The Ephemera Society of America’s forty-second conference, Creating Places and Spaces, took place on March 17-20, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Old Greenwich, CT.
One of the fascinating things about society is how we create our living environments, whether it is the city or community in which we choose to live or our own living room. Ephemera 42 will focus on the design of environments, interior and exterior, ranging in scale from regional planning and urban design to the architectural detail or sidewalk lamppost. This rich topic encompasses design innovations, stylistic and regional movements, architects, landscape architects, urbanists, draftspersons, and craftspeople—anyone and anything that serves to shape the environment in which we live.
On Thursday, March 17th we held our Young Scholars presentation. Rachel Kane, from the University of Delaware/Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, discussed Home Making for Future Homemakers: Paper Dollhouses and instructive womanhood in the early 20th century
On Friday, March 18th our full conference featured eight presenters, some of which are shown below. (Unfortunately, we had a technical problem with four of the presentation files).
On Saturday and Sunday, March 19th and 20th was our widely anticipated Ephemera Fair which is considered to be the premier event in the country. There were exceptional materials from a broad spectrum of knowledgeable and experienced dealers, displaying an array of materials on countless topics. The materials are rich in content, desirable to the eye, entertaining, and whimsical — choose your favorite adjective and it will apply. The Fair ran from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, with an early preview for Ephemera Society members only at 9 am. On Sunday the Fair ran from 11 am to 4 pm.
Below are links to speaker presentations on YouTube.
Meg Winslow: Shaping the Nation’s First Rural Cemetery
Jeffrey Cohen: Streetviews: Walking the Ephemeral City on Paper
Mari Nakahara: Unity of Creation: Designs by Winold Reiss
Jennifer Sopko: Creating Amusement Parks in Western Pennsylvania
Jeannine Oppewall: Creating Spaces in the Movies (Video not available at this time)
Christine von der Linn: Staging the Scene: Theater Set Design (Video not available at this time)
Jared Arp: Promoting Herman Miller Furniture (Video not available at this time)
Carrie Taylor: Lippitt House: Using Ephemera to Preserve a Victorian Home (Video not available at this time)
Some Photos from Our Conference
ESA President, David Lilburne, wears the distinguished Samuel Pepys Medal.
David Lilburne presents previous ESA President, Richard Sheaff with the ESA Reward of Merit.
Richard Thorner receives the ESA Reward of Merit.
There was much to look at during the Ephemera Fair on Saturday and Sunday.
One of the more than 65 exhibitors at the 2022 Fair.
During the ESA banquet, previous Rickards recipients are recognized: Valerie Jackson-Harris (with her Pepys Medal as well as her 2003 Rickards Medal); Barbara Charles and, in effigy, Robert Staples (1986); Nancy Rosin (2016); Robert Dalton Harris & Diane DeBlois (2008); and Cary Hull with, in effigy, Alfred P. Malpa (2021). Photo courtesy Jared Arp.
Some of the ESA presenters with ESA President David Lilburne (left to right): Jeffrey Cohen, Rachel Kane, Carrie Taylor, Meg Winslow, Jeannine Oppewall, Jared Arp and Christine von der Linn.
Evie Eysenburg has been an ESA exhibitor for many years.
ESA presenters (Clockwise): David Lilburne (ESA President) Jeffrey Cohen, Mari Nakahara, Meg Winslow and Jennifer Sopko.
Two people at the fair enjoy the day.
David Lilburne presents the ESA Reward of Merit to Tamar Zimmerman.
A view of the fair.