The Times, RIHS Member Magazine Fall 2019

the

Times

of the

Rhode Island Historical Societ y Fall 2019

www.rihs.org

In this issue: Drop Scene Restoration The Legacy of Stan Weiss Looping Celluloid Winter Programs and more . . . .

A Note of Thanks on a Fall Day

Board of Trustees Luther Spoehr, Ph.D., Chair Winifred E. Brownell, Ph.D., Vice Chair Michael L. Baker, Jr., CPA, Treasurer Robert. H. Sloan, Jr., CLU, ChFC, Secretary Timothy N. Burditt Paul A. Croce, Sc.D. Michael T. Eadie Andrew M. Erickson, CPCU Heather H. Evans George M. Goodwin, Ph.D. Barry Hitner, Esq. Edward A. Iannuccelli James P. Loring, CPA,CFA Benjamin D. Lux Scott MacKay Lisa E. Melton Maureen Moakley, Ph.D. Marcus P. Nevius, Ph.D. Theodore W. Smalletz Mary C. Speare Barbara J. Thornton, AIA Ex Officio: Lane Talbot Sparkman C. Morgan Grefe, Executive Director

As soon as the calendar turns to October, I have one thing on my mind: Thanksgiving. Since I was a little girl, it’s been my favorite holiday. Okay, okay, that might have something to do with the fact that I was born on Thanksgiving, so it was always “my” day in the family.

But, truly, it was so much more than that.

It was the food. Turkey? Love it. Stuffing?

Clearly a gift to humanity. And don’t even get me started on cranberry sauce! I loved the preparation and anticipation of it all.

There’s also the family aspect. Like most people, I have a complicated family. Perhaps, thinking mathematically, complex would be more accurate. In any event, on Thanksgiving I’m with a gaggle of people to whom I am related in one way or another and, here’s the best part, we like each other. They’re funny and smart.

They’re kind and thoughtful. And they’re really, really loud. To put this in perspective, at these gatherings I am considered one of the quiet people.

While we’ve never been the type of family to go around the table and say what we’re grateful for, that gratitude is implied by the hugs, the shared laughs, and the recitation of ridiculous stories big and small.

So why am I going on about Thanksgiving?

Because even though I might be thinking considerably about gravy and seeing my cousins, I’m mostly thinking about how fortunate I am. And when I was looking at the contents for this issue of our member magazine, newly dubbed The Times I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the generosity of those around us.

In this issue you’ll read about some tremendous gifts. Stanley Weiss has given the RIHS one of the most exquisite examples of William and Mary Furniture I have ever seen—a high chest that descended through the Greene Family of Warwick. It photographs beautifully, but in person, it takes my breath away. It’s not just the quality of the wood, but the patina of the piece. How many hands have pulled those drawers in and out? What treasures were secreted away inside? What cat nudged its cheek against the elegant trumpet leg as if to say, “Oh, you thought this high chest was yours?” I can’t thank Stanley enough for safe guarding this piece and then seeing fit to share it with us, so we can share it with you.

Many of you have been to our Aldrich House headquarters and have spied the exquisite theater curtain that Rick writes about in this issue. When I look at the curtain, I think about the fact that residents of Providence sat gazing at this scene more than 200 years ago, and I consider how amazing it is that we can look upon that same view. But we can only do that if it is cared for—and we could only care for it this year because of the gift of Sylvia Brown. Her ancestors sat in that theater then, and now she has played a crucial role in saving this piece of our collective history. Does a “thank you” suffice?

These acts of philanthropy are profound, but there are so many ways that our members, donors and volunteers give every day that shape our collections and our organization.

Some of the people who volunteer significant amounts of their time and their skills do so by serving on our Board. The RIHS Board, like those of all non-profits, governs our organization and acts as a fiduciary, making sure that we are fulfilling our mission and obligations.

But they do so much more than that. Our trustees think about the work of the RIHS and how it connects to the broader community. They bring to bear their personal expertise, and those of their networks, to amplify the work that we do. And they support our staff by working on committees and one-on-one projects to move our mission and vision forward.

This November, at our annual meeting, we will welcome new board members to our team. But a handful of exceptional people will be rolling off our board as their terms have expired. Ted Smalletz, Chair of the Publications Committee; Ed Iannuccilli, Chair of the Collections Committee and chronicler of Rhode Island memories; Barry Hittner, former Chair of the RIHS Board and Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee; and last, and as you will quickly see not least, Jim Loring, who served as Treasurer, Vice Chair, and Chair of the Board and then as Chair of the Audit Committee. These Trustees have left big shoes to fill— shoes they filled voluntarily, because they believe in the work the RIHS is doing.

My thanks, our thanks, is immeasurable.

On still more pages in this issue, you will see the lists of hundreds of names of individuals, corporations, foundations and agencies that have supported us this year. This makes it so very clear that we could not, and would not want to, do this work without them and without you.

Lastly, I hope you will see reflected here the huge role our members play in the RIHS. We hear from you every day about how you are using your membership.

What you like. What you don’t. What you want more of and what you could do without. Keep it coming!

For nearly 200 years the RIHS has existed as a membership organization. Each of you is part of that impressive continuum of support. And, pardon my informality, but how cool is that? I thank each and every one of you for what you do to protect, share and interpret our history in your own ways.

And please know, on November 28th, as I prepare to partake in another Thanksgiving feast, I will be thinking again of just how lucky and grateful we are because of you.

C. Morgan Grefe, Executive Director

Cover photograph: The earliest surviving piece of American theater scenery is this drop scene depicting the early 19th century Providence landscape. Owned by RIHS since 1833, it was painted by John Worrall, c. 1809.

Collections:

Conservation and Restoration of the ‘Drop Scene’

Carolyn Frisa, paper conservator from Curtains Without Borders inpainting the theater curtain.

The care of historic artifacts continues to both engage and challenge us. The challenge lies in what to focus on, given the tens of thousands of museum items to choose from—not to mention funding the work! The engagement is in re-learning what our predecessors knew, and in appreciating the depth and nature of the collections which we steward. Happily, we have yearly themes as one of our guiding compass points, and so in anticipation of 2020’s theme of “Spotlight RI: Performing Arts in Rhode Island,” we chose to focus on the 19th century “drop-scene” panorama of Providence, which hangs in the ballroom of Aldrich House. A drop scene, for those not versed in theater parlance, is a curtain backdrop used for stage scenery.

The Providence drop-scene is the earliest surviving work of American theater scenery, as far as we have discovered. It is certainly the largest (15 x 24 feet) graphic view of Providence we own, and one of the earliest, having been painted about 1809 or 1810. It is also one of the first major artifacts acquired by the Society, obtained in 1833, our tenth year of operation, after the ‘Theatre’ was sold to the Grace Church Corporation in 1832. So we have been caring for it for 186 years!

The artist was John Worrall (ca. 1783–September 14, 1825), a scenery painter engaged by the Boston Theater (Federal Street) who also routinely traveled with the group from Portland to Providence as a pantomime dancer (Harlequin). He began painting scenery at the theater in 1806 as assistant to an artist named Melbourne and soon became the chief scene painter, remaining in that position until at least 1822. Worrall created a similar drop curtain for the Federal Street Theatre in 1818—a view of Boston from the South Boston bridge. His wife and daughter (identified only as “Mrs. Worrall” and “Miss Worrall” in the sources) had occasional roles as singers and dancers in the same period.

In the 1750s and 60s the suppression of theatrical entertainments was a political and moral issue in New England (as Puritan strongholds), theater companies generally limited themselves to the mid-Atlantic and southern states, and the West Indies (where English

theater was born in the Americas). Newport was the Center with the support of the National Endowment “first place in New England in which a temple of the for the Arts. Critical support for the present project muses was raised.” In September of 1761 the play The came from Sylvia Brown, a collateral descendant of the Provoked Wife; or, a Journey to London, was the first man who made the theater possible in the 18th century. dramatic performance given in New England by a regular Curtains Without Borders, a Vermont-based firm which company of professional actors. After a few performances specializes in the conservation of historic painted theater in Newport, the company came to Providence and scenery, performed the work in July. Their team of three performed in a barn-like structure on Meeting Street east conservators removed 30 years of dust and applied of Benefit Street, but without the town’s permission. This judicious in-painting until they felt there was an overall sparked a large enough reaction to cause the creation improvement that was not intrusive to the eye. They and passage of a law in the General Assembly forbidding concentrated on the vertical seams and long diagonal performances, and effectively ended theater in New scratches, with some clarification of the lower steps and England until after the Revolution. balcony to improve the view of the cityscape.

In the early 1790s, Boston was still resistant, but The ‘Theatre’ Broadside dated August 6, 1812 that notes “A the people of Rhode Island were more receptive, and Grand Panorama View of the Town of Providence R.I.” after many meetings, discussions, and some persuasive marketing, the Town Council agreed to allow a permanent theater to be established in Providence. John Brown gave the lot (the corner of Westminster and Mathewson streets, where Grace Church now stands), and subscribed for seven shares of stock in the company.

Construction on the building began August 6, 1795, and it measured 81 x 50 feet, fronting on Westminster Street. The proscenium, or stage, was 16 x 24 feet, and over the arch was a scroll bearing the motto: “Pleasure the means; the end virtue.”

The display of our drop scene is recorded in two broadside playbill advertisements for the theater dated August 6 and September 12, 1812 (respectively), which are in the RIHS collection.

According to the August broadside, between the first and second plays “will be exhibited a grand panorama view of the town of Providence from a correct drawing taken on the spot. The drawing and painting by Mr. Worrall.”

The first conservation and stabilization treatments on the drop-scene occurred in the early 1980s and were performed by the Williamstown Conservation

Carolyn Frisa and M.J. Davis of Curtains Without Borders inpainting the theater curtain at Aldrich House.

Finally, most of our members will be surprised to know that there is a scene on the back! The work done allowed us to take pictures of it—albeit imperfect ones, as it lay flat on the tables. We are not sure if it was painted by Worrall, but there is speculation in our archive of correspondence about what play this scene illustrated—a good question for a theater major!

A snow-covered mountainscape is pictured on the reverse of the Providence landscape drop scene.

The RIHS had the opportunity to participate in National Park(ing) Day this fall. This event invites local community organizations to create a park within the parameters of a parking spot. Our Eddy Street parklet featured a vintage map of Providence repurposed from an old exhibit, an elm bench created by Jerry Cassels of Vermont Wood Dawgs from the John Brown House landscape, greenery, and some very large squirrels. Pictured here is Ben Smith, the new Manager of Communications and Digital Outreach.

Ben’s articles on Stanley Weiss and Looping Celluloid appear elsewhere in this issue.

What’s Happening Next? Visit RIHS.org

Wednesday, November 13 at 5:30 pm Annual Meeting of the RIHS at the Aldrich House 110 Benevolent Street Providence Spinning the Watchman’s Web: Connecting Collections through One 19th century Diary Executive Director Morgan Grefe & Deputy Director for Collections Richard Ring Register at rihs.org Refreshments to follow  Friday, November 15 at 1 pm Walking Tour of North Burial Ground 5 Branch Ave, Providence with Professor Fran Leazes, Jr Members only * Register at rihs.org  Saturday, December 7 12 - 5 pm Holiday Open House at the Museum of Work & Culture 42 South Main Street, Woonsocket Cookies, crafts, and more Free * All are welcome  Sunday, January 12 at 1:30 pm Valley Talk at the Museum of Work & Culture 42 South Main Street, Woonsocket Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame: Inductees of the Blackstone Valley with Vice Chair & Archive Director Rick Bellaire Free * All are welcome  Thursday, January 16 at 5:30 pm Relics, Rebels, & Rum: A Rhode Island History with Phoebe Bean, RIHS Librarian at the Aldrich House 110 Benevolent Street, Providence Free for Members * $5 Non-members Register at rihs.org  Sunday, January 26 at 1:30 pm Valley Talk at the Museum of Work & Culture 42 South Main Street, Woonsocket Screening of “A Sister “ 2019 Winner at the Rhode Island International Film Festival with Executive Director of RIIFF George Marshall Free * All are welcome

Sunday, February 9 at 1:30 pm Valley Talk at the Museum of Work & Culture 42 South Main Street, Woonsocket History of the Newport Folk Festival with author Rick Massimo Free * All are welcome.  Sunday, February 23 at 1:30 pm Valley Talk at the Museum of Work & Culture 42 South Main Street, Woonsocket Restoration of the Stadium Theater with Architect Daniel Peloquin Free * All are welcome  Sunday, March 8 at 1:30 pm Valley Talk at the Museum of Work & Culture 42 South Main Street, Woonsocket The Transformation of Civil War Reenactors Denise & Paul Bourget: Brevet into Major General George Sears & Mrs. Martha Greene Free * All are welcome  Sunday, March 22 at 1:30 pm Valley Talk at the Museum of Work & Culture 42 South Main Street, Woonsocket Screening of “Slatersville: America’s First Mill Village” with Filmmaker Christian de Rezendes Free * All are welcome  Thursday, March 26 at 6:30 pm The Women by Claire Booth Luce with the Players at the Barker Playhouse 400 Benefit Street Providence Tickets $10 Members * $25 Non-members Purchase at rihs.org Refreshments 

Save these Dates!

April 2: A People’s History of the John Brown House April 4: Smithsonian Museum Day

April 5: Salute to Spring at MOWC April 18: National History Day April 30: After Dark

May 28: Spring Forward, Think Back Gala

Museum of Work & Culture The Museum of Work & Culture entered its new fiscal year ready to engage our visitors with dynamic programming, inclusive initiatives, and interactive educational outreach.

We launched these efforts in July by joining other Smithsonian Affiliates across the country in honoring the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing with a screening of a new documentary created by the Smithsonian Channel to mark the occasion.

The Museum continued celebrating the Apollo mission with our Annual Labor Day Open House, which focused on the work it took to put a man on the moon. In addition to featuring documentaries and a panel exhibit from the Smithsonian, we worked with the Robinson Research Center to connect the historic work of NASA to Rhode Island. These efforts included displaying Rhode Island astronaut Sherwood “Woody” Spring’s flight suit and featuring archival footage from WJAR-TV of interviews conducted at an Owens Corning Fiberglass plant in Ashton, RI where workers created material for the spacesuits used in the Apollo mission.

The summer also included the continuation of our Made-to-Order Monday program, where we welcomed young people with autism to engage in the Museum’s themes with free art and music therapy programs. The program is made possible by a grant from CVS Charities Classic.

We also hosted our annual screening of French language short films as a part of the Rhode Island International Film Festival. This is the second consecutive year that the Museum’s screening featured the short that went on to win Best Short Film at the Festival. A Sister is RIIFF’s official Academy Award entrant and will hopefully follow in the footsteps of the past two winners and become an Oscar nominee in January. The event also included a Q&A with Marilyn Cooke, the director of Strong Woman Wanted, who went on to win the festival’s Best Director award.

This fall featured a gallery exhibit by the Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor’s Volunteer Photography Ambassadors. Their work documents 19 sites across the Valley, including the Museum of Work & Culture. The opening reception also kicked off the Corridor’s annual GO! Program, featuring free events, tours, and lectures throughout the month of September. During the first week of November, friends of the Museum will be receiving their raffle tickets in the mail in support of the Museum’s 2020 Annual Appeal.

The grand prize this year is a trip for two to Quebec City along with more than 30 gift certificates to area restaurants and entertainment venues. Don’t hesitate to contact the Museum if you’d like to participate in the raffle.

We will wrap up the year on Saturday, December 7th by hosting the Rhode Island Historical Society’s Holiday Open House, which will feature an afternoon of free activities, including decorating cookies, helping Santa’s elves build and test toys in their workshop, writing letters to Santa, playing with historic toys, and participating in holiday storytime.

The Museum will open 2020 with its free Valley Talk lecture series, which will feature topics celebrating RIHS’s “Spotlight RI: Performing Arts in Rhode Island” theme. Speakers will include Rick Bellaire, the Vice Chair and Archive Director of the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame, RIIFF Executive Director George Marshall, Former Providence Journal music critic Rick Massimo, Stadium Theater restoration architect Daniel Peloquin, historical reenactors Paul & Denise Bourget, and documentary filmmaker Christian deRezendes.

We will also be hosting our annual Salute to Spring, featuring the 4th Annual Poutine Indulgence.

The Sunday, April 5th event will cap off a month-long celebration of French language and culture in March.

Anne Conway Director, MOWC

Sarah Carr Assistant Director, MOWC

Top L-R: Anne Conway, Director MOWC, Sarah Carr, Assistant Director MOWC, and C. Morgan Grefe, Ph.D., Executive Director RIHS welcome guests to Manufacturing Day at the Museum of Work & Culture in October.

Left: Registrar Dana Signe-Munroe and Owen Gibbs prepare the NASA flight suit worn by Rhode Island astronaut Sherwood “Woody” Spring.

Above: George Marshall, Executive Director Flickers Arts Collaborative with Shawn Quirk, Program Director at RIIFF.

Goff Center for Education & Public Programs The Goff Center for Education is in the midst of a number of exciting initiatives. We are proud of our work on African American Civil Rights in Rhode Island: the 20th Century with our partners, the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society (RIBHS) and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission (RIHPHC).

With a grant from the National Park Service, the project team has produced in-depth research and thoughtful programs and exhibits. Facets of the project included the recording of new oral histories by RIBHS of Rhode Island activists Michael Van Leesten and Malcom Farmer; a research report documenting Rhode Island African American Civil Rights history from enslavement to the Civil Rights Era; and the identification of over one hundred sites of significance for 20th Century Civil Rights in Rhode Island. The Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc. (PAL) worked with the RIHPHC to research and document seventy-six of those sites. Along with producing records for each site, PAL produced an extensive report documenting 20th century civil rights activities, and recommended some of the documented sites for consideration for the National Register of Historic Places.

Additionally, RIBHS and RIHS developed two exhibits based on the extensive research. The first exhibit, Rhode Island African Heritage Civil Rights History: A Summary of over 300 years of History, was on display in February and March. The second exhibit, The Power of Place in Civil Rights: African American Struggle for Civil

Above and next page: Board member Dr. Marcus P. Nevius joins ommunity members at the exhibit opening for African American Civil Rights in Rhode Island: the 20th century. Funded by a grant from the National Park Service.

Rights in the 20th Century, was on display in September and October. Both exhibits will be available on our website in

January. Four curriculum unit plans were created for different grade levels and we hosted two teacher workshops. There is more work to be done on this era, and we hope our research is just the beginning.

The Goff Center has been awarded a major grant from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities to develop seven additional modules for our online history textbook, EnCompass. Modules on Roger Williams, the early archaeology of Rhode Island, industrialization, and immigration are available now. Each section features a main essay written by a local scholar and supplementary essays that dive deeper into other aspects using primary and secondary resources from RIHS collections as well as from partner organizations. Upcoming topics supported by the grant include slavery and the slave trade, women’s suffrage, the Revolutionary War and the burning of the Gaspee, the Civil War, and Narragansett history in partnership with the Tomaquag Museum.

In addition to the Spotlight Rhode Island theme in 2020, the RIHS is participating in a state-wide initiative led by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and the Office of the Secretary of State to coordinate programs, activities, and resources throughout the state related to the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment. The RIHS events will include a program with Claire Jerry of the National Museum of American History on the rhetoric of women’s suffrage, a special walking tour focused on women’s history in Providence, and more. Check rihs.org for current program listings.

Geralyn Ducady, Director

Donors to FY 2018-2019 Annual Fund $5,000+

Profs. Luther W. and Kathryn T. Spoehr

$1,000-$4,999

Mr. Lorne Adrain Amica Companies Foundation Mr. William Babcock Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. and Jennifer Baker Jr. Barry and Kathleen Hittner Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation Victor & Gussie Baxt Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation * Captain Nicholas Brown Mrs. Nancy Cassidy and Mr. Jeffrey Schreck Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. and Inge Chafee Mr. Warren Curtis Mr. and Mrs. Andrew M. and Mary E. Erickson Mr. Arnold Friedman Dr. and Mrs. George M. and Betsey Goodwin Mr. and Dr. Barry G. and Kathleen C. Hittner Hope Foundation Mr. James Loring CPA, CFA Mr. Scott MacKay Mr. Frederick Mattis Prof. and Mrs. James T. and Cynthia Patterson Peggy and Henry Sharpe Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation Mr. Robert Sloan Jr., CLU, CHFC Mr. and Mrs. Theodore W. and Robyn Smalletz Ms. Mary Speare Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Barbara Thornton Mr. and Mrs. Stanley and Beth Weiss Mr. Jinxuan Zhu

$500-$999

Mr. and Mrs. Roger and Diane Begin Mr. and Mrs. Paul Bourget Dr. Nicholas Bowen Ms. Sylvia Brown Dr. Winifred Brownell Mr. Timothy Burditt Mr. Anthony Calandrelli Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Lucia Case Ms. Heather Evans Dr. C. Morgan Grefe and Mr. Gage Prentiss Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Hallowell Jr. Ms. Marion Harris Mr. Leslie Kenney Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Lynn Manning

Mr. and Mrs. Frank and Elizabeth R. Mauran IV Ms. Lisa Melton Mr. Charles Page Mr. and Mrs. Barry and Rebecca Preston Mr. and Mrs. Russ and Carla Ricci Ms. Thelma Rocha The San Francisco Foundation The Severus Foundation Corp Ms. Maureen Taylor and Mr. Dexter Strong

$250-$499

Mr. and Mrs. William and Desiree Armitage Ms. Pamela Behring Dr. Paul Croce Ms. Althea Crowley Mr. and Mrs. Dennis J. and Kathleen Duffy Mr. Michael Eadie and Ms. Maria DaPonte Mr. and Mrs. Bill and Judy Famiglietti Mrs. Maia Farish Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Teresa Hacunda IBM Matching Gift Program Prof. Francis Leazes Jr. and Ms. Audrey Laforge Mr. and Mrs. Warren and Mary McGoldrick Mr. Kenneth Orenstein and Ms. Barbara Feibelman Ms. Susan Sipprelle Dr. Elizabeth Stevens and Mr. Norman MacLeod Ms. Julie Wilson Dr. Richard Wong and Dr. Barbara Schepps

$100-$249

Mrs. Virginia Adams Ms. Lucille Atkinson Ms. Julie Baldwin Mrs. Cherry Bamberg Ms. Mary-Elizabeth Barton Ms. Pamela Bockoven Mr. Thomas Bryson Mr. Merrill Budlong Mrs. Lucy Burr Drs. Ralf and Nancy Carriuolo Mr. and Mrs. Stephen and Kim Clark Mr. James Clarke Jr. Ms. Carolyn Cole Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Anne Conway Mr. & Mrs. Andrew and Linda Costa Mr. and Mrs. Murray and Judith Danforth III Mr. and Mrs. Cornelis and Kathryn De Boer Ms. Pauline Denning Mr. Paul Desjardins

Donors to FY 2018-2019 Annual Fund DODEKA Ms. Geralyn Ducady Mrs. Alexandra Earle Dr. Nathan Epstein Ms. Geraldine Faries Mr. and Mrs. John W. and Joan Flynn Ms. Faith Fogle Mr. and Mrs. Anthony F. and Barbara T. Fontaine Mr. James Frutchey Mr. Robert Galkin Ms. Donna-Belle Garvin Mr. Michael Gerhardt and Ms. Doree Goodman Mr. David Green and Mrs. Myrth York Mrs. Virginia Greenwood Mr. and Mrs. Paul Grimes Jr. Mrs. Virginia D. Hales Ms. Nancy Harris Mrs. Pamelia Henriksen Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan and Anne Hird Dr. and Mrs. Ed and Diane Iannuccilli Mr. and Mrs. Mike and Lauren Jordan Ms. Claire Jubb Kane-Barrengos Foundation Mr. Richard Keene Mrs. Beverly Klyberg Mr. and Mrs. Bradford B. and Jean R. Kopp Mr. and Mrs. Russ and Isabel Kushner Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Jeanne Laferriere Mr. J. Stephen Lawton Dr. Judy Litoff Mr. Nicholas Longo Mr. Benjamin Lux Ms. Suzanne Magaziner Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Kathryn Mandel CPA Mr. Joseph Mathewson Mr. Christian McBurney Mr. and Mrs. Norman E. McCulloch, Jr., Trustees, McAdams Charitable Foundation Mrs. Jane McGuirk Mr. John Miller Jr. Ms. Kimberly Milligan Ms. Maureen Moakley Ms. Theresa Molloy Dr. John Moran Dr. and Mrs. E. Pierre and Sarah Morenon Mr. Frank Musche Mr. and Mrs. James M. and Susan Nagle Ms. Jane S. Nelson Dr. Marcus Nevius

Ms. Mildred Nichols Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. and Judith K. O’Donnell Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Kathleen Peck Dr. Tullio Pitassi The Honorable and Mrs. Joseph and Claire-Lise Presel Ress Family Foundation Mr. and Mrs. James and Cathe Rezendes Mr. and Mrs. Patrick and Victoria Rogers Dr. and Mrs. Fred A. and Sally Rotenberg Dr. Neil Safier and Dr. Iris Montero Mrs. Karen Schneider Dr. and Mrs. George M. and Theresa Seidel Mr. and Mrs. William and Mary Sheridan Mr. and Mrs. John and Margaret Skenyon Mrs. Joanne Speroni-Woody and Mr. Michael Woody Ms. Joanne Tomao Ms. Mary Wall Mr. Francis Ward Ms. Nancy Wegimont Dr. David Woolman Mrs. Connie Worthington and Mr. Terry Tullis Dr. Catherine Zipf and Mr. Mark Courtney All donors of less than $100 are acknowledged online at RIHS.org

Thank you. Donors give in many ways. Your financial support means a great deal to us. In the case of errors or omissions, please contact the Office of Advancement at 401-331-8575 x 135 or ewood@rihs.org so that we may make a timely correction.

Donors In Kind Adeline’s Speakeasy Kitchen Bar Al’s Place Amica Insurance Company B & M Catering The Beef Barn Blackstone Valley Tourism Council Broaster House Brown University Department of Modern Culture and Media

By Water Capital Grille The Catering Gourmet Chan’s Ciro’s Tavern Conway Tours Cozy Caterers Dan’s Place Del’s Lemonade Fire Works Catering Friskie Fries Gasparro’s Wines The Honey Shop Judith Potter Photography Kay’s Restaurant Li’l General Store Narragansett Brewing Company Narragansett Creamery Northwest Woolen Mills Olly’s Pizzeria Pawtucket Red Sox Pine Swamp Place Pranzi Fine Catering Red Stripe RI PBS River Falls Seven Stars Bakery Signature Printing Sin Desserts Southwick Zoo Stadium Theatre Timeless Antiques & Collectibles Tole Booth Gift Shop Tom’s Market Catering Uncle Ronnie’s Red Tavern The Village Haven Vose True Value Hardware Wayland Bakery Wright’s Dairy Farm & Bakery Ye Olde English Fish & Chips

Sponsorships $5,001 +

Amica Companies Foundation Amica Mutual Insurance Company

$1,001-$5,000

AAA Northeast Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. and Jennifer Baker Jr. Bank of America Ms. Sylvia Brown Esten & Richard Insurance Mr. and Dr. Barry G. and Kathleen C. Hittner

$501-$1,000

BankNewport Dr. and Mrs. George M. and Betsey Goodwin Hyman Brickle & Son Lepine Financial Advisors Mandel & Tracy, LLC Partridge, Snow & Hahn LLP Mr. Robert H. Sloan Jr., CLU, CHFC

$100-$500

Bourget & Bourget Assoc Brewster Thornton Group Architects Dr. Winifred Brownell Mr. Timothy N. Burditt Mr. Anthony Calandrelli Dp Architect Mr. and Mrs. Andrew M. and Mary E. Erickson Esten & Richard Insurance Fournier & Fournier Funeral Home.

Friendly Home Mrs. Trudy Lamoureux Ms. Maureen Moakley Northern RI Chamber of Commerce Rotary Club of Woonsocket Soucy Insurance Profs. Luther W. and Kathryn T. Spoehr The Valley Breeze Walsh, Brule, & Nault, PC

MOWC Donors Cont’d

Grants & Designated Gifts $10,000+

City of Woonsocket Institute of Museum and Library Services National Park Service The Newell D. Goff Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation Rhode Island Council for the Humanities The Roger E. Potter Fund and the Nicholas E. and Ann O. Picchione Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Mr. Edward C. Stickney‡

$5,000-$9,999

CVS Health Heritage Harbor Foundation Ms. Sylvia Brown Ms. Virginia Long Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Barbara Thornton

$500-$999

John and Mary Wall Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation Rhode Island Social Studies Association Rhode Island Society of Colonial Wars

$250-$499

General Society of Colonial Wars

$100-$249

Ms. Eleanor Angell‡ Ms. Sandra Bartlett Mrs. Beverly Klyberg ‡

Planned gift

MOWC Donors $1,000+

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel and Ann Marie Gendron Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Lori Godin The Murray Family Charitable Foundation

$500-$999

Mr. and Mrs. David and Ann-Marie Fontaine Hope Global Lepine Financial Advisors Stalwart Films, LLC.

$250-$499

Dr. and Mrs. James and Katherine Brennan Mr.and Mrs. Richard and Germaine Cayer Ms. Pauline Clancy Mr. and Mrs. Roland and Billiegene Lavallee Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Eleanor Pierannunzi

$100-$249

Ms. Diane Adam Mr. and Mrs. John and Kyle Adamonis Amica Companies Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Sandra Arning Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Judith Ann Ayotte B.U.W. Council Local 310 Mr. and Mrs. Maurice and Barbara Bell Mr. and Mrs. James and Margaret Bierden Mr. Robert Billington Mr. and Mrs. Albert and Carol Anne Brunelle Carpenters Union, Local 330 Construction and General Laborers’ Local Union 271 Ms. Julia Conway and Ms. Juliana Pabon Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Anne Conway Mr. and Mrs. Pete and Carol Courtemanche Mr. Cedric DeLeon Mr. and Mrs. Russ and Mary Dexter Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth and Irene Finlay Mr. and Mrs. John and Judy Hoyceanyls Mrs. Beverly Klyberg Mr. and Mrs. Kirk and Susan Laughlin Mr. and Mrs. Arthur C. and Martha Milot Mr. and Mrs. Ron and Lorraine Pennington Dr. and Mrs. Joel Picard Ms. Margaret Jean Pickett Mr. David Ransome Mr. David Soucy St. Joseph’s Church Trudeau’s Auto Repair Inc. Ms. Nancy Wegimont All donors of less than $100 are acknowledged online at RIHS.org

The Legacy of Stan Weiss Tucked behind Festival Ballet on Hope Street in Providence sits a nondescript, single-level, cement block building that the typical passerby would likely not even register. The visible elements of a security system might have you thinking that behind these walls are things worth protecting, and you would be right. This is Stan Weiss’s furniture collection, the most finely curated private collection in the state.

Stan Weiss is generous with stories, especially those surrounding his collection. He will gladly open his doors to local educators who want to illustrate their history lessons using the objects of our past. In one corner, he’ll point out an imposing desk, and then tell you that this is the very desk on which Senator Burges wrote the speech that excoriated a future president who had the audacity to suggest Rhode Island should be absorbed by another state. Down a long stretch of sofas with clawed feet ready to pounce, Stan will gesture to the material culture preserved here, the legacy of craftsmanship, and the history of furniture woods. (Did you know “figgy pudding” is the phrase used to describe an even distribution of natural knots visible in grained woods? History is delicious.)

His fondness for the collection is endearing, but also indicates his appreciation for the bigger picture.

Stan really, really loves Rhode Island.

When he came here to study at Brown University, he didn’t have much. He knows that his subsequent successes were dependent on this community and

this state. And he feels compelled to return the favor in any way he can. Yes, he brings in local classes so they can get a peek at the showroom, but he also uses his means to preserve the legacies of Rhode Island.

In a time that seems so removed from this modern age of Providence popping up on every AP article under titles like, “Ten Super Cool Cities You HAVE to See,” Stan is one of the people who always toed that line. Stan set up shop in the Providence landmark Tilden-Thurber Building, (erected in 1895, designed by Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, of Boston) not only to stimulate downtown, but also to actively preserve the structure itself. When downtown reached a level of stability he knew when to hand it off.

“What Stan does is rare. Stan will make you care. He’ll figure out if what intrigues you is the color of an object, or the famous people who used it, or the work that went into it and be able to give an exhaustive history on that aspect in particular,” said Steven Lubar, a professor at Brown University and the former Director of the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage, “That’s why I bring my museum studies classes there.

He’s the standard in object-based storytelling. That’s what collections are.

They’re stories.”

Weiss recently donated two truly remarkable pieces of significant Rhode Island furniture to the Rhode Island Historical Society. These gifts will have a profound impact on the preservation and celebration of those stories for many generations to come. Perhaps most notable is a William & Mary (1680-1735) trumpet-legged highboy desk owned by the celebrated Greene family. This piece provides an example of one of the earliest and rarest of all American furniture styles with an exceptional Rhode Island provenance. In addition, Stan gifted a mahogany Chippendale style (c. 1795) grandfather clock made by Squire Millard, Esq. of Cowesset to RIHS. These celebrated native objets d’art and objets d’histoire will be displayed at the John Brown House Museum. Steven Lubar elaborated on the value of its preservation and public exhibition. “It’s a public good. When you build a shared understanding, an access point of interest, and an object to frame the conversation, you have a way of talking about the past.”

Please come by the John Brown House Museum to see these fantastic treasures for yourself, just as Stan Weiss intended.

Ben Smith

A stunning William and Mary trumpet-leg highboy, ca. 1700 (opposite) and a Chippendale 18th -century case clock made in Cowesset (right) were both donated by Stan Weiss, and are on display in the John Brown House Museum.

Laurie Amat pictured here in the stacks of RIHS’s Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center

Looping Celluloid with Laurie

Amat

“Want a Wilhelmina?” was my introduction to the voice of sound artist Laurie Amat, from behind, as her hand produced a box of mints each the size of an air hockey puck.

This was the premier of Looping Celluloid: Silents

from the Rhode Island Historical Society Film Archives with Live Soundtracking by the PVDLoop All-Stars, a

brand new addition to this year’s PVDFest. Amat was hurriedly doing all the little last minute things any curator would need to tend to in the moments before her archival film collaboration debut. And boy, was there a lot of tending to be done. The venue was reaching capacity and more chairs had to be set up quickly. The audience was eager to see film footage that had been locked away for 70 years. If there was a clear appetite for this content, why had it been decades since these films were shown?

A few weeks later, I sat down with Laurie to find out. “Well, I guess a big part of this are those Disney Laws,” Laurie began, “so it’s all about Disney. After Walt died, the company he left behind had to think fast at how to maximize income from his creations. So they went to court. They changed the copyright laws. It went from death of the creator plus a maximum of 56 years,

to death of the author plus 70 years. That applied across creative mediums, animation, films, writing. . . . you name it. And that’s why the films we worked with were being seen for the first time in decades - we’re just now allowed to!”

Boy, was it worth the wait. Not only were these films premiered this night, Laurie and her collaborators fashioned them into something only a PVDFest could produce. “I’m a sound artist, but I wasn’t interested in adding audio to the silent films to just be ‘weird for weird’s sake’. I’m old-fashioned.” Laurie’s practice is a lot more analogue than the modern computer generated noise making. She’s inspired by foley artists. Foley artists would use household objects to superimpose natural sound effects over film.

“I’ll admit, I had reservations when I first saw the portfolios of the artists we’d be partnering with.

Alec Redfearn and the Eyesores, Snowbeasts, Petra, Alex Pizzuti. . . . We had a lot to figure out. We held disciplined rehearsals, casual improvisations, and let anybody interested do an independent part of the program. . . . I knew that even though I was the curator, our success would come from just doing what felt right.

On the night of the show, I softly said to the team ‘alright, forget everything we practiced, and just do what feels right.’ We respected each other and we respected the film.”

“And ya know, we really took a lot of time selecting the films we would be using, too. When I was digging around at the Robinson Research Center for inspiration, I was shocked to find real estate records that referenced my own family. I called my mom and said “Mama when did Uncle Manny live on/move out of the tenement building and over to New Bedford?” and she said ‘How did you know that?’ That’s when I realized how very alive the history at RIHS is. I brought that sensation to the curation of the work. I wanted the audience to have that same ‘aha’ moment, that these archives existed in modern relevance. We chose pieces directed by women, starring women, pieces that played with gender, pieces of textile unions fighting unjust conditions and being met with armed battalions of the National Guard. Pieces that showed Rhode Island at the cutting edge of technology.

And that’s when I realized, Rhode Island has always been ‘punk’. And not always in a good way. . . . ” The highlight of Looping Celluloid was likely a piece called Wisteria, directed by Beta Brueil in 1915.

The movie was notable for starring women, was directed by a woman, and even was filmed on the same exact street where Looping Celluloid premiered. “That’s what I mean by punk. Rhode Island might be meager geographically, but we’ve always been doing exactly what we want whether or not the rest of the country was paying attention.”

Laurie doesn’t take herself too seriously. She has a habit of laughing out loud at performance artists and having to immediately apologize. Sitting down with Laurie, it’s clear that this penchant comes from her joy and authenticity. “I wanted people to feel free to laugh at Looping Celluloid too!” Her healthy sense of humility and humor makes this art genre accessible to all.

“That’s what this project meant to me, it felt important. My Uncle Manny had his name in your files.

Manny, probably one of a thousand Manny’s who was a New Bedford fisherman. I realize my own preconceived notions of historical institutions. It’s not just for history hotsie-totsies. It’s female, it’s poor, and it’s punk. I respect the Rhode Island Historical Society, and for me, a silly sound artist to be recognized by an institution that I have so much respect for, meant a lot.”

We here at the Rhode Island Historical Society think Laurie’s efforts means a lot too, and we can’t wait to see what she’s cooking up for next year.

Ben Smith

C. Morgan Grefe, Ph.D. Executive Director Charmyne Goodfellow Deputy Executive Director for Finance & Administration Richard J. Ring Deputy Executive Director for Collections & Interpretation Anne Conway Director, The Museum of Work & Culture Geralyn Ducady Director, Goff Center for Education & Public Programs Elizabeth Wood Director of Advancement Aldrich House 110 Benevolent Street Providence, RI 401-331-8575 Mary E. Robinson Research Center 121 Hope Street Providence, RI 401-273-8107 The John Brown House Museum 52 Power Street Providence, RI 401-273-7507 The Museum of Work & Culture 42 South Main Street Woonsocket, RI

401-769-9675