The Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison, New York, are excited to offer the public an educational panel discussion with artists, designers, and collectors about the aesthetic appeal and artistic value of objects that are broken, scratched, lopsided, or otherwise askew. Who’s on the panel and when does it take place?
It can be a difficult topic of discussion among the artistically inclined, but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t believe that beauty can indeed be found in imperfection. To be sure, there are many among us who take the position that imperfection is a key component of beauty.
Wherever you lie on this fascinating topic, an upcoming panel discussion at the Boscobel House and Gardens should be both wildly entertaining and educational for artists and enthusiasts of all levels. At “The Beauty of Imperfection,” Yale Senior Scholar Glenn Adamson — an expert on decorative arts and contemporary craft and former director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York — will moderate the discussion. Other panelists include Andrew Baseman, a foremost collector of repaired antiques as well as an interior and film set designer, and Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, an internationally known metalwork artist and SUNY New Paltz professor and Metal Program head.
Via the Boscobel’s release, “This program is organized in conjunction with Boscobel House and Gardens’ ongoing exhibition, Make-Do’s: Curiously Repaired Antiques, which celebrates objects that were damaged, but deemed too precious to discard. From porcelain teapots with silver replacement spouts shaped like animal heads to glass decanters literally bound with iron staples, Make-Do’s features over 250 curious treasures broken and repaired more than 100 years ago.”
“Boscobel itself was once broken and saved, which adds to its beauty today,” says Boscobel Curator Jennifer Carlquist about the original 1804-08 Neoclassical mansion. “It was partially demolished in 1955, but — thanks to dedicated preservationists — reassembled and repurposed as a museum. The Make-Do’s exhibition and programs are about design, history, and sustainability. This panel discussion brings to light the many ways today’s artists, designers, and collectors are seeking out and embracing imperfection.”
The “Beauty of Imperfection” panel discussion takes place on Friday, July 21 at 6:30 p.m. $20/person, free to members. To learn more or purchase tickets, visit here.
This article was featured in PleinAir Today, a weekly e-newsletter from PleinAir magazine. To start receiving PleinAir Today for free, click here.
