Program

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2027

5:00 p.m-6:00 p.m.  
Symposium Registration and Opening Night Reception:
Old Federal Court Room, 23 Chalmers Street

This early 19th-century building was the site of the U.S. District Court from 1845 to 1860 before becoming part of the Confederate Home and College property. Sisters Mary Amarinthia Snowden and Isabella Snowden established the Home for war widows and orphans in 1867, while later opening a teacher’s college on the premises as well. The facility today operates as a nonprofit organization, which respects the dignity of all people and continues its mission of providing affordable housing for those with limited means, and college scholarships.

6:00-7:00 p.m.
2027 Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation Keynote Address 
Fly, Swim, Pounce: American Classical Furniture from the Schrimsher Collection

Matthew A. Thurlow, Executive Director, The Decorative Arts Trust; Media, PA

Welcome by Katherine S. Pemberton
Board Member, Charleston Symposium;
Education and Outreach Manager, SC250; Charleston, SC

Keynote Introduction by Benjamin Prosky
President, Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation; New York, NY

Robert A. Leath, Moderator, Charleston Symposium; Charleston, SC and
Executive Director, Edenton Historical Commission; Edenton, NC

SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2027

8:15 a.m. 
Coffee Service: Old Federal Court Room, 23 Chalmers Street 

8:45-9:15 a.m. 
Welcoming Remarks and Preservation Society Overview 
Brian R. Turner, President & C.E.O.,
Preservation Society of Charleston; Charleston, SC

9:15-10:15 a.m. 
Clear Seeing Place: How Humidity Made Me a Painter
Brian Rutenberg, internationally exhibited landscape painter and Fulbright Scholar, represented by Forum Gallery; New York, NY

10:30-11:30 a.m. 
New Perspectives: Decorative Arts and the Renovated Frick Collection
Marie-Laure Buku Pongo, Ph.D., Associate Curator of Decorative Arts, The Frick Collection; New York, NY

11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. 
Designing America’s Gilded Age: Drawings from the Studio of Louis C. Tiffany
Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, Anthony W. and Lulu C. Wang Curator of American Decorative Arts,
The Metropolitan Museum of Art; New York, NY

12:45-2:00 p.m. 
Midday Break
Box lunches are being provided 
Old Federal Court Room, 23 Chalmers Street 

2:00-3:00 p.m.
Permanence: Innovating Within Traditional Wabanaki Basketry
Jeremy Frey, contemporary artist, 7th-generation basketmaker and 2025 MacArthur Fellow, represented by Karma Gallery - New York; Eddington, MA

3:15-4:15 p.m.
Philadelphia Redux: Collecting American Art to Celebrate 250 Years of Creativity
Alexandra A. Kirtley, The Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American Decorative Arts and Manager,
Center for American Art, The Philadelphia Museum of Art; Philadelphia, PA
Lecture supported by the Decorative Arts Trust in its 50th Anniversary Year

4:15-4:30 p.m.
Symposium Synopsis and Introduction for the Evening Soirée;
Robert A. Leath, Executive Director, Edenton Historical Commission; Edenton, NC

6:00-7:30 p.m.
Evening Soirée:
History and Restoration of the Thurston - Perry House, circa 1857
Richard D. Marks, III, Founder, Richard Marks Restorations, Inc. and
2026 South Carolina Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation; Charleston, SC

SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2027

10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Study Tour of the Louis d’Anjou House, circa 1810

Peter M. Kenny, retired Ruth Bigelow Wriston Curator of American Decorative Arts and Administrator of the American Wing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; Freeland, WA

Alexandra A. Kirtley, The Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American Decorative Arts and Manager, Center for American Art, The Philadelphia Museum of Art; Philadelphia, PA

Built by French merchant Louis d’Anjou, the building housed his shop and handsome dwelling above. The home served as the Brewton Inn in the 20th century and is now a private residence. Rich period colors from 1825-1835, discovered during restoration, have been recreated to showcase the owners’ exceptional classical furniture collection.

This visit includes Bloody Marys and a light brunch.