Dive into past events, artist talks, and other collaborations to stay engaged no matter where you are.

To keep an eye on upcoming programs visit our Explore page, or sign up for our monthly e-news. 

Spotlight Talk: A-Z of Wharton Esherick and American Studio Furniture

The Wharton Esherick Museum recently received an extraordinary trove of archival materials that were never before available to the public. Included in these papers are Esherick’s alphabetized business files from the 1950s and 60s—an A-Z of his work activities in the era when he became a major figure in American studio furniture.

We dove into the histories of mid-century modern design and the studio craft movement. In this 20-minute program, we look into the ways in which Esherick’s woodworking practice shaped—and was shaped by—rising interest in hand crafted modernist objects. Along the way, we look at project records, letters, and other archival finds.

Spotlight Talk: Wharton Esherick at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts, 1958

In 1958, curator Robert Laurer brought a handheld movie camera to work and began filming. His subject was the installation of an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (MCC), New York, titled The Furniture and Sculpture of Wharton Esherick. The six-minute long film that Laurer made contains the only known moving-image footage of Esherick. It documents the buzz of activity in the museum gallery in the days leading up to the exhibition opening—including the assembly of the iconic spiral staircase from the Esherick Studio.

Enjoy a look into the 1950s New York craft world. In this 20-minute program, we watch Laurer’s film and explore the stories of the people in it. The cast of characters includes Esherick, crafts patron Aileen Osborn Webb, MCC director Thomas Tibbs, and museum carpenters whose names went unrecorded. Due to some loss of video quality in the program, we have included Laurer’s film as a separate video to enjoy as well!

Imprint 2023 Virtual Reception: Storytelling in Prints

Enjoy our celebration of Imprint 2023, WEM’s annual high school printmaking competition! During the program, we explore a selection of Esherick woodcuts that highlight his approach to storytelling, whether illustrating the words of authors like Walt Whitman or telling a story of his own life on Valley Forge Mountain. Alongside Esherick’s prints, we take a look at a few of our Imprint prizewinners for the unique ways these students took on the theme of storytelling in their own works!

Over the course of Esherick’s life, woodcut printmaking proved a critical medium in his artistic development. Through his explorations in printmaking, Esherick transitioned from a young painter to an internationally-recognized artist and furniture designer. Now in its 15th year, the Imprint program encourages new generations of young artists to share their voices and vision in this dynamic medium.

Spotlight Talk: Geoffrey Berwind & Esherick’s Music Stand

In celebration of our spring exhibition One Object, Many Stories we were excited to host a conversation with Geoffrey Berwind, grandson of Nat and Rose Rubinson. The Rubinson’s 30 year friendship with Esherick resulted in a household’s worth of unique commissions filling their family home – including Esherick’s very first music stand. We’ll hear from Geoffrey about everything from his memories of Rose playing cello on Sunday afternoons to the piano that never was, and how he sees the music stand’s return to the Studio as a “homecoming” for this iconic work of art.

We were delighted to host Geoffrey, a professional storyteller and member of WEM’s Board of Directors, for this talk; Geoffrey’s generosity has made the exhibition of the music stand and its return to the Studio possible. We hope you enjoy hearing more about his personal connection to the site and the spirited role his family played in Esherick’s story!

Rewind: Artist Talks, Events, & More

Spotlight Talk: Wharton Esherick’s Tilted Tales

Spotlight Talk: A Look at Wharton and Miriam in the Archives

Spotlight Talk: Filming with Craft in America

Spotlight Talk: Esherick Connections from the Fabric Workshop and Museum

Home as Stage Virtual Opening

Creatives on Esherick: Virginia Blanchard

Spotlight Talk: Esherick’s Concrete Architecture of the 1960s

Spotlight Talk: June Groff

Spotlight Talk: Coat Peg Portraits

Spotlight Talk: Esherick’s Self Portrait

Creatives on Esherick: Katie Hudnall

Spotlight Talk: Building the Studio

Spotlight Talk: Architectural Drawings

Spotlight Talk: Anne Tyng, Geometric Architecture, and the Wharton Esherick 1956 Workshop

Creatives on Esherick: Sam Olshin and Lisa Dustin, Atkin Olshin Schade (AOS) Architects

Spotlight Talk: Preserving Esherick’s Windows

Curator Conversations: Daring Design with Mark Sfirri

Creatives on Esherick: Roberta Massuch: Artist-in-Residence

Curator Conversations: Daring Design with Laura Igoe

Spotlight Talk: Helene Fischer, Wharton Esherick, and Furniture as Sculpture

Spotlight Talk: Gifts

Spotlight Talk: Esherick’s Bedroom

Spotlight Talk: The Holzhausen Curtains

Spotlight Talk: Marjorie Content Photographs

Creatives on Esherick: Christian Burchard

Curator Conversations: Out of Bounds: The Art of Croquet with Jennifer-Navva Milliken

Spotlight Talk: Barnegat Bay Map

Wood And… Opening Reception

Curator Conversations: Exploring the American Craft Council Digital Collections with Beth Goodrich

Spotlight Talk: The Homemade Bandsaw

Creatives on Esherick: Jason Turnidge

Spotlight Talk: Esherick’s Models

Creatives on Esherick: Aspen Golann

Creatives on Esherick: Sarah Watlington

Spotlight Talk: Material Combinations in the Studio

Curator Conversations: Stairways to Imagining with Mary Savig

Spotlight Talk: In the Garden with Wharton Esherick

Spotlight Talk: Wharton’s Printing Press

Curator Conversations: Woodworking, Labor, and Modernism with Holly Gore

Spotlight Talk: Esherick’s World’s Fair Chair

Curator Conversations: Homer, Esherick, and Interpreting Artists’ Studios with Diana Greenwold

Spotlight Talk: Henry Varnum Poor’s Portrait Plates

Creatives on Esherick: Keunho Peter Park

Spotlight Talk: Winter Woodcuts

Curator Conversations: Exploring Connections at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston with Nonie Gadsden

Creatives on Esherick: Laura Mays

When Artists Pivot: Wharton Esherick and His Career | PAFA – Culture & Coffee