15th Anniversary Preview

15th Anniversary 8 www.antiquesandfineart.com e have been publishing Antiques & Fine Art since January 2000. During the years we have stayed true to our mission of presenting educational material about the fine and decorative arts to enthusiasts, scholars, and everyone in between. Neither I nor my colleagues take our roles lightly and are most appreciative of the comments we receive from readers such as “Thank you for enriching my life.” As we move forward we will continue to be flexible in our format and presentation while being creative in our thinking. We have expanded the reach of the magazine and articles through our websites—afamag (where the issues are digitized); afanews (with daily industry insight); and, most recently, InCollect, which merges the worlds of collecting and interior design with social media. We will continue to expand our horizons to maintain interest among our core supporters while engaging younger audiences. One of our goals is to encourage readers to visit art and antiques shows, auctions, and museums ( and our websites); any place where one can learn from and appreciate the decorative world. For beyond the aesthetics there is the history, and from the history we gain enrichment in understanding ourselves and our environment. Most people do not have to go far to experience the past. As William Hosley notes in his article, “Housing Our History: A Celebration of Place, Past & Community,” (pages 182–187), local history is all around us in small to mid-size community-based museums. So take a walk or short drive and visit a local historic house or historical society. The treasures within and the staff (often enthusiastic volunteers) will leave you wanting to know more. Notes Hosley, these bastions of our past are about “content, stories, collections, and civic spirit. . . [and where] we learn and understand the context of the present and gain the critical thinking to aid in our path forward into the future.” The preservation of our local historic gems is critical to our cultural environment; local can mean small towns as well as expansive cities. In her article “Preserving New York” (pages 176–181), author Grace Friary highlights the importance of saving the architectural landscape of New York City, recapping the past fifty years since Mayor Robert F. Wagner signed the historic Landmarks Law into legislation. Unfortunately, many historic properties—such as McKim, Mead & White’s Pennsylvania Station, built in 1910 and demolished in 1963—were already razed, but enacting the law saved other important buildings for future generations to appreciate. Continued threats remain, however, and it is crucial that we support efforts to maintain the variety of our streets and neighborhoods, for otherwise we’ll all be living in cookie-cutter communities that lack personality and context. I close with an enthusiastic note that it is our challenge and pleasure to share and engage others to appreciate the fine and decorative arts and built environment, all of which make us who we are. Keep learning, reading, and enjoying. Thank you, Johanna McBrien Founding editor Photography by Ellen McDermott FROM THE EDIT O R W 0/ "OX .EW (OPE 0! %AST ND 3T .9# "Y !PPOINTMENT %MAIL INFO OLDEHOPE COM 6ISIT US ONLINE AT /LDE(OPE COM !N EXTRAORDINARY PAINT DECORATED BOX .EW 9ORK 3TATE C 0INE WITH THE ORIGINAL POLYCHROMED AND GILDED ½NISH (T ¹ ² 7 ¹ ² $ ¹ ² %XHIBITING 4HE ST !NNUAL 7INTER !NTIQUES 3HOW „ 0ARK !VE !RMORY .9# *AN &EB