From Pack Memorial Library, North Carolina Room:
“Made with the Simplest of Tools: Appalachian Rustic Style”
Whether made of rhododendron, mountain laurel, bent hickory, chestnut, unidentified twigs, barn board or box slats – rustic furniture and the rustic style had its antecedents in Europe, and primarily in England, in the 18th century when there was an intense fascination with the natural. Gothic architecture, grottos, and rustic appointments became the rage.
In general, much of the rustic furniture made in the Southern Appalachians dates from the late 19th century and well into the 1940’s. There are several reasons for this delayed development of a style that had become popular in England during the 18th century, including an ocean to cross, but probably the most important is the growth of a market.
On Wednesday, May 31, Lynne Poirier-Wilson — who has researched, developed an exhibition and lectured on the Appalachian Rustic style — will focus her talk on Asheville and nearby areas. Where were rustic accents employed, who was making and using rustic furniture and building rustic structures, what did the furniture, souvenirs and building additions look like? What’s still out there? So grab a sandwich and come for a look at some engaging regional history.
Poirier-Wilson is a retired Museum Curator and Administrator who has worked in museums in eastern Pennsylvania and western New York. She moved to Asheville in 2000 and took a part-time job as a Curator with the Asheville Art Museum curating exhibitions that explore both art and culture history. Lynne has served on the board of the Swannanoa Valley Museum, and volunteers for the Asheville Art Museum and for the North Carolina Collection, Pack Memorial Library. Lynne has a fond affection for anything rustic and has written several articles on rustic art and furnishings.
For further information contact Lynne Wilson at 828-254-5322 or email at lpw101@bellsouth.net.
- Speaker: Lynne Poirier Wilson
- Date: Wednesday, May 31
- Time: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
- Brown Bag Lunch
- Pack Memorial Library, Lord Auditorium lower level
- This event is free and open to the public
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