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LECTURES
AND WORKSHOPS
 NEW ! POWERPOINT LECTURE PRESENTATIONS
I am currently offering the following workshops and PowerPoint
lecture presentations, which are based on my critically acclaimed
books. Workshops can be designed to fit your time needs, from
a few hours to an entire day. Like my books, my lectures are
both visually stunning and richly informative. Each PowerPoint
slide lecture runs approximately 45 minutes followed by a question
and answer period.
I am also happy to sign any of my books that attendees want to
bring along.
Any of the lectures can be expanded into a longer and more intensive
seminar program, and I can also work with you to prepare a lecture
specific to your programmatic needs and interests. I have lectured
at the American Museum of Folk Art, the American Craft Museum,
the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Sotheby's, and many other
institutions. I also often lecture at exhibition openings and
collectors' meetings. I do still have openings in 2006, so contact
me ASAP for bookings.
WORKSHOPS
How to Bake an Exhibition
Learn how a professional curator puts together an exhibition,
from selecting objects to writing labels and deciding how and
where to hang the quilts. Participants will create their own
exhibition by choosing quilts from the same set of photos, use
photos to plan hanging, and write introductory and individual
labels. The workshop will also address logistical issues including
lighting, conservation, care, shipping, and storage.
A Good Eye: Quilts and Connoisseurship
This workshop will explore the many elements that distinguish
one quilt from another, and allow us to rank them good, better
or best. We will study Charles Montgomery's 14 points of connoisseurship
and learn how to apply them to both antique and contemporary
quilts. Participants will be asked to evaluate individual quilts and
defend their judgments by offering comparisons and explaining
aesthetic criteria and other relevant factors. This workshop
will help quiltmakers critique their own work as well as that
of others, present and past.
LECTURES

Quilts: A Living Tradition
The greatest quilt revival
of all time has been going on since the 1970s, and the idea of
the American quilt has been taken up and interpreted by women
(and men) all over the world. This survey of recent quilts, quiltmakers
and trends explores styles from the traditional to the art quilt
and includes stunning examples by Japanese, European, African-American,
Native American and Hawaiian quilters.

The Art of the Quilt
According to noted art
critic Hilton Kramer, "... The suspicion persists that the
most authentic visual articulation of the American imagination
in the last century is to be found in the so-called 'minor' arts,-
especially in the visual crafts that had their origins in the
workaday functions of regional life." Although quilts are
primarily utilitarian objects, the craftsmanship and artistry
of the best examples has long been recognized. This survey presents
an overview of the remarkable aesthetic achievements of America's
quiltmakers from the 1700s to the present day.
Five Decades of Unconventional Quilts
Over the past forty years,
a number of studio artists have chosen the quilt as their preferred
medium, producing works intended to be hung and viewed like paintings
rather than used as bedcovers. These innovative artists have
opened up broad new avenues for experimentation and also helped
to revitalize the traditional quilt. This lecture presents an
overview of the meaning and aesthetic accomplishments of the
art quilt through the work of its leading exponents. A
History of the Art Quilt
This lecture traces the development of the art quilt, exploring
its roots in traditional quiltmaking and other textile and visual
arts and then looking at the ground-breaking early work of such
innovators as Jean Ray Laury, Charles Counts, Joan Lintault,
Therese May, Radka Donnell, Molly Upton, Susan Hoffman, Nancy
Halpern, Michael James, and Nancy Crow.

Hawaiian Quilts
Bringing elements of
their Polynesian heritage to the American quilt, nineteenth century
Hawaiians created a distinctive and beautiful art form that is
still actively practiced throughout the islands. Hawaii's stunning
quilts capture the essence of the islands' overwhelming natural
beauty as well as its people's legendary grace and charm. In
a land where a quilt is anything but a necessity, quiltmaking
took on entirely new and different meanings. This lecture traces
the history of the islands through its quilts and explores the
driving forces behind the designs of these extraordinary creations.

Quilts: The Democratic Art
Quilts are the quintessential
American folk art, known and loved throughout the world. This
survey history of quilt traditions examines the bed quilt's origins
in Europe, its development in nineteenth century America, and
its deep social, ethnic and gender meanings. The comprehensive
presentation includes outstanding examples by Amish, African-American,
Native American and Hawaiian quilters.

American Baskets
Native Americans made
some of the most highly regarded baskets in the world, and their
work was complemented by the distinctive traditions of later
settlers. This presentation offers an overview of the history
and aesthetics of baskets made by Indians in the Southwest, California,
the Pacific Northwest, and other regions of the country, and
also explores the baskets of rural New England, Nantucket, Appalachia,
the Shakers, the Pennsylvania Dutch, and African-Americans of
the Southeast coast

Great Guitars
We are living in a golden
age of instrument making; there are more first rate luthiers
at work today than ever before. This presentation offers a look
at the extraordinary creations of contemporary artisans around
the world ,prefaced by a pictorial history of the guitar, from
it origins in Arabia and Renaissance Europe to the explosion
of design variations by 20th century American luthiers and manufacturers.
Included are guitars by such renowned luthiers as Christian Fredrich
Martin , Orville Gibson, the Larson brothers, Hermann Weissenborn,
John D'Angelico, James D'Aquisto, John Monteleone, and Grit Laskin,
and acoustic and electric guitars by Martin, Gibson, Washburn,
Gretsch, Fender, Paul Reed Smith, Parker, and other manufacturers..

Tools of Deception: American
Bird Decoys
Bird decoys have been
basic hunter's tools for centuries and are the only American
folk art indigenous to this continent. These humble tools are
now coveted by collectors for their sculptural beauty and historical
associations. This presentation explores the history and significance
of American decoys, and offers an overview of major carvers and
their works. My standard fee for a lecture presentation
is $600 plus expenses. Fees for multiple lectures or symposia
are negotiable depending upon content and length. Book signings
can also be arranged at no extra cost. Please
don't hesitate to call or write with any questions you might
have.
Robert Shaw,
435 Longmeadow Drive, Shelburne, VT 05482
Phone 802/985-0737,
email: shaw.bob@verizon.net Copyright © 2006 Robert
Shaw
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