Winter_2016_Preview

Winter 10 www.afamag.com |  www.incollect.com Clive Devenish Antiques clivedevenishantiques@comcast.net www.clivedevenishantiques.com phone (510) 414-4545 Established 1976 “Ethiopian Flutist” Automaton by Gustave Vichy. Circa 1870. The ϐlutist is brought to life with articulating ϐingers playing the ϐlute. He blinks his eyes and rotates his head, while raising and lowering his arms. He then follows with another tune. Illustrated on pg. 72, with catalogue image on pg. 238 in “Automata” by Christian Bailly 1987. I n his article on Newport’s Redwood Library and Athenaeum, the oldest library in continual use in America (pages 150–155), architectural historian John Tschirch writes of the mid- eighteenth-century values shared by its founders. Theirs was a community devoted to “the propagation of knowledge and virtue through a free conversation.” These enlightened individuals lived in the cosmopolitan community with a population comprised of people from a multitude of countries and faiths. The tolerance and freedom that marked eighteenth-century Newport was gained in part through the expediency of business relationships but also through the veneration of learning that was among society’s ideals at the time. The value of a library with a collection of “useful books” cannot be understated in any age, and it is important that we as a society continue to support education in all its manifest forms. The role of educating future generations is becoming a critical component of the mission of museums. One such institution, the American Folk Art Museum (pages 112–119) has a number of initiatives created for this purpose. Their Teen Leader Program, connects students with artists, curators, and educators, with the aim of encouraging the teens to think critically about art. Another of AFAM’s initiatives provides underprivileged students with opportunities to learn about museum and conservation careers. Such leadership efforts are critical to encouraging people of all ages and backgrounds to develop a world view so important to our collective future. Mentoring is another vital tool in the education process. Artist William Merritt Chase (pages 120–127) was an influential teacher and mentor to many artists who went on to make their marks in the art world; students included Joseph Stella, Georgia O’Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, Charles Sheeler, and Charles Demuth. A forward thinker, Chase followed his own interests and was not bound by the dictates of his era. He pursued his own passions and taught his student to also find their own voices. As we go through life, we all have the opportunity to be teachers and mentors, conveying our passion and commitment to the arts and learning. Thank you, Johanna McBrien Founding editor Photography by Ellen McDermott Letter from the editor