Decorative Arts Expert Jane Nylander to Speak at the Concord Museum

Guest Curator Jane Nylander to speak at the Concord Museum on Thursday, March 19, 2015

In conjunction with Behind Closed Doors: Asleep in New England currently on exhibit through March 22, 2015, join Consulting Curator and renowned material culture expert, Jane Nylander, in a keynote lecture entitled;

“Handsome Drapery and Sweet Repose: Looking even closer at New England Beds and Bedrooms, 1740 – 1860”

Behind Closed Doors: Asleep in New England uncovers the complex role sleep has played in everyday life throughout American history. This theme is carried beyond the gallery and throughout the Concord Museum’s period rooms where visitors get a sense of how the objects were employed. It draws upon the expertise of Consulting Curators Jane and Richard Nylander and their groundbreaking research to explore the material culture of sleeping, as well as the Concord Museum’s exceptional collection and loans from several New England institutions including Historic New England and Old Sturbridge Village and many others.

A reception will be held at 6:00 p.m. before the lecture begins at 7:00 p. in French Hall at the Concord Museum. .Free but reservations recommended calling 978 369 9763 x 216 or at concordmuseum.org

About Jane C. Nylander:

JANE C. NYLANDER is President Emerita of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, former President of Strawbery Banke Museum, and former Curator of Textiles and Senior Curator at Old Sturbridge Village. She is a Trustee of Old Sturbridge Village, the New Hampshire Historical Society, and the Decorative Arts Trust and also an Honorary Trustee of Historic Deerfield. Her many publications include Our Own Snug Fireside: Images of the New England Homes 1750-1860, Windows on the Past, Fabrics for Historic Buildings and more than ninety articles. Mrs. Nylander was elected an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects in 2010 and to the Roll of Honor of the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New Hampshire in June 2006. She received the President’s Award from Old Sturbridge Village in 2009 and the Iris Foundation Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Decorative Arts from the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture in 2005. With her husband, Richard C. Nylander, she shared the Award of Merit from the American Antiques Dealers Association in 2010 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New England Chapter of the Victorian Society in 2005.

Be sure to visit the two special exhibitions on view at the Concord Museum:

Behind Closed Doors: Asleep in New England uncovers the complex role sleep has played in everyday life throughout American history. This theme is carried beyond the gallery and throughout the Concord Museum’s period rooms. Questions of privacy, fashion and hygiene are investigated.

Good Night, Sleep Tight: Art from Children’s Literature (open through May 3, 2015) an exhibition of original children’s book illustrations related to sleep, nighttime, going to bed, dreams, and lullabies. The work of Tomie dePaola, Salley Mavor, Melissa Sweet, Ilse Plume, Pamela Zagarenski, Beth Krommes, and Peter H. Reynolds, among others, are on display.

About the Concord Museum: The Concord Museum is where all of Concord’s remarkable past is brought to life through an inspiring collection of historical, literary and decorative arts treasures. Renowned for the 1775 Revere lantern and Henry Thoreau’s Walden desk, the Concord Museum is home to a nationally significant collection of American decorative arts, including clocks, furniture and silver. Founded in 1886, the Museum is a gateway to historic Concord for visitors from around the world and a vital cultural resource for the town and the region. Visit www.concordmuseum.org

MUSEUM ADMISSION: General admission to the Museum is $10 for adults, $8 Seniors (62 & over), $8 Students with valid id, $5 Youth 6-18. Members and children under 6 are free.