Where History Lives: The Civic Role of America’s Historic Homes and the Legacy of John Jay

January 23, 4PM - 5PM

In collaboration with the John Hay Homestead

As the nation nears its 250th anniversary, this timely panel explores the civic responsibility to preserve not just historic homes, but the ideas they embody. Centered on the restoration of the John Jay Homestead, Ellen McGauley, Martha Stewart, and Ben Prosky consider domestic architecture as a living tradition—and how these places endure as sites of learning, gathering, and national inspiration.

Moderator:
Ellen McGauley, Executive Director, Veranda

Panelists:
Ben Prosky, President, The Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation
Martha Stewart, Business Professional and Television Personality

Sponsored by Bank of America

Image courtesy of New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. John Jay Homestead Historic Site. Museum Collection, JJ.1980.208

New Perspectives on the American Vernacular

January 24, 4 PM - 5 PM

Presented in collaboration with the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art

In the course of its 250-year history, the United States has developed a dazzling rich and innovative array of homegrown approaches to architecture and design. Often drawing from historic influences and adapting them to the varied environments and cultural contexts of a vast nation, generations of architects have created remarkable works that, though rooted in precedent, are strikingly American. The story of American architectural ingenuity continues today, with architects Michael Imber, Tom Kligerman, and Marieanne Khoury-Vogt finding precedent in Western ranches, shingle style houses, and Spanish and Mediterranean influences, among others, to create strikingly original contemporary projects. Join them for a discussion about the past, present, and future of American vernacular architecture.

Moderator:
Peter Lyden, President, Institute of Classical Architecture & Art

Panelists:
Michael Imber, President, Michael G. Imber Architects
Marieanne Khoury-Vogt, Principal, Khoury & Vogt Architects
Thomas Kligerman, Partner, Kligerman Architecture & Design

Shaping Taste: Asian Ceramics and the Making of American Art & Design

January 24, 2:30PM - 3:30PM

In collaboration with Asia Week New York

This panel explores how Asian ceramics profoundly shaped American art and design, influencing not only domestic ceramics but also painting, silver, glass, textiles, and interiors. By tracing their impact on palette, form, and subject matter, our panelists will examine how these objects transformed artistic expression and even interior design.

Moderator:
Joan B. Mirviss, Founder, Joan B Mirviss LTD

Panelists: 
Glenn Adamson, Independent Curator, Writer and Historian
David L. Barquist, H. Richard Dietrich, Jr., Curator of American Decorative Arts, Philadelphia Art Museum
Monika Bincsik, Diane and Arthur Abbey Curator for Japanese Decorative Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ulysses Grant Dietz, Chief Curator, Emeritus The Newark Museum of Art
Elizabeth A. Williams, David and Peggy Rockefeller Curator of Decorative Arts and Design, RISD Museum

Guardians of the Past & Present: Conservation in Action

January 25, 1:30PM - 2:30PM

Presented in collaboration with the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC)

From Civil War documents to modernist paintings to 21st-century design icons, America’s cultural legacy spans centuries and mediums. These objects are enjoyed today thanks, in large measure, to the good care they received from previous generations. Unfortunately, they don’t come with instruction manuals. Most private owners know to call in a conservator when an emergency occurs, but they may not know about preventive conservation or how to spot deterioration. In this lively conversation, four distinct voices share their stories, highlighting conservation’s ethical, scientific, and artistic dimensions while suggesting how collectors can become even better caretakers, which has grown more challenging in this era of intensifying hurricanes and wildfires. Among their topics will be the three mistakes that many private owners make, and how we can learn from museums’ conservation experiences. Ultimately this dialogue will illuminate how preservation is not just a technical pursuit but also a civic responsibility.

Moderator:
Peter Trippi, Editor In Chief, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine and President Emeritus, Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC)

Panelists:
Abed Haddad, Vice President and Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), Assistant Conservation Scientist, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Alexandra Kirtley, Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American Decorative Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Rosa Lowinger, Member and Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC), Founder, RLA Conservation

The Art of Alliance: Creativity and Commerce through Collaboration

January 25, 3:30 - 4:30

Presented in collaboration with Galerie Magazine

Today’s creatives are also cultural entrepreneurs, working at the intersection of creativity, collaboration, and commerce. Bringing together voices from art, fashion, and design, this panel explores how creative vision is shaped, sustained, and expanded through partnership - across disciplines, industries, and borders. The conversation will examine collaboration as both a creative catalyst and a business strategy, from sourcing and stewardship to scale and longevity. Panelists will share how they build meaningful partnerships, remain grounded in values, and navigate the realities of an increasingly interconnected design landscape.

Moderator:
Jacqueline Terrebone, Editor-in-Chief, Galerie Magazine

Panelists:
Carolyn Dailey, Author, The Creative Entrepreneur
Michele Oka Doner, Artist
Daniella Kallmeyer, Fashion Designer, Kallmeyer
Sarah Magness, Creative & Interior Designer / The Palm Beach Atelier

Polymaths of Early America: Art, Knowledge and the Preservation of History

January 26, 3PM - 4PM

Presented in collaboration with Preservation Long Island

This panel brings together scholars to explore figures whose intellectual range shaped the nation beyond a single discipline—from science and engineering to philosophy, politics, and faith. Through portraits, objects, and images, the panel considers how art in all its forms has preserved these lives and ideas, carrying knowledge, identity, and memory across generations. In examining figures such as Ephraim Byram, Lemuel Haynes, and Abraham Lincoln, the discussion reveals how creative expression remains essential to how America understands—and remembers—its past.

Moderator:
Susan Fales-Hill, Author, Screenwriter and Television Producer

Panelists:
James Basker, President, Gilder Lehrman Institute and Professor, Barnard College, Columbia University.
Lauren Brincat, Chief Curator and Director of Collections, Preservation Long Island
Harold Holzer, Scholar and Director, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, Hunter College

Images left to right: African-American Revolutionary War Veteran and Minister Lemuel Haynes, 19th-century Engineer and Merchant Ephraim Byram, Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States

Beyond Blue and White: Women Who Shaped the Global History of Ceramics

January 27, 2:30PM - 3:30PM

Inspired by recent discoveries and new scholarship — including Genevieve Wheeler Brown’s work illuminating overlooked histories — this panel brings together leading voices to explore Delftware through fresh and expansive lenses. Robert Aronson of Aronson of Amsterdam, a fifth generation specialist, Drawing on recent scholarship and rediscovered histories, this conversation explores the pivotal yet often overlooked role women have played in the creation, collecting, and interpretation of ceramics worldwide. Leading experts examine how these narratives are reshaping the field and expanding our understanding of global material culture.

Moderator:
Charlotte Vignon, Independent Curator

Panelists:
Robert Aronson, Director, Aronson Antiquairs of Amsterdam
Genevieve Wheeler Brown, Art Advisor & Author
Jody Wilkie, JGW Advisory, Specializing in European Ceramics

Collecting the Future: Preserving Art & Heritage Beyond the 250th

January 28, 4PM - 5PM

As America approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, we have a rare opportunity to reflect not only on the art and artifacts that tell our nation’s story, but on the people who safeguard them for future generations. What does it mean to be a true cultural custodian—building, growing, and protecting collections with a vision that extends centuries beyond our own lifetimes?

Moderator:
Danielle Amato-Milligan, Founder and President, AmatoMilligan & Associates

Panelists:
Leila A. Amineddoleh, Partner and the Chair of the Art Law Group, Tarter Krinsky & Drogin
Caroline Orr, Vice President, Bank of America

Price of Integrity: Collaboration in the Art Market

January 28, 2PM - 3PM

Presented in collaboration with the Appraisers Association of America

How do we determine what art is worth—and who can be trusted to say so? This panel brings together leading experts across the collecting spectrum to explore the ethics, collaboration, and valuations that keep the art world running with integrity.

Moderator:
Alasdair Nichol, Former Chairman, Freeman’s

Panelists:
Courtney Booth Christensen, Senior Director Trusts & Estates, Winston Artory Group
Laura Doyle, Senior Vice President, CHUBB
Arlie Sulka, President, Lillian Nassau, LLC
David Walker, Appraiser

Designing Tomorrow: The Power of the Maker’s Touch

January 30, 12:30PM - 1:30PM

Our panelists will present images from a range of artisans—including figures such as Peter Lane—to illuminate the breadth of their collaborative practice, moving beyond a singular maker to a wider creative ecosystem. Through these examples, they will demonstrate how enduring, career-defining partnerships with artisans elevate their work, and how makers play a vital role not only in sustaining tradition, but in advancing material innovation, sustainability, and aesthetic ambition.

Moderator:
Sarah Medford, Contributing Editor, WSJ. Magazine/Writer & Strategic Consultant

Panelists:
David Kleinberg, David Kleinberg Design Associates
Emily Summers, Emily Summers Design Associates

Lines of a Nation: Early American Drawings & Their Legacy

January 30, 2:30PM - 3:30PM

Presented in partnership with The Drawing Foundation and in association with Master Drawings New York

How do we define early American art? When do drawings truly become American despite being produced by artists often trained in Europe? What or who defines “American” in terms of imagery, materials, or techniques? This panel discussion brings together four specialists in American art to share their knowledge on this important moment for the nascent United States as they forged an image for themselves, and how drawing offers an important perspective in this conceptualization.

Moderator:
Amy Torbert, Associate Curator of American Art, St. Louis Art Museum

Panelists:
Stuart Feld, President of Hirschl & Adler and avid American Drawings collector
Christina Michelon, Curator of Prints and Drawings, Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Mark Mitchell, Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture, Yale University Gallery

Structures of Success: Women Leading in Architecture and Design

January 31, 3PM - 4PM

The architecture and design professions have had histories of being dominated by male practitioners and, in some instances, being hostile to women. Nonetheless, women have made important contributions to modernism as architects, designers, patrons, critics, curators, and more. Three panelists, among the most prominent voices on the topic, will provide historic and contemporary perspectives on women in architecture and design.

Moderator:
Kevin D. Murphy, Norman L. and Roselea J. Goldberg Chair, Vanderbilt University

Panelists:
Gabrielle Esperdy, Ph.D., Dean and Professor of Architecture Hillier College of Architecture & Design, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Alice Friedman, Grace Slack McNeil Professor Emerita of American Art and Professor Emerita of Art, Wellesley College
Sarah Lichtman, Dean, School of Art and Design History and Theory, Parsons School of Design, The New School

Presented in collaboration with the Department of History of Art and Architecture, Vanderbilt University