Phot Credit - Rahr-West Art Museum
The Rahr-West Art Museum is celebrating the art of table setting.
It’s a tradition that goes back 50 years to when Ruth West began an annual table-setting exhibit called Still Life and Tablesettings.
Now, the museum is celebrating the past five decades with an area and program called the Art of Tablesettings Exhibit.
The Rahr-West explains that the display has its roots in similar functions hosted by garden clubs with strict rules about placement, theme, and the number of objects on the table.
Ruth West felt the restrictions limited creativity and suggested to the board of directors that the museum host the exhibit without any restraint on creativity.
The first table setting on display was on the first floor of the Vilas-Rahr Mansion with 22 participants and was met with very good reviews.
Since 1974, over 2300 tables have been created for the annual art of tablesettings exhibit at the Rahr-West Art Museum.
This year, to honor all the table setters and volunteers who have contributed to the exhibit, the Museum will have over 45 freshly designed tables, three recreations of Mrs. West’s tables, a special memory book, and an exhibit of ephemera from years past.
The exhibit runs from October 4th to November 3rd of this year.
