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Winterthur Announces New Endowment In Furniture Conservation

Furniture World News Desk on 1/24/2017



Elizabeth Terry Seaks

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library recently announced a new bequest commitment in furniture conservation. The newly endowed position is named the Elizabeth Terry Seaks Furniture Conservator, in honor of the late mother of Dr. Terry G. Seaks, a respected collector and economist who made the position possible.

Mark Anderson, Senior Furniture Conservator at Winterthur and an affiliated Assistant Professor in the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, will assume the endowed position immediately.

"Winterthur is deeply grateful to Dr. Terry G. Seaks for this generous planned gift and continuing annual donations, which make possible the endowed Elizabeth Terry Seaks Furniture Conservator," said Winterthur Director David P. Roselle. "Through Mervin Martin, Winterthur Furniture Conservator from 1968 until 1979, Terry became familiar with conservation at Winterthur. After Merv's death in 2009, Terry renewed his relationship with Winterthur through Mark Anderson, and we congratulate Mark for his appointment to this newly endowed post, which will serve as a lasting tribute to the late Elizabeth Terry Seaks."

Elizabeth Terry Seaks was born in Lexington, North Carolina, on October 1, 1913, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Jarvis Russell Terry. She spent her adult married life in Washington, D.C., but it was in the early years of her marriage to Duke law student Robert G. Seaks that she began her lifelong passion for the collecting and restoration of antiques. During their time in Washington, the couple gave birth to son Terry G. Seaks, who now so fittingly and generously has created a lasting legacy for his mother.

Dr. Terry G. Seaks, a collector and economist, received his Ph.D., in Economics from Duke University in 1972 and has spent nearly his entire teaching career at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he holds the title of Professor of Economics, Emeritus, in the Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics.

As a prolific author and respected professor, he has been recognized with the Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Alumni Teaching Excellence Award, among numerous others.

In addition to his recent commitment to Winterthur, Dr. Seaks has established the Robert G. Seaks LL.B. 1934 Professorship at Duke University Law School, in memory of his father, and the Jane Lewis Seaks Distinguished Professorship for Companion Animal Medicine at the North Carolina Veterinary Medicine Foundation, to honor his late wife.

In speaking of his mother’s longtime involvement in the field of antiques, it was, he noted, “an amateur’s love dating back 70+ years.”

During the past 30 years at Winterthur Museum, Mark Anderson has been involved in every aspect of wood, furniture, and upholstery conservation. In addition to co-developing the Cadwalader Study on the design, construction, and materials of furniture made for 18th-century Philadelphian General John Cadwalader, he supervised the dismantling and reinstallation of the Dominy Workshops during construction of the Galleries building; headed the team that addressed reupholstery concerns during the Lighting Project for the main museum; and co-conserved Winterthur’s impressive Peter Stretch tall clock. His publications include works on historic upholstery and its conservation as well as studies on regional American furniture.

More about Winterthur: Winterthur—known worldwide for its preeminent collection of American decorative arts, naturalistic garden, and research library for the study of American art and material culture—offers a variety of tours, exhibitions, programs, and activities throughout the year. General admission includes a tour of some of the most notable spaces in the 175-room house as well as access to the Winterthur Garden and Galleries, special exhibitions, a narrated tram tour (weather permitting), the Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens, and the Enchanted Woods children’s garden. $20 adults; $18 for students and seniors; $5 for ages 2–11.

Museum hours are 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday - Sunday. Winterthur, located on Route 52, six miles northwest of Wilmington, Delaware, and five miles south of U.S. Route 1, is closed on Mondays (except during Yuletide), Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. Winterthur is closed for the winter season January 9 - February 28, 2017, reopening to the public March 1. Winterthur is committed to accessible programming for all. For information, including special services, call 800.448.3883, 302.888.4600, or TTY 302.888.4907, or visit http://winterthur.org/.