Everyday Objects:
Fancy Forms and Familiar Functions
Opening Sunday, March 4th, 2012
Exhibit Dates: March 4 - April 29, 2012
Tour Hours: Sun., Wed., Fri. 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Cost: Free to public; donations welcome.
(Group Tours by appointment, please.)
Location: Centre Furnace Mansion ~ Hearth Room & Kitchen
1001 E. College Ave., State College, PA 16801
(corner of College Ave. & Porter Rd.)
Guest Speakers: March 11 and April 22
Everyday life in central Pennsylvania during the 19th century was comprised of daily tasks performed by the women of the family. This exhibit will showcase some of these commonplace objects that would have been a part of everyday chores, such as cooking and sewing. The items included would have been used on a regular basis primarily by 19th century central Pennsylvania housewives and girls, whether in farm homes, country houses like the Centre Furnace Mansion, or homes in small urban settings, like the Victorian homes in Bellefonte.
The objects will be exhibited in context in two settings. One setting will focus on the sitting room, and the other on the kitchen. The exhibit will include primarily Centre County objects from the Centre Furnace Mansion collection and local collectors. Objects will range from stoneware, redware, and china, to textiles; from baskets and other storage containers to iron and tin cooking utensils.
 
Everyday Objects, to be presented by the Centre County Historical Society, is being developed by an exhibit committee that includes Penn State Integrative Arts student Olivia Perdew under the guidance of faculty member Richard Pencek, Diane Farr, Barbara Brosnan, Mary Sorensen and Jackie Melander. Photography provided by Penn State student Ian Lopera and faculty member Fredric Weber.
Additional educational materials for the exhibit are being made possible through the support of a grant from the State College Branch of AAUW.
Two complementary history programs being hosted as a part of this exhibit:
- March 11 - "Elements of 19th century Centre County Furniture". Guest speaker: Bob White.
2:00 p.m. at the Centre Furnace Mansion. Free to public; donations welcome.
- April 22 - "Centre County Fraktur". Guest speaker: Bob Conrad.
2:00 p.m. at the Centre Furnace Mansion.
Free to public; donations welcome.
Guest speaker Bob Conrad will discuss fraktur - decorative documents created by Pennsylvania Dutch settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries. Designed with watercolor and black ink, Fraktur were often framed and displayed in Pennsylvania German homes. Fraktur were typically commissioned by school masters or pastors to record important events such as birth, baptism, and marriage.
Bob Conrad first took an interest in antiques in the mid-1970s, and quickly became familiar with fraktur. In time, Mr. Conrad converted his hobby into a business – Robert Conrad Antiques, and has been a full-time antique dealer since 2001. In the April 22 program, Mr. Conrad will define and identify fraktur, and how they relate to the term “folk art”. With a display of local fraktur, he will discuss the different forms and artists from Centre County. An example of Pennsylvania fraktur is currently on display (see below, left) at the Centre Furnace Mansion as part of the exhibit "Everyday Objects: Fancy Forms and Familiar Functions".
  
March is Women's History Month, and the objects featured in this exhibit were primarily used by women in the 19th century. This is an ideal time to gather up your women's group from your office, church, Girl Scouts, Ladies Auxiliary, or other special interest groups to take a tour of the Mansion and learn a little about the life of women 150 years ago. Please call in advance to schedule your group's tour. Call (841) 234-4779.
Pictured at top: Apple peeler.
Pictured at middle: Butter-making objects, butter presses.
Immediately above: Centre County fraktur, Amish dolls, coffee grinder .
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