RoycroftCampusCorporation

Grand Re-Opening April 20 & 21

In case you missed last week’s blog, I want to invite you to the public opening of the reconstructed Power House 7-10 p.m. Friday evening, April 20, and 1 - 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon, April 21. We have been waiting for this moment for a long time and are eager to share this accomplishment with RCC members and the community.

 

The Roycroft Campus is a National Historic Landmark, so the exterior of the new Power House matches that of the original structure. However, the interior has modern amenities and a largely open floor plan to accommodate flexible uses: studio space for the public to take artisan classes (copper work, stained glass, jewelry making, and screen printing to name a few), meeting spaces for corporate functions, a fully equipped catering kitchen to accommodate receptions, an elevator, restrooms, as well as RCC administrative offices. 

 

We want everyone to experience this building - from devotees of Arts & Crafts to the local community. Nothing better represents the RCC’s mission - to bring the Campus back to life as if Elbert Hubbard had never left - than a building being utilized to its fullest for classes, meetings, receptions and lectures, reminiscent of the Campus as a hive of activity in 1908 when 500 people were employed there. Come join us on Campus!

- Sue

 

Power House Public Party!

All of us on the Roycroft Campus are excited to announce that the public opening of the reconstructed Power House will be held 7-10 p.m. Friday evening, April 20, and 1 - 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon, April 21. We can’t wait to share this wonderful new facility with the community.

 

The Power House represents a great deal to those of us that volunteer at the Roycroft Campus. We have been working toward and then watching our “phoenix” rise from the ashes over the last few years. Our tours over the years have required visitors to imagine a building in place of rubble and a partial chimney. Once construction began, the building rapidly took shape and it was a joy to be able to share this visible progress with our guests. We weren’t just talking about restoring this Campus, we had evidence of it happening.  

 

Come join us on the Campus as we bring this building to life!

-Sue

 

'Tis the Season for the Roycroft Festival

RALA artisan wares, food and holiday music will fill the East Aurora Middle School on Saturday and Sunday, December 3 & 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The school is at 430 Main Street, in East Aurora, just across the street from the Roycroft Campus. Admission is $1 per person. Remember to stop by the Copper Shop on the Campus too, where Kate, Bonnie and Meg have decorated the gallery and are all ready with plenty of holiday gift ideas for you. 

- Sue

Historic Preservation Conference in Buffalo

The spotlight will be on Buffalo this week while  the National Preservation Conference is in town. The formal programs are October 19-22, but we hope everyone stays on for the weekend to explore all that western New York has to offer. Fall foliage is Mother Nature’s perk for visitors at this time of year and a wide variety of cultural and architectural venues merit exploration in any season.

 

My partiality is the Arts & Crafts Movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s and fortunately for me, an incredible Arts & Crafts gem is right here in WNY, 20 minutes south of Buffalo in the picturesque town of East Aurora. The Roycroft Campus is a National Historic Landmark and the most important Arts & Crafts Campus in the United States.

 

Modern day artisans of copper, pottery, wood, stained glass, silver, and screen printing exhibit and sell their wares at the Roycroft Copper Shop; the fully restored Roycroft Inn has public rooms featuring Alex Fournier murals, Dard Hunter light fixtures and art glass windows, and furnishings from the period. The Inn restaurant serves delicious meals and guest suites feature Stickley furnishings.

 

Come out to East Aurora to experience the vibrancy of this Campus in its reconstruction. There will be tours, artisan demonstrations and other special events throughout the weekend of October 22-23. See more at the ROycroft Campus Corporation website: www.roycroftcampuscorporation.com.  

Election Day

Today is election day so readers go out and vote for your representation in the local, state and federal government. Ladies, as you vote, remember the courageous women who went before you fighting to give you this right. Afterward, treat yourself to a yellow rose, the symbol of the suffragette movement.

      Alice & Elbert Hubbard were strong supporters of the women’s suffrage movement and the evidence was both publicly declared - “Votes for Women” painted high on the farm’s silo like a billboard - and subtle - Roycroft China decorated with yellow Roycroft roses as a quiet testament.

Remember, your vote counts so don't waste it by sitting out.

- Sue

NYS Primary Election Day

As today, September 14th, is primary election day in New York State, I am  reminded of Elbert and Alice Hubbard’s dedication to the women’s suffrage movement. The Roycroft Farm silo was emblazoned with “Votes for Women” and yellow roses (the symbol of the movement) were painted on a line of Roycroft dishes manufactured by Buffalo Pottery.

Whether Alice convinced Elbert of it, or if he came to the conclusion on his own, he treated women equally at the Roycroft. Alice and Elbert were paid the same annual salary at the time of their deaths in 1915 - $2,500.00 annually. 

 Thank those that fought for your right to vote - men and women - by going out and voting today.  

• Sue

 

100 Years Ago the Roycroft Power House was Completed

The RCC hopes you will join them as they work on the Power House rebuilding effort in 2010, one hundred years after the original construction was completed. The fund raising is on-going with RCC memberships, donations and event sponsorships warmly welcomed. $2.7 million has been raised and committed out of the $4 million needed for the project. 

The rebuilt Power House will be used for artisan classes as a part of the education programming that is central to the RCC’s mission. The Copper Shop will remain open as the gift shop and artisan gallery while restoration of that building continues. 

If you would like to attend a fund raising event on campus this year, the following events are currently scheduled: a Cigar, Art & Port Wine Evening Thursday, May 6th and the 2nd Annual Hogs & Hubbard Event August 10th. See the RCC web site Donations page for more ways to contribute. 

• Sue

New Year Goals Roycroft Style

  

As the New Year begins, and as we review our goals and dreams for this next year, maybe you can do what Elbert Hubbard did.

According to Hubbard's biographer, Flex Shay, Elbert's favorite everyday hat contained a gold pin, engraved with " Man Can Achieve What Man Can Conceive"

Maybe inserting a phrase or goal into your wallet or hat will help you achieve in 2009 - hey it can't hurt!

Julie

Election Day

Hurrah, it is ELECTION DAY! Yes, finally it is time to cast your ballot for the individuals you feel will best represent you for the many offices open across the towns, cities, counties, states, and this great country of ours. Don’t be put off by lines; bring a chair, book, newspaper, laptop, ipod, or your to-do list and relax while you wait. Voting is the most important thing you do as a citizen, don’t let anything stop you from exercising this right.

      Ladies, as you vote, remember the courageous women who went before you fighting to give you this right. Afterward, treat yourself to a yellow rose, the symbol of the suffragette movement.

      Alice & Elbert Hubbard were strong supporters of the women’s suffrage movement and the evidence was both publicly declared - “Votes for Women” painted high on the farm’s silo like a billboard - and subtle - Roycroft China decorated with yellow Roycroft roses as a quiet testament.

      Don’t be silent and uncounted today. Vote!

- Sue

Sarah Palin - what would Alice Hubbard have thought?

For the first time the GOP has put a woman on the ticket in the Vice President slot.

In her day, Alice Hubbard  "had reached significant national recognition as a women's right activist" according to the book Alice Hubbard:A Feminist Recalled by Charles Hamilton.

Mr. Hamilton eludes that if Alice had lived she may have been remembered along with other great feminists like Susan B. Anthony or Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Alice Hubbard died in 1915  - several years before women received the right to vote.

What would Alice have thought of Sarah Palin?  How would Alice have encouraged women to vote ?

Let's hear your thoughts!

Julie