NOTES FROM THE FARMS
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE CRAFTSMAN FARMS FOUNDATION
—Heather E. Stivison
It’s all about planning . . .
Gloria Steinem said, “Without leaps of
imagination, or dreaming, we lose the
excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after
all, is a form of planning.”
Over the past year, we at Craftsman
Farms have been doing a lot of
dreaming and planning about our
future. In January, the Museum’s
Trustees and senior staff went on a
retreat to do some “visioning.” The
result of this retreat will be a new
strategic plan to help us turn our
dreams into reality.
We were grateful that a number of us
had prepared for the retreat by participating in the Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation’s signature workshop,
Measuring What Matters: Thinking
Differently About Assessment. Thanks
to the concepts we learned that day,
ideas about assessment will be incorporated into our strategic plan.
We are ever mindful that our goal is
more than just the preservation and
restoration of this remarkable site.
The larger goal is to interpret the history of the site in ways that are meaningful and help others understand the
continuing relevance of Gustav
Stickley’s vision. If we are not opening eyes, enriching souls, and touching
Continued on page 2
Interpreting the Log House
s many friends of Craftsman
Farms are aware, when the
Log House and surrounding
grounds were acquired by the Township
of Parsippany and Troy Hills in 1989,
most of the original Log House furnishings had already been consigned to auction and subsequently were dispersed.
Fortunately, however, in the intervening
years the Museum has acquired many of
the original furnishings by both purchase and donation. Thanks to Gustav
Stickley’s illustrated articles about
Craftsman Farms appearing in The
Craftsman magazine and other contemporary sources, we know quite a bit
about how the Log House was originally furnished. This knowledge has
enabled the Museum to correctly fill
gaps in its collection and to seek out
missing objects.
A
While the Museum has built its collection in the Log House primarily by
purchase and donation (including a
number of significant objects on longterm loan), in a few instances the
Museum has determined that some
missing pieces are so important to the
interpretation of the Log House that
the collection should be supplemented
with museum-quality reproductions
until the original objects become available. The original High Settle (#189)
that is so essential to the setting around
one of the fireplaces in the living room
now resides in the collection of the
Smithsonian. So several years ago, the
Museum commissioned a reproduction
Spring 2008
settle to complete the setting. Other
reproductions in the Log House include
the inlaid full-size bed and the piano in
the Girls’ Bedroom.
Now, as part of its ongoing effort to
restore the Log House to its appearance
when the Stickley family resided there,
the Museum is commissioning a reproduction of the large chestnut double
Doug Stivison
From the
Director’s Chair
The southwest corner of the Living Room.
bookcase for the southeast wall of the
Living Room. From period photographs (in the Museum’s guidebook, A
Pictorial History of Craftsman Farms,
and at the Museum’s website,
www.stickleymuseum.org), we know
that this bookcase is virtually identical
to the bookcase on the southwest wall
of the Living Room shown above.
Vol 17, No. 1
Continued on page 2
NOTES FROM THE FARMS
Director’s Chair continued from page 1
hearts, we are not succeeding.
Yet we need even more types of dreaming and planning.
While our strategic plan is being completed, another plan is also being developed. That is our historic site master
plan, which will help us gain a better
understanding of the preservation needs
of the entire site. Thanks to grants
from the Morris County Historic
Preservation Trust Fund, and the New
Jersey Historic Trust, a team of historic
conservators is preparing a plan that will
define necessary restoration, conservation, and rehabilitation of the entire
site.
We need you to share your dreams for
the future of the site. As members and
friends of Craftsman Farms, you hold
the key to our future. We need you to
send a quick email or write a long letter, to tell us what you hope for
Craftsman Farms. How can we make it
more meaningful to you? What do you
wish we could offer? What is the one
thing that matters to you the most?
A history of the site will be produced
from the earliest reference up to the
present. The buildings and landscape
will be analyzed to identify how the site
has evolved over time including the historic uses during Gustav Stickley’s time.
Comprehensive topographic plans will
be included. An analysis of current
space and suggestions for future use will
be produced in order to develop a program for improved interpretation of the
site.
With these two plans in hand, and a
team of leaders ready to follow through,
we are truly poised for success. It is a
heady time, when dreams and plans
begin to come to life!
We also need you to plan for the future
of Craftsman Farms. All of us whose
lives are enriched by The Stickley
Museum at Craftsman Farms are the
beneficiaries of the vision and generosity of those individuals who founded the
Museum in 1989. We need to continue that legacy and hope that you will
plan to help support Craftsman Farms,
both now and in the future.
We are all part of the Craftsman Farms
family and we all share in the planning
for The Farms future. We all share the
delight in and responsibility for the
preservation and rejuvenation of this
National Historic Landmark. And all
together, armed with our well-thought
plans and inspiring dreams, we will celebrate the joys of our success.
Stickley Exhibit at the Fenimore Art Museum
The Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, will
present an exhibition on the furniture of Gustav Stickley.
Opening April 1, Gustav Stickley: The Enlightened Home
explores the artist’s renowned furniture and his philosophical contribution to the Arts and Crafts movement.
Gustav Stickley: The Enlightened Home features 40 pieces of
original furniture and decorative objects, including objects
Spring 2008
Interpreting continued from page 1
The reproduction of this significant
piece in the main room of the Log
House has been made possible by a
generous grant from the Gustav Stickley
Fund of The Arts and Crafts Society of
Central New York. The Society is a
non-profit organization based in
Syracuse, New York dedicated to the
study of the Arts and Crafts movement
through an offering of lectures, symposia, tours, and other educational programs. The Society’s mission is to
increase awareness of our rich Arts and
Crafts heritage and to stimulate interest
in preserving it.
To carry out this commission, the
Museum has solicited the assistance of
local craftsman Mitch Andrus, a longtime friend of the Museum. Mitch is
the craftsman who, a few years ago,
reproduced the inlaid upright piano in
the Girls’ Bedroom.
The Museum is very grateful to The
Arts and Crafts Society of Central New
York for funding this acquisition and to
Mitch Andrus for reproducing it. We
are hopeful that the bookcase will be
completed and installed in early April.
Then we would like all our friends to
come see it!
— Peter Copeland
drawn from The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms. The
exhibition, which includes two recreated period rooms, a
1904 living room and a 1907 dining room, highlights several pieces from Stickley’s rich body of work and illustrates
how Stickley redefined the American home with his Arts
and Crafts-inspired items. Rejecting the superfluous ornamentation characteristic of Victorian homes, Stickley championed functional homes whose beauty is derived from simplicity and harmony. The exhibition will be on view
through August 10, 2008.
Page 2
UPCOMING EVENTS
Members
Only:
Save the
Date
Peter Trippi to Lecture
J.W. Waterhouse and Theatre:
Painting with an Eye on the Stage
ark your calendars for a fascinating lecture by the
renowned late 19th-Century art expert, Peter
Trippi, to be held on Tuesday, April 22 at The
Grolier Club in New York City. The lecture will focus on the
great Victorian painter J.W. Waterhouse R.A. (1849-1917).
This program is the second in the series of lectures being
offered collaboratively by The Stickley Museum at Craftsman
Farms, the William Morris Society in the United States, the
American Friends of Arts and Crafts in Chipping Campden,
and the Victorian Society in America.
M
Waterhouse is known worldwide as a “late Pre-Raphaelite”
because he discovered, and began revitalizing, the visual legacy of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. However, the paintings he made after 1882, such as The Lady of Shalott (1888,
Tate Britain), have never been interpreted as evidence of
Waterhouse’s keen awareness of the golden age being enjoyed
in the theatres of London and Paris at the time.
The playwright George Bernard Shaw was an astute art critic
who commented on Waterhouse’s pictures during this period.
His fellow critic Harry Quilter thought that Waterhouse’s
Marianne (1887, private collection) offered “a Sarah Bernhardt
conception of the scene, the tragedy of a star actress surrounded
by lay figures.” Such French allusions were insightful, because
brooding divas were the stock-in-trade of such internationally
renowned French Academicians as Laurens and Cabanel.
Peter Trippi’s talk looks closely at this phenomenon, linking
it to such renowned figures as Ellen Terry and Henry Irving,
and also to Waterhouse’s mature masterpieces, such as Saint
Cecilia (1895) and Hylas and the Nymphs (1896).
Peter Trippi is president of Projects in 19th-Century Art, Inc.
He is also editor of the bimonthly magazine, Fine Art
Connoisseur, and served for three years as director of New
York’s Dahesh Museum of Art. In 2002, Phaidon Press
(London) published Trippi’s monograph J W Waterhouse, and
he is now guest-curating a Waterhouse retrospective to open
at the Groninger Museum (Netherlands). Trippi co-founded
the peer-reviewed, scholarly journal Nineteenth-Century Art
Worldwide and serves on the board of Historians of British Art.
Peter Trippi Lecture
Tuesday, April 22nd; 6 p.m.
The Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street, New York, NY
Members $12, Non-members $18
Reception to follow
Call 973.540.0311 for reservations or more information
Spring 2008
Ulysses Grant Dietz, Senior Curator of
Decorative Arts at The Newark
Museum to be our guest speaker
M
ark your calendars for the Craftsman Farms
Members’ Reception on Saturday, April 12, from
4:00—7:00 pm. To celebrate the success of our latest restoration projects and kick off the 2008 season
Craftsman Farms is hosting a very special members’ celebration. The event will include the official ribbon cutting for
the newly opened North Cottage and the restored Master
Bedroom in the Log House. As members you will be among
the first to see the remarkable work that has been taking
place during the winter months.
Guest musician Joanne Egan will perform traditional Celtic
harp music in the Log House during your tours. Ms. Egan,
a graduate of Boston Conservatory, performed during our
holiday open house to rave reviews.
The highlight of the afternoon will be a talk by special guest
lecturer, Ulysses Grant Dietz, Senior Curator of Decorative
Arts at The Newark Museum. Entitled It Wasn’t Arts and
Crafts: It Was Modern, the talk will look at modern decorative arts from the 1890s to the early 1910s—embracing all of
the various styles, including “Arts and Crafts,” that were part
of the aesthetic world when Craftsman Farms was built and
during the early years of The Newark Museum. What was
modern then (meaning, new, of its time) was not necessarily
what we think of as modern today.
Following the talk, a wine and hors d’œuvres reception will be
held on the porch and terrace.
Watch your mail for your personal invitation to this members-only event. Or visit www.stickleymuseum.org to become
a member and attend this members’ reception.
Members Only: Season Opening Reception
Saturday, April 12th 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Free to members with invitation
RSVP required
Page 3
UPCOMING EVENTS
Craftsman Farms to Participate in
2008 American Art Pottery Association Annual Convention
A
special thank you goes to Arnie Small, President of
the AAPA and a long-time friend of the Farms, for
inviting us to be a part of their Association’s 2008
Convention. Craftsman Farms will have a booth at the convention and CFF Board President, Davey Willans, will present an overview of the Craftsman Farms, at their Sunday
morning workshop. This year’s convention will be held at
the Sheraton Hotel Bucks County, in Langhorne, PA.
The convention kick-off will begin on Wednesday April 23,
with an Early Tour of Historic Philadelphia and Reading
Market Terminal to include: the Liberty Bell, Independence
Hall, Elfreth’s Alley, the Second Bank of the United States
and its impressive portrait gallery, the Curtis Building featuring the Tiffany mosaic The Dream Garden, and a visit to
Philadelphia’s own Reading Terminal Farmers Market.
The evening will be filled with good food and conversation
at the Cocktail Reception and Dinner Banquet featuring
guest keynote speaker and Craftsman Farms’ year 2000 Als Ik
Kan Award winner, David Rago.
Thursday’s Bus Tour will feature the life and work of Henry
Chapman Mercer including visits to The Moravian Pottery
and Tile Works, The Mercer Museum, and Mercer’s home
Fonthill. A renown ceramist and archaeologist, Mercer’s 60+
acre estate holds an eclectic collection of thousands of tiles
and various other artifacts that are mortar set into the ceilings, walls and floors of his 19,000-square-foot castle.
Unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, Cottage Living magazine called Fonthill “perhaps the best house tour in the
Country.” Moravian Pottery and Tile Works is still in operation and considered a working museum. Tour guests will see
many of the original tools, kilns, and molds that date back to
the early 1900’s, as well as see current potters at work making
tiles and mosaics.
During the morning and afternoon hours on Friday, convention goers will be busy attending presentations by guest
experts and author book signings. Friday evening is the start
of the annual AAPA Auction Preview and Sale hosted by
David Rago at his facility in Lambertville, NJ.
The American Art Pottery Show and Sale will be on
Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27, featuring pottery
dealers from across the United States, selling the best of
American, European and Contemporary Pottery.
For information, contact Arnie Small: PotsInACNJ@aol.com.
— Davey Willans
Thank You for a
Special Night
e want to extend a warm
thank you to David Rago and
Suzanne Perrault for hosting
the Craftsman Auction preview and
reception for “Friends of the Farms” on
March 7, at the Rago Arts and Auction
Center in Lambertville, NJ. They and
their staff always do a wonderful job
making sure our guests have a good
time, enjoy the wine and appetizers,
and have time to preview all the items
that will be up for auction the following
days. Invitees include State and local
government officials, Guild members,
Trustees, and staff.
— Davey Willans
W
lease mark your calendars for
the 8th Annual Craftsman
Golf Outing, to be held on
Friday, May 23. The Knoll West
Country Club has made a number of
great improvements, so the players will
enjoy this challenging course even more
than last year.
P
Registration and sponsor request forms
will be sent to all of last year’s participants and sponsors in early March. If
you did not participate in last year’s
event and want to receive these forms,
call Davey Willans at 973.886.2978.
Spring 2008
We can only accept registrations from
the first 30 foursomes, so please make
your reservations early.
For our sponsors, this event offers a
GREAT advertising value, while making a charitable contribution that helps
support the Craftsman Farms
Foundation. You can choose to place a
full-page advertisement in our program
(which is given to all participants),
and/or have your company name
placed on a hole sponsor sign.
Page 4
— Davey Willans
NOTES FROM THE FARMS
Memories of
Christmas Past
Discover May Day
Circa 1911
H
Music, dance, and a traditional decorated Maypole will be featured. Craft
tables and period games will be set up
on the grounds. To round out the afternoon, refreshments and potted spring
flowers will be available for purchase.
May Day Family Day
Saturday, May 3rd
Noon to 4:00 p.m.
Member children $5.
Non-member children $7.
Adults accompanying children are free
“Historic Arts & Crafts Homes of Great
Britain” by Brian Coleman
Brian Coleman
to Lecture
rian Coleman, the esteemed
author of numerous books
including, Historic Arts &
Crafts Homes of Great Britain will present Differences Across The Pond:
American Interpretations of English Arts
and Crafts Design, on Saturday June 7,
at 4:00 p.m.
B
Coleman will discuss examples of the
architectural icons of the English Arts
and Crafts movement, such as Red
House, Hill House, and Standen and
will show examples of contemporary
American interiors that have reinterpreted their designs. Examples will
include William Morris’ famous and
powerful staircase at Red House,
reborn in a Maryland home, and
Macintosh’s Hill House parlor which
was used as the inspiration for a
kitchen in West Virginia. The lecture
will demonstrate how homeowners
have taken the best of the English Arts
and Crafts and translated them into
their own uniquely American interiors.
— Laura Reilly
Davey Willans
T
Mark your calendars for Craftsman
Farms May Day Family Celebration on
Saturday, May 3 from noon to 4:00
p.m. Families with children of all ages
are invited to step back in time with a
May Day celebration based on traditional activities from 1911.
undreds of visitors enjoyed
the hospitality offered at The
Farms “1915 Holiday Open
House.” Guests sampled traditional
style gingerbread cookies and hot
mulled cider. Children strung popcorn,
and made paper chains and orange and
clove pomanders. The pomanders
were later donated to a senior citizens
center. Mrs. Goody Claus explained
holiday customs of 1915. Adding to
the ambiance were two delightful musical programs. The first was Joyful
Noise, the Bell Choir of the First
Presbyterian Church of Whippany, and
the second was Celtic harpist, Joanne
Egan. Both performances took place
in the dining room and the beautiful
sounds resonated throughout the Log
House. All enjoyed the festive periodstyle decorations, interpreted by
docents stationed throughout the house,
who also explained the preparations the
1915 Stickley family would have made
for their upcoming holiday celebration.
Joyful Noise, the Bell Choir of the First
Presbyterian Church of Whippany.
Light refreshments and book-signing
will follow the lecture.
Saturday June 7
4:00 p.m.
Members $4; Non-member $7
Call 973.540.0311 for reservations
Spring 2008
Davey Willans
he ancient Romans held a
five-day celebration from
April 28 to May 2 devoted to
the worship of Flora, the goddess of
flowers. This tradition traveled to
Britain and by the Middle Ages every
English village had its Maypole. The
bringing in of the Maypole from the
woods was a great occasion and was
accompanied by much rejoicing and
merrymaking. Villages vied with each
other to see who could produce the
tallest Maypole, which they decorated
with streamers and colorful spring
flowers. The day was celebrated with a
procession led by pretty young girls
crowned “Queen of the May.” By the
late 19th century, May Day was taken
up in America as a socialist movement
celebrating workers’ rights, a tradition
that remains strong in Europe.
Children stringing popcorn on the porch.
Page 5
NOTES FROM
THE
FARMS
The Community of Mountain Lakes: A Long
he nearby community of
Mountain Lakes, listed on the
New Jersey and Federal
Registers of Historic Places, is an
extraordinary planned residential-park
community containing one of the finest
collections of Arts and Crafts homes in
the nation. The association of
Craftsman Farms with this community
goes beyond the many Mountain Lakes
residents who are members and supporters. The Farms will participate in
the upcoming Mountain Lakes Arts and
Crafts Design Open House, and, for
the fourth consecutive year, the Mountain
Lakes Club will serve as site of our major
fundraiser, the Craftsman Farms gala.
T
The club, along with the community
that it proudly serves, is a most appropriate setting for our event because of
its rich history. The development of the
area parallels the development of
Craftsman Farms in time, location, and
adherence to Arts & Crafts ideals. In
1908, Lewis Van Duyne, a local engineer and surveyor, was struck by the
beauty of a 1,000-acre tract of picturesque, virgin land. He approached
developer and entrepreneur, Herbert J.
Hapgood and his landscape engineer,
Arthur T. Holton, to develop the area.
That year, Van Duane and Hapgood
began purchasing – at fifteen dollars per
acre - the land that is known today as
the Borough of Mountain Lakes.
In 1907 Gustav Stickley also had
become enamored of a picturesque
piece of Morris County land, which he
developed, as we know, into Craftsman
Farms. Stickley’s writings and philosophies from the time offer insights into
the development of Mountain Lakes
which, in turn, provides a context for
understanding the development of the
Farms. The concept of building a
planned, suburban community, such as
Hapgood was doing, was a significant
national trend at the turn-of-the-twentieth century. Predecessor communities
included Llewellyn Park in West
Orange, NJ (1853) followed by communities in Riverside, IL (1869), Short Hills, NJ
(1874), Tuxedo Park, NY (1885) and
Shaker Heights, OH (1892). This was a
period of optimism and experimentation
in American urban planning and community design, largely influenced by the teachings of Frederic Law Olmstead, recognized
as the founder of American landscape
design and creator of numerous parks,
most significantly Central Park in New
York. Improvements in transportation,
particularly rail, enabled people to live outside cities, but close enough to commute
for work, shopping, and cultural experiences.
Hapgood sought to incorporate the new
concepts into his community and was
influenced by many of the ideals
espoused by Stickley and the Arts &
Crafts Movement. The developer wanted to foster close family and community life in an idyllic setting. The
Spring 2008
“Mountain Lakes Residential Park,” like
Craftsman Farms, was to take advantage
of the wonderful natural terrain — in
this case, climax forest and wetland
marshes — which boasted rolling hills,
woods, swamps, and large natural boulders. Two man-made lakes connected
by canals and stone bridges would serve
as a focal point for the community.
Area residents could enjoy simple, fairly
rural family life, while being close
enough to New York to commute by
the Lackawanna Railroad as Gustav
Stickley did from Craftsman Farms to
the Craftsman Building in New York.
Mountain Lakes’ historian John Steen
notes, on the borough’s website, that
Hapgood was strongly influenced by
Edward Bok, then editor of the Ladies
Home Journal, who, for the first time,
persuaded leading architects of the period to “prepare plans for comfortable
houses customized for the middle
class.” Bok’s plans were published in
magazines after 1895. The Hapgood
houses utilized an eclectic mix of
Colonial, Neo-Classical, Victorian,
Queen Anne, Tudor, Prairie, and particularly Arts and Crafts features. But,
Steen writes, “These differences in
superficial ornamentation . . . disguised
a more fundamental design consistency
which featured simple, functional, substantial design that emphasized the use
of indigenous materials.” Hapgood was
surely influenced by Stickley’s writing in
Page 6
Notes From the Farms
g-time Relationship With Craftsman Farms
The Craftsman which suggested that a
structure’s architecture should harmonize with nature and utilize local materials. The homes and other buildings
employed numerous natural Arts &
Crafts features, including oak floors,
chestnut paneling, and exposed crossbeams. They incorporated Stickley’s
open floor plan concept which —
much like that of today’s great room —
encouraged family interaction. Interior
decoration was simple, straightforward,
and easy to maintain. Exteriors reflected the Arts & Crafts style utilizing deep
overhanging eaves, dormers, wraparound porches, and simple decoration.
Native boulderstone was used extensively for foundations, chimneys, porches,
pillars and walls. The boulderstone and
stucco exteriors provided a consistent
design look to the homes and a distinctive
character to the community. Every
Hapgood house was unique, fitting carefully into the wooded landscape with a unique
vista.
Between 1911 and 1923, when
Hapgood’s company declared bankruptcy, almost 500 “Hapgoods” or “Lakers”
were constructed. About 450 remain in
today’s community of almost 1300
homes. These make Mountain Lakes
one of the largest collections of
Craftsman influenced houses in the
country today. The community is
unique in that, with farsighted self-governance, it has been able to preserve
much of its original integrity and sense
of place. More than one third of the
borough is maintained as parkland.
A favorite recreational spot, The
Mountain Lakes Club on Lake Drive,
served as the social center of the community. Its original Hapgood clubhouse
— completed in 1914 at a cost of
$17,700 — featured dining facilities, a
bar, ballroom, bowling lanes, pool, ten-
About the Author: Barbara Fuldner, the
great-granddaughter of Gustav Stickley,
serves as a Trustee of The Craftsman
Farms Foundation. A resident of
Wisconsin, she has enjoyed exploring
and learning about Mountain Lakes on
her trips to Craftsman Farms.
nis court, boat dock, and a huge verandah overlooking Mountain Lake. Sadly,
a fire started in the kitchen of the original clubhouse around 5:30 PM on New
Year’s Eve in 1928. (It is said that all the
men in town were volunteer firefighters
and that their wives met them at the
6:20 PM train from the city, bearing
their boots, foul-weather gear, and tumblers of brandy to fortify the men for
the long and grueling night ahead.
Although they rushed to the club, the
firefighters immediately realized they
were too late and all was lost.) The
Club burned to the ground. The current building replaced the original and
is itself considered a landmark of the
community. Although no longer in a
Hapgood structure, the now-private
club has recently been remodeled in
keeping with the Arts & Crafts sensibility of the local architecture. It still
serves as an important entity in the
community, providing families with a
place to socialize and — through activities such as boating, swimming, and
tennis — interact with their lovely natural surroundings.
We look forward to enjoying once again
this lovely venue and setting where we
can imagine we are back in the early
20th century alongside two visionaries
who helped to design the future of
Morris County.
Spring 2008
— Barbara Fuldner
Note: Input for this article came largely from
the Mountain Lakes website, www.mtnlakes.org.
Permission to use the website information and
historic photos was given by the Historic
Preservation Committee of Mountain Lakes .
Mountain Lakes to Host
Arts and Crafts Event
The Historic Preservation Committee
of Mountain Lakes will sponsor an Arts
and Crafts Design Open House on
Friday, February 29 and Saturday,
March 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
at the Community Church on Briarcliff
Road in Mountain Lakes. Admission is
free.
The Open House will give residents an
opportunity to learn about the
American Arts and Crafts movement.
Stickley furniture pieces, craftsman
hardware, lighting fixtures, period artwork and tile will be on display. The
Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms
will have a library of reference material
and decorative items available for sale.
Page 7
NOTES FROM
THE
FARMS
Celebrating Our Volunteers
Erma Bombeck once said, “Volunteers
are the only human beings on the face of
the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just
plain love for one another.”
Volunteer Coordinator Elaine Esposito
recognized the many hours logged in
by each volunteer by presenting everyone with Craftsman Farms’ cappuccino mugs filled with candies.
That unselfish caring and compassion
is evident in the daily activities at
Craftsman Farms. Volunteers share
their time and talents each day in every
aspect of museum life. From researching the history of objects to ringing up
sales in the gift shop, from raking
leaves to leading tours, from teaching
crafts to stuffing envelopes, it is volunteers who keep things humming at
Craftsman Farms.
John Oehler received an ovation when
it was announced that he won the
2008 award for the most volunteer
time recorded. John devoted more
than 300 hours of his time to the
office, including remapping the new
chart of accounts for the Foundation’s
general ledger.
Henry David Thoreau wrote, “One is
not born into the world to do everything
but to do something.” The Craftsman
Volunteer award winners Peter Mars, John Oehler, Farms volunteers are certainly people
and Janet Reckenbeil share a laugh.
who do something! We are grateful to
have them as members of the
Craftsman Farms family!
— Marti Weinstein
Becoming a Volunteer
President Davey Willans, volunteer Neil Cherniack,
and Mayor Michael Luther at the Volunteer Party..
Davey Willans
On January 13 volunteers, staff,
Foundation Trustees and Parsippany
Mayor Michael M. Luther celebrated
the Craftsman Farms’ volunteers with
a special recognition reception.
Everyone enjoyed getting together for
a festive party with delicious refreshments at the home of Marti and Jerry
Weinstein to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year. In the
true spirit of volunteerism, many
volunteers brought wonderful homemade dishes to the event.
Other 2008 award-winning volunteers
included Laura Reilly, Harold Kraus,
Pete Mars, Janet Reckenbeil and
Rosemary Kostansek, all of whom
logged more than 200 hours of volunteer time.
Ray Stubblebine
Ray Stubblebine
There are as many types of volunteers
as there are jobs they fill. This past
year Craftsman Farms was fortunate
to have young volunteers including
Boy Scouts and members of a local
Key Club. ExxonMobil offered a volunteer day as did the Morris Land
Conservancy. Numerous experts volunteered their talents to make presentations, lead workshops, and teach
crafts. Interns helped with the ongoing project of entering object information into the new collection management system. And the Museum
was blessed with the steady support
of office volunteers, store clerks,
docents, and more.
APRIL 27 - MAY 3, 2008
Do you have a special skill you’d like
to share? We invite you to join the
Craftsman Farms “family” and make
new friends, while sharing your talents, interests and skills. There are a
variety of jobs available, and hours are
flexible to accommodate busy schedules. Volunteer opportunities include:
giving tours, working in the Museum
Shop, office work, special events,
assisting with mailings, helping with
children's programs, or taking part in
landscaping days. Call 973.540.0311
for more information.
Volunteers gather to send a mailing to our members.
Spring 2008
Page 8
Notes From the Farms
New Trustees
Dorothy Beattie is a west coast native
and currently lives in Santa Rosa,
California. Her undergraduate studies
were in music performance. She also
holds an MBA from Columbia University
and is a CPA. The vast portion of her
career has been centered on financial
risk management, with both line trading and risk management positions.
She has had significant experience managing software development teams.
Richard Gottardi recently retired from
the ExxonMobil Research &
Engineering Co. where he worked for
33 years as an Electric Power Engineer.
He and his wife Sheila are New
England natives who have been residents of Parsippany for 40 years. They
first got to know Craftsman Farms
through their friendship with Amy and
Don Stahl. Amy was a devoted volun-
Ray Stubblebine
We are pleased to announce that at the
2008 Annual Meeting, three new
Trustees, Dorothy Beattie, Richard
Gottardi, and Mark Weaver were elected Trustees of the Craftsman Farms
Foundation. All three of these individuals have been long time supporters of
the Foundation and bring new ideas
and energy, which are needed to help
continue the growth of the Foundation.
The Board of Trustees at the January 16 meeting. Left to right, back row: Robert Burchell, Peter
Copeland, David Rudd, Nancy Willans, Ed Heinle, Mark Weaver, Davey Willans, Richard
Gottardi, Tom Menard, Ray Stubblebine. Front row: Marti Weinstein, Jan Wells, Heather
Stivison, Laura Reilly, and Barbara Fuldner. Not pictured: Dorothy Beattie and Allen Breed.
teer and Don was a long-time Farms
Board member. Richard has served as a
landscape committee volunteer for several years. In the year ahead he will
serve on the Finance Committee and
will chair the Landscape Task Force.
He is most interested in the preservation and restoration of the Farms as a
historic landmark site.
Mark Weaver has been principal trombonist of The United States Coast
Guard Band for the past 28 years. He
has performed throughout the United
States and abroad, recently performing
this past September in a recital at Weill
Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall with the
band’s brass quintet. Weaver’s collecting
concentration has been Arts and Crafts
metalwork. Weaver has written several
articles for Style 1900 magazine. You
can read his latest contribution to Style
1900 in the current issue which explores
Arts and Crafts influences on the architecture of Mt. Desert Island, Maine.
Welcome To Our New Staff
onda K. Givens, director of education began her
career in museum education as the outreach coordinator at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum in
New Brunswick, NJ, and for the past five years, she has
served as the director of education at the Hunterdon
Museum of Art in Clinton, NJ. She serves on the Board of
the New Jersey Association of Museums. A former instructor
at her undergraduate alma mater, Lipscomb University, she
holds two degrees in communication, including a master’s
degree from Texas A & M University. Givens is a native of
middle Tennessee. She made New Jersey her home in 2001
and currently resides in Summit with her husband, Wes
Sherman, a painter, and their dog Bingo.
V
Spring 2008
hunzyu Haigler, manager of membership and individual giving brings a decade of non-profit experience to her new role at The Farms. Most recently as
Director of Individual Donors at the Harlem School of Arts,
Shunzyu was responsible for spearheading the changes to
their individual giving program. Prior to that, she served as
an integral part of the development team at the Jersey City
Museum, creating the template for their current membership
program and their major fundraiser the ARTrageous Ball.
Earlier in her career she served as membership manager for
the Montclair Art Museum. She lives in Glen Ridge with her
husband, Hermann, a Master Craftsman, her daughter Alex,
and their dog, Tiger.
S
Page 9
THANK YOU
B
Membership
A
November 1- December 31, 2007
We extend a warm thank you to the following members who demonstrated their support of the mission of
The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms by joining or renewing in the past two months.
Patrons
Marcia and Joseph Bograd
W.C. Dandridge, Jr.
Karen Plastoris
Bonnie Rosenthal
Cameron O. Smith
Robert Zarrow
Friends
Edward Butler
Nancy and Philetus H. Holt III
Diane and Richard Kahn
Ann E. Beeson and Robert S. Kimzey
Sean and Betsy Monaghan
Lisanne Renner and Adam Grace
Leonora M. Shelsey
John S. Sinclair
Karen and Stuart Slifkin
Jan Vleck and Kathleen Peppard
Elizabeth Way Lockard
Dual & Family
Rosann Rizzuto and Gregory Anselmi
Lyn Ramsey and Thomas A. Bell, Jr.
Helen Burnett-Cruz and Steve Cruz
Sandra Cherniack & Neil Cherniack, M.D.
Amparo and Mitchell Codding
Ellen and Jeffrey Cohen
Elizabeth and David Eliason
Mindy and Robert D. Emer
Frank Gebfried
Frances M. and Richard Gillis
Shunzyu A. Haigler
and Hermann G. Sattler
Susan Miller and Rudolf Hokanson
John Hughes and Kevin Carter
Florence and Robert Jennes
Geraldine L. and Harry Jones
Mimi and John Kaplan
Judyanne and Gerald Kroboth
Ann K. and Timothy R. Labeau
Anna and Robert D. Lang
Monica and John F. Latko
Denise and Michael Moore
Mary K. and Benjamin Muckenhoupt
Susan and Alan Stultz
Barbara and Peter Westergaard
Mary Elizabeth and Richard Wiwn
Patricia and Gregory Wright
Individual
Bruce T. Benson
Tina Caridad
Recent Grants
The Craftsman Farms Foundation is profoundly grateful
for the following recent grants:
The Acorn Hill Foundation;
James Conger
Nancy Currey
Norton D. Druger
Joseph Ferri
Rebecca Fraser-Thill
Marion O. Harris
Nancy L. Hunt
Genie Keese
Judith McConkey
Thomas Merkl
Betsy D. Morgan
Brian Spindor
Seth M. Thompson
Students & Seniors
Eleanor F. DeMott
Flo Guest
Marlene and Richard Levine
Cecile McKenzie
Fredric M. Rabel
Corinne W. Scott
John F. Smith Jr.
Ans Van Der Veen
Virginia A. Walton
Marianne F. Wilson
Peter S. Wood
Special Thanks
Thank you to the following for the special ways they help
further the mission of the Craftsman Farms Foundation:
Johnson & Johnson;
Ed Heinle for the design drawings, and renderings of proposed visitors’ center;
The Schumann Fund;
Brian Kramer for the donation of furnishings for North Cottage;
The Stickley Fund of the Arts & Crafts Society of Central New York;
The New Jersey Historical Commission for a project grant to
republish Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Farms: A Pictorial History;
The New Jersey Historic Trust for a matching grant to help
underwrite the cost of our historic site master plan.
Spring 2008
Laura Reilly for baking hundreds of gingerbread cookies for
our holiday open house;
David Rudd for the donation of furnishings for North Cottage;
Mark Weaver for the donation of furnishings for North Cottage.
Page 10
Thank You
The Craftsman Guild
January 1 through December 31, 2007
We are deeply grateful to the following members of the Craftsman Guild Donor Circle whose
generous support has a significant impact on the operations of The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms.
Director's Circle
Catherine Mathis
and Robert Burchell
Barbara and Henry Fuldner
Nancy and Davey Willans
Benefactor
Donald Stahl
Master
Vonda and Allen Breed
Janet and Peter A. Copeland
Barbara and Robert Nickerson
Laura and Richard Reilly
Journeyman
Ellen and Jeffrey Cohen
Susan Devenish-Meares
Stephanie F. and Russell C. Deyo
Jodi Bartley and John Eastberg
Susan and Frank Finkenberg
Christopher Forbes
Ruth and Louis G. Glesmann, III
Christina and Christopher A. Guido
Bruce E. Johnson
Robert and Tsipi Kaplan
Harold Krauss
Arganey L. Lucas, Jr.
Mary and Tom Menard
Suzanne Perrault and David Rago
Debbie and David Rudd, Jr.
Karen and Stuart Slifkin
Martha and Gerald Weinstein
Sheila and Richard Gottardi
Apprentice
Edwin C. Heinle
Suzanne and Stephen Jones
Cynthia and Timothy McGinn
John and Ann Reynolds
Ula Ilnytzky
and Raymond Stubblebine
Jan S. Wells
JoAnn and Paul Young
Elizabeth and Robert Acosta-Lewis
Aritsan
Dorothy Beattie
Joan Albin and Tom Bird
Susan and David M. Cathers
Edward J. Adler
Lori J. Ashley and Gary Miller
Charles Bethill
Lynda G. and Art Brender
Leanna Brown and W. S. Brown
Richard G. Buggeln
Sandra Cherniack and Neil Cherniack, M.D.
Elizabeth B. and John G. Clarke
The Honorable Alex DeCroce
The Honorable Rodney Frelinghuysen
Bob Grandjean
Michele and James Gregorek
Lori and Donald Hafner
Carol and Craig Jones
Ann and Seth Leeb
Robert J. Leon
Dick J. Levine
Marlene and Richard Levine
Richard Liebenow
David W. Lowden
Sheri and Irvin Lubis
Cory and Kevin Lynk
Neisa and Michael Maute
Betty and Michael McAleer
Elizabeth and Terence Moran
Carla and Timothy O'Connor
Karen Plastoris
Kristen and Dennis Powers
AJ Rapp
Anthony J. Ratchford
Donald Rosenthal
Debbie and Javier Santiago
Patricia Q. Sheehan
Cameron O. Smith
Sarah Dreikorn
and Mario Valenciano
Elizabeth Ventura
Mark E. Weaver
Barbara Weiskittel
Thelma M. and Albert J. Westrum
Wanece N. and Conrad Witte
Martha and Harold Wrede
Elizabeth R. and Thomas J. Wyka
Robert Zarrow
About the Craftsman Guild
id you ever wonder, “What is the Guild?” The
name, Craftsman Guild, was chosen because of
Gustav Stickley's admiration for the practice of
artisans working cooperatively within a guild. Our Guild is
not a group of artisans but of Arts and Crafts advocates
working cooperatively to preserve Gustav Stickley's legacy
and further the American Arts andCrafts movement. When
the Guild was established in 1996 there were 47 charter
members. Today we are proud to recognize these 80 Guild
D
Spring 2008
members.
You too can become a member of the Guild and have a significant impact on the future of Craftsman Farms. All you
need to do is to commit to donating $250 or more in 2008
and you will become a Guild member too. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Craftsman Guild, or have
any questions about Museum membership, please contact
Shunzyu Haigler, Manager of Membership and Individual Donors
at 973.540.0311 or email shaigler@stickleymusuem.org.
Page 11
Notes From the Farms
Visiting Craftsman Farms:
April — NovemberTour Schedule:
The Stickley Museum at Craftsman
Farms will reopen for afternoon tours
and visits on Wednesday,April 2.
Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
Tours Leave: 12:15 p.m. and 1:45 p.m.
The entrance is located on Route 10
West at Manor Lane, about 3 miles
west of I-287 in Parsippany-Troy Hills,
New Jersey. Driving directions are
available at www.stickleymuseum.org.
Free to members and children under 6
Adults: $7; Seniors & Students $5
Closed Monday, Tuesday, & Major Holidays.
Saturdays and Sundays
Tours Leave: 11:15 a.m. 12:15 p.m.,
1:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m., and 3:15 p.m.
Group Tours are available by reservation.
Call Elaine Esposito at 973.540.0311
Gift Shop Hours:
Wed. to Fri. — Noon to 3:00 p.m.
Sat. & Sun. — 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Notes from the Farms is the quarterly
publication of The Craftsman Farms
Foundation, Inc. and is based on an
original design by Suzanne Jones.
Contributing writers and editors: Peter
Copeland, Barbara Fuldner, Shunzyu
Haigler, Laura Reilly, Heather Stivison,
Ray Stubblebine, Marti Weinstein, and
Davey Willans.
Contact us:
Offices: 973.540.0311
Museum: 973.540.1165
Fax: 973.540.1167
Email: info@stickleymuseum.org
website: www.stickleymuseum.org
Craftsman Farms, the former home of noted designer Gustav Stickley, is owned by the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills and is operated as The
Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms by the Craftsman Farms Foundation, Inc. The Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization incorporated in the State of New Jersey. Restoration and operation of the National Historic Landmark, Craftsman Farms is made possible, in part, by
a Save America's Treasures Grant administered by the National Parks Service, Department of the Interior, and by Support from Morris County
Preservation Trust, The New Jersey Historical Commission, The New Jersey Historic Trust, and individual members.
1858 – Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Gustav Stickley – 2008
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