KNOXVILLE, TN (April 4, 2007) - Bring your lunch to the East Tennessee History Center at 12 noon on April 11 and learn how to “read” your antique furniture. James Hooper is an award-winning furniture conservator who has worked with historical collections throughout East Tennessee and across the nation. He will share the secrets of becoming a knowledgeable viewer and owner of fine furniture in a lecture entitled “How to Read Furniture.”
Mr. Hooper is the author of more than a dozen published articles in woodworking magazines, and a former instructor in the non-credit program at the University of Tennessee. He taught woodworking classes at Cherokee Lumber Company for several years and continues to work extensively with private collectors and museums.
For his presentation at the East Tennessee History Center, Mr. Hooper will bring samples of materials commonly found in antique furniture, such as nails, hinges, and glass. He will point out the surprising degree to which many pieces of furniture have been altered by their owners, or even by collectors, sometimes so extensively that it is difficult to know the furniture’s original look and purpose. He will also discuss, among other things, what is meant by “married” furniture, and the techniques he uses to identify fake antiques.
Mr. Hooper’s lecture has been scheduled to coincide with the current exhibit at the ETHS Museum, Hewn and Hammered: Nineteenth-Century Furniture from the Permanent Collection. The exhibit features 20 representative pieces of furniture from around East Tennessee and will continue through May 27.
The Spring 2007 Brown Bag Lectures are free and open to the public, and sponsored by the Harriet Z. Albers Memorial Endowment Fund. Soft drinks will be available.
The East Tennessee Historical Society, whose mission is to preserve, interpret and promote the region’s history, is located at 601 S. Gay Street (across from the Tennessee Theatre) in downtown Knoxville. Museum hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. For additional information, call 865-215-8824.
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