THE ADA AWARD OF MERIT DINNER

THE 2023 ADA AWARD OF MERIT DINNER HONORING THE CHIPSTONE FOUNDATION.

!! Saturday, November 11, 2023, at 6 pm at The Delaware Antiques Show, Chase Center on the Riverfront, 815 Justison St, Wilmington, DE 19801 !!

On Saturday, November 11, 2023, at 6:00 PM, the Antiques Dealers’ Association of America, Inc. will honor The Chipstone Foundation as the recipient of the 2023 ADA Award of Merit in recognition of the Foundation’s active efforts to expand, “…the parameters of decorative arts/material culture scholarship.” This award recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the fields of American fine and decorative arts and the business of buying and selling antiques, and places the Chipstone Foundation among an elite group of awardees who have been honored in the ADA’s thirty-nine year history. By recognizing the Foundation as a whole, the ADA acknowledges the work of the many hands who helped bring the vision of the organization to fruition. The award’s presentation and dinner will once again be held in conjunction with the prestigious Winterthur Antiques Show at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Chipstone Foundation’s noteworthy efforts to raise awareness amongst collectors, curators, academics, and enthusiasts are best described in the organization’s own words, “Through original research, innovative educational programs, important publications and online initiatives, and substantive collaborations with other scholars, artists, and institutions the Foundation strives to move beyond the traditional historical and aesthetic narratives that have long shaped the field.”

The collections that formed the basis for the Chipstone Foundation, acquired by Stanley and Polly Stone of Wisconsin in the middle of the 20th century, followed in the tradition of other notable private collectors like H. F. duPont, Ima Hogg, and Electra Havemeyer Webb. Although the official formation of “Chipstone” didn’t occur until 1987, plans for the creation of a foundation had been in the works for nearly twenty years. The ultimate goal of the organization was to inspire curiosity. Exhibitions past and present explored beyond the usual parameters of public decorative arts museums to include everything from modern textile design to traditional decorative arts, contemporary craftsmen, objects created and used by underrepresented communities, and the material culture of forgotten places and spaces in American history.

Although the Chipstone Foundation established a remarkable presence in the field through its collections and exhibitions, an ongoing dedication to clear, accurate, and fresh scholarship confirmed the Foundation as one of the premier sources of material culture education in the country. The Chipstone publications in particular made the Foundation a household name in the antiques world, with the first annual American Furniture volume in 1993 and the first annual Ceramics in America volume starting nearly a decade later in 2001. The annual Chipstone ceramics and furniture volumes brought exciting discoveries right into the home, and served to encourage ongoing research, provide excellent visual resources, and inspire young scholars to explore previously untapped resources that continue to be pertinent to understanding our shared history.

More recently, the Foundation has added an innovative online journal titled “Material Intelligence” with each edition featuring new scholarship focused on a single material used in the creation of decorative arts and design. Through all of this, the Chipstone Foundation has been generous with their support of dealers, curators and collectors who have sought to educate themselves more thoroughly about American and related Decorative Arts and in doing so, has helped elevate the business of buying and selling antiques to a more knowledgeable level representative of the ADA’s dedication to ethics, honesty, and integrity.

The evening will include a delicious chef-crafted buffet dinner and wine followed by coffee and dessert, remarks from guest speakers and the presentation of the award. Admission to the antiques show is included in the cost of the ticket. Self-parking is readily available for free. Please visit www.adadealers.com or call 603-942-6498 for more information.

Purchase Tickets On-line:

Tickets are $95.00 each and include admission to the antiques show and free parking.

or send a check made out to ADA to: PO BOX 218, Northwood, NH 03261

2023 Sponsors:

HUB International

Pook & Pook, Inc.

Nathan Liverant and Son

Christie’s

FREEMAN'S

Sotheby's

The Magazine ANTIQUES

Maine Antiques Digest