An annual autumn landmark event returns to downtown Columbus Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 3-5, but with a slight retooling. Art ‘n Antiques — formerly known as the Decorative Arts and Preservation Forum and Antiques Show and Sale — emerges this year with a refreshed name to reflect its expanded scope.
Once again, exhibitors of fine porcelain, timeless furniture, enduring jewelry, antique linens, rugs and more will fill the main gallery of the Rosenzweig Arts Center as in years past. Again, the show will bring an acclaimed floral designer to the Golden Triangle to share how-to’s and techniques. But this November’s show will add yet another element of decorative expression — original work by several current visual artists, including Lee Gibson and Faye Asadi.
“Beautiful artwork fits into every home whether it’s more contemporary or a home that is Victorian or antebellum,” said Nancy Carpenter, executive director of Visit Columbus. “Art is really a common thread through many of our homes, so we wanted to encourage artists and make this show an avenue for original art.”
Event overview
Art ‘n Antiques at the arts center at 501 Main St. opens with a complimentary wine and cheese preview party Thursday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; the public is invited. Weekend admission is also free to the antiques show and sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The single ticketed event is a presentation by floral designer Matt Wood Friday, Nov. 4. After coffee and pastries at 8:30 a.m., Wood’s talk and demonstration begin at 9 a.m. A shrimp-and-grits brunch follows at 10 a.m.
“Seating is very limited for the presentation and brunch,” noted Carpenter. Tickets are $25, available by contacting Visit Columbus at 662-329-1191 or 800-920-3533. “We strongly encourage people to reserve their ticket right away, preferably by Tuesday,” Carpenter added.
The art of floral design
Even after 21 years in California with Winward, a leading floral, seasonal and home decor import and design firm, Matt Wood remains connected to his Mississippi roots. Born in Columbia, he still has family in Hattiesburg and throughout the state. While a student at Mississippi State University, he studied with MSU Professor Emeritus Ralph Null of Columbus. After operating a shop in Columbia, he relocated to the west coast. Wood looks forward to revisiting the Friendly City.
“I’ve always loved it there and love all the beautiful homes that you have on the Pilgrimage,” he said via phone from Winward’s California showroom Tuesday. He remarked on elements of classic style to be found in the Deep South.
“I love that part about the Southern heritage, and that has been with me through my whole career,” he said.
Not only is Wood now creative director at Winward, working with clients across the country, he is the author of “The Seasonal Home.” The book will be available at Friday’s presentation.
He is also a former president of the American Institute of Floral Designers and works in close collaboration with actress Jane Seymour on a line called Jane Seymour Botanicals. (The two have become firm friends, Wood said. He even played a small part in a 2011 Hallmark TV movie with Seymour called “Perfectly Prudence.”)
Still, the South’s influence is with Wood “every minute of every day,” he acknowledged. “It all goes back to my small-town upbringing.”
His experiences, including that of having a retail store in Mississippi, have stayed with him. “I’ve taken what I’ve learned, and it’s worked all the way through my career. I’ve never had to depart from it. I’ve had to update it, but never had to depart from it.”
Wood’s presentation will focus on combining permanent botanicals with fresh foliages in arrangements that can transition through the coming season.
“I’ll do some seasonal holiday and some everyday designs that are trans-seasonal, easily working for more than one season, or easily changed for the next one,” he explained.
Carpenter said, “It’s exciting to have author and designer Matt Wood join us for this presentation Friday morning. His work is known throughout the United States, and to have someone of his recognition design in Columbus is really a treat for everyone who comes to see him.”
Free antiques show and sale
Dealers from Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi, among other locales, will bring items ranging from estate jewelry to antique rugs to Columbus for the show.
A sampling includes Angela Boudreaux of the Memphis area; she specializes in restoration and repair of porcelain, pottery, glass and crystal. Mississippi exhibitor Jim West will also return with furniture and decorative art pieces, as will antique rug exhibitors from Germantown, Tennessee.
Emma Young of Bowling Green, Kentucky, is a repeat exhibitor, too.
“I’ll be bringing porcelains, lamps, linens, costume and sterling jewelry and a small amount of gold,” said Young, adding that she plans to also bring pocket watches and chains, quilts and some small pieces of furniture. She enjoys the Columbus show. “Everybody has always been more than nice.”
Victorian jewelry, silver and majolica will be among items at Dianne Currie’s booth. The exhibitor from Pensacola, Florida, is returning for a fourth year. “The people are so welcoming, and Nancy does everything she can to make us feel at home and comfortable.”
Having been in business for three decades, Currie has seen “trends” come and go. She is now seeing a lot of young people getting started, purchasing their first antique furniture.
“Or they’ve inherited a piece of china, and they want to match it, or get something to go along with it,” she said. “It’s always a delight to have people interested in pieces and things they can treasure and pass on to their children.”
Having multiple quality dealers from throughout the Southeast in a single location in the Golden Triangle is a significant opportunity for residents of the surrounding area.
“I try to never miss this event,” said Rebecca Strait, who lives near West Point. “It’s a wonderful chance to see so many lovely things from different dealers that I would otherwise miss. I mark this one on my calendar every year.”
Art ‘n Antiques is presented by Visit Columbus, the Columbus Cultural Heritage Foundation, the Columbus Council of Garden Clubs, the Billups-Garth Foundation, Dixie H. Butler and Mississippi State University.
For more information, call Visit Columbus, 662-329-1191 or 800-920-3533.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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