkisson, Associate Curator, Saarinen House (Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research) • Saarinen House, Bloomfield Hills, MI

Adkisson discusses the ways in which Loja Saarinen, weaver, designer, and entrepreneur, has recently been brought to the forefront of interpretation at Cranbrook’s Saarinen House. The Art Deco home and studio, completed in 1930, stands as a handcrafted total-work-of-art by Loja Saarinen, her architect husband Eliel, and their children Eero and Pipsan. Recent exhibitions of rarely displayed work, refocused interpretation, and extensive virtual programming have expanded the understanding of Loja Saarinen and her impressive commercial weaving workshop.

And don’t forget to register for Week 2 and Week 3!

About Our Partner: Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios

Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios (HAHS), a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is a coalition of 48 museums that were the homes and working studios of American artists. The program aims to preserve the nation’s legacy of creativity in the visual arts and to inspire meaningful personal experiences at authentic creative places. The Florence Griswold Museum has been a member of this national network since its formation in 1999.