Annual Antiques Forum

Colonial Williamsburg's 78th Annual Antiques Forum: That the Future May Learn from the Past, features leading experts and extraordinary collections from the United States and abroad. The 2026 Antiques Forum program commemorates 250 years of American independence, celebrates 100 years of collecting and bringing history to life at Colonial Williamsburg, and explores past inspiration and future influence through the lens of material culture and the decorative arts.

President and CEO of the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia Scott Stephenson expands upon their recent exhibition Banners of Liberty: Flags that Witnessed the American Revolution, while decorative arts specialist Jeff Evans ventures to the Shenandoah Valley for a look at the German Shrank in Virginia. Architectural Historian Calder Loth (Virginia Department of Historic Resources) explores the Colonial Revival before Colonial Williamsburg, and Amanda Keller (Wilton House), Elyse Wering (Preservation Virginia), and Samantha Dorsey (Independent Consultant), explore Colonial Williamsburg’s influence on historic preservation and reinterpretation at Wilton and Patrick Henry’s Scotchtown.

Curator Matthew Wood takes us on a grand tour of one of England’s finest country houses, Castle Howard, designed in the early eighteenth century, and undergoing restoration and redecoration of rooms lost to a 1940 fire, and William L. Coleman (Wyeth Foundation) dives into the Designed Worlds of the Wyeths as collectors of antiques, vernacular architecture, and historic costume. Rather than a midnight ride, Janine Skerry (Independent Consultant) takes us on a reading of Paul Revere and the Silver Shop Daybooks, and the Carolyn and Michael McNamara Young Scholars Series sponsored by the Decorative Arts Trust features new scholarship and emerging scholars for the Forum audience.

Colonial Williamsburg staff delve into a variety of topics spanning the breadth and depth of the collections over the last century. Laura Pass Barry explores the Art of an Uncommon Woman: Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, while Tessa Payer uncovers the history of a presidential mourning ring. Neal Hurst and Katie McKinney preview the new exhibition Colonial Williamsburg: The First 100 Years, and Dani Jaworski takes us on a tour of the town’s “Original 88” buildings in a whole new light. Meredith Poole and Emily Guthrie shine a light on Colonial Williamsburg’s archaeological and corporate archive collections, respectively, while Angelika Kuettner and Neal Hurst expand upon the early years of the Craft House. Early Iconic Williamsburg is explored through a variety of mediums as Tom Savage, Tara Chicirda, and Kate Rogers take the stage in a series of mini lectures.

All of this and more await attendees to Colonial Williamsburg’s 78th Annual Antiques Forum.

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