The Helen Williams Drutt Collection: Behind the Scenes at the MFAH

We are really looking forward to our September Program: an intimate visit with Cindi Strauss and Elizabeth Essner to view pieces from the MFAH's Helen Williams Drutt Collection of Contemporary Studio Jewelry!  Cindi and Elizabeth will show our group selected works from the Drutt Collection at MFAH Storage, so this is a chance to see works not currently on view at the museum, and under the guidance of two amazing curators of craft and decorative arts.  This event is free, but space is limited, so you must register for a ticket.  A waitlist is available once tickets are sold out.

Helen W. Drutt English is an esteemed former gallerist, educator, curator, and collector who is credited for ushering American craft onto the global stage to further the modern craft movement. She was a founding member of the Philadelphia Council of Professional Craftsmen in 1967 and began her eponymous gallery six years later in 1973, one of the first US galleries committed to modern and contemporary craft.  

In 2002 the MFAH accessioned the Helen Williams Drutt Collection of Contemporary Studio Jewelry, which has been described as the finest of its kind.  The collection is an assemblage of more than 800 works of art that are intended to adorn the human body.  The artists represented in this collection are from the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, and their work covers a broad range of artistic styles.

Cindi Strauss is the Sara and Bill Morgan Curator of Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design and Assistant Director, Programming at the MFAH. At the museum, she is responsible for the acquisition, research, publication, and exhibition of post-1900 decorative arts, design, and craft. Elizabeth Essner is the Associate Curator in the Department of Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design at the MFAH. Elizabeth works with Cindi to expand MFAH collections, exhibitions, and programs in the area of international craft.