Kuykendall Joins Tudor Place as Curator of Collections

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Press Contact:
Communications Officer
Mandy Katz, mkatz@tudorplace.org
Mobile: 202.486.7645
Website: www.tudorplace.org
Tudor Place Historic House and Garden
1644 31st Street NW
Washington, DC 2007

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 7, 2011

Kuykendall Will Lead Research, Interpretation at Historic Site Tied to George Washington and 200 Years of Georgetown, D.C., History

Washington, D.C. – September 7, 2011 — Tudor Place Historic House and Garden has appointed Erin E. Kuykendall, a specialist in early American material culture, as Curator of Collections. Ms. Kuykendall, who holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Delaware’s prestigious Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, will lead the research, documentation, interpretation, and development of the National Historic Landmark’s collection of more than 10,000 objects.

Her knowledge of decorative arts, architectural history, and historical archaeology provide Ms. Kuykendall a strong background for leading comprehensive initiatives related to the site. One of her immediate curatorial projects will be authenticating and researching Tudor Place’s rare 18th-century wax and shell work tableau, which belonged to George and Martha Washington.

As Tudor Place’s first fulltime curator in several years, Ms. Kuykendall joins Tudor Place at a critical point. The National Historic Landmark opened to the public in 1988 following the death of the last owner, Armistead Peter 3rd, after housing six consecutive generations of a family descended from Martha Washington. Ms. Kuykendall will play a key role in shaping and advancing the Master Preservation Plan now underway to secure the Landmark House for the future, adding security systems, educational spaces and archival and collections storage, among other purposes.

A native of Richmond, Va., Ms. Kuykendall has amassed extensive collections and interpretation experience at sites including Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Mount Vernon, the Reeves Collection of Chinese Export Porcelain at Washington & Lee University, and Historic Jamestowne. She also studied English country houses with the Attingham Summer School.

For her master’s thesis, Ms. Kuykendall researched carpenters and cabinetmakers in Revolutionary Philadelphia; as an undergraduate, she researched the material culture of security and privacy in 17th-century Jamestown.

Located in Georgetown’s Historic District, this National Historic Landmark is a house museum distinguished for its neoclassical architecture, decorative arts collection, and five-and-a-half acre garden. Built in 1816, it was home to Thomas Peter and his wife, Martha Custis Peter, granddaughter of Martha Washington. It housed six generations of the Peter family over the course of 180 years. Now, open to the public, the historic home is one of our nation’s hidden gems. For details visit www.tudorplace.org