Lunch during the Colonial Williamsburg Antiques Forum
Sunday, February 22, 2026
1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
$30
Colleagues at Colonial Williamsburg are delighted to welcome Attingham alumni for a luncheon at
The Williamsburg Inn during the 78th annual Antiques Forum, That the Future May Learn from The Past.
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Gather with Forum attendees for a lovely luncheon in the Rockefeller Room at the four-star Colonial Williamsburg Inn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. AFA Treasurer & Vice President of Finance Michael Kerrigan ’19, RCS ’25, along with several Colonial Williamsburg staff and AFA alumni, look forward welcoming you at this special gathering.
Once Sunday’s lectures by alumni including Ron Hurst ’86 and others have concluded around 12:45 p.m., enjoy an easy stroll east along East Francis Street, departing from Forum at the Williamsburg Lodge and Conference Center. Upon arrival at The Williamsburg Inn, staff will gladly direct you to the Rockefeller Room, where you may collect your AFA name tag and check in with our hosts. After welcome remarks from Attingham alumna Gretchen Guidess ’25, Senior Textile Conservator for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, enjoy a delicious meal prepared by The Inn’s award-winning chefs, followed by time to catch up with new and old friends. Lunch concludes at 2:30 p.m., leaving guests an opportunity to explore the Historic Area and participate in additional Forum tours and programs at their leisure.
AFA and Colonial Williamsburg are especially pleased to revive this time-honored tradition at the 78th Antiques Forum and welcome the opportunity to reflect on the past, be it personal, institutional, regional, or national. Attingham thrives because our alumni have long dedicated themselves to the same mission adopted by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., W.A.R. Goodwin, and early preservationists at the Foundation: that the future may learn from the past. We hope you will celebrate the past, present and future of Attingham by attending this special lunch.
AFA is deeply grateful to our alums and Foundation colleagues, including Director of Collections and Deputy Chief Curator Laura Pass Barry ’02 and Director of Educational Travel and Conferences Tom Savage ’80, SP ’87 – ’94, ’00, for reviving this Attingham tradition. Special thanks also to Gretchen Guidess ’25 and Whitney Thornberry, Manager of Educational Conferences, Forums & Symposiums, for their invaluable coordination and support.
REGISTER
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CAPACITY Lunch is limited to 25 people. Space is limited, and available on a first-come, first-serve basis to those who register.
REGISTRATION Registration and payment via the button above is preferred and prioritized above registration by phone or email. If you are unable to complete your registration using the button, please secure your place by making your purchase on the AFA website (click here).
TRANSPORTATION Walking to The Inn from the Williamsburg Lodge is at your leisure. Consult staff at The Lodge for directions or refer to this map of the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area. The Inn is within sight of The Lodge, approximately 0.2 miles, or about five to seven minutes walk, to the east. For directions to Colonial Williamsburg, please consult the Foundation’s website.
The 78th Annual Antiques Forum That the Future May Learn From The Past
The 2026 Antiques Forum 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. The program will deliver a series of outstanding lectures by many Attingham alumni. Register to attend in-person or virtually (click here). Check out the full conference agenda (click here).
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 Werling ’24 (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 ’25 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 ’90 (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 ’23 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 ’11 shine a light on Colonial Williamsburg’s archaeological and corporate archive collections, respectively, while Angelika Kuettner ’10 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 ’80, SP ’87 – 94, ’00, Tara Chicirda ’99, and Kate Rogers take the stage in a series of mini lectures.
Thank you for your interest in the programs of the American Friends of Attingham.