I spent the better part of the afternoon yesterday in Athens, GA. My main priority was to attend the opening talk of the
Henry D. Green Symposium of the Decorative Arts, a 3 day event, hosted by the
Georgia Museum of Art. The keynote speaker, Deanne Levison, has been a dear and longtime friend, a mentor to me, and a trail blazer in the antiquity field. Deanne is arguably one of the foremost authorities on American antique furniture. In a career that spans 40+ years, she has sought to uncover the provenance of important pieces, shared her honed skills with museums and private collectors, and helped to broaden the awareness of American Decorative Arts by serving on foundation boards and authored numerous articles on the subject. Deanne is a quiet force, valuing the importance of integrity, and is never one to seek out the spotlight. Her talk last night shared wonderful stories of personal friendships and professional acquisitions throughout her career. Making the night even sweeter, was watching Deanne receive the first ever Henry D. Green Lifetime Achievement Award.
Deanne Levison receiving the first Henry D. Green Lifetime Achievement Award
Prior to attending Deanne's talk, I went by to see a friend, Emily Newdow, who works at
Community, a charming boutique store in downtown Athens offering chic & vintage clothing, handcrafted items, and interesting finds. Emily not only works there, but she sells her custom made pillows. I was headed her way to take her a vintage needlepoint I recently turned up that she is making into a pillow for me. I snapped a couple of photos of some of her current pillow designs offered at Community. Click
here to read more about Emily from my previous post.
Finally, I wanted to share some photos of a friend of mine's house in Athens.... We met up to attend the Symposium together. She has an eclectic style, mixing Southern furniture, Folk Art, and high & low period pieces throughout her home. She has also lived out in Santa Fe on and off for a number of years, developing a great appreciation for American Indian craft.
