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The Craftsman-style Otis Townsend residence is the Cape May, N.J., 2008 designer show house. Tours of the home will benefit the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts.

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MID-ATLANTIC CENTER FOR THE ARTS HOSTS DESIGNER SHOW HOUSE w/1 cut

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CAPE MAY, N.J. — The Otis Townsend residence is Cape May’s most outstanding example of the Craftsman style, which incorporates clean lines and natural materials. The house will be the site of the 2008 Cape May Designer Show House, presented as a benefit for the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC). It will be open for tours June 13–October 10.

The 1915 home is on 115 Reading Avenue, just one block from the Atlantic Ocean. Clarence LeMunyon, an area contractor from 1910 to 1925, was the major builder and foreman during the construction period in 1914. It was originally built for Ocean City carpenter, lumberyard owner and developer Otis Townsend; all its owners have used the property solely as a private residence.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Otis Townsend House offers original Craftsman-style wood paneling and cabinetry, as well as original gasolier light fixtures (which are now electrified) in the bedrooms. Its slender, yet deep, proportions were a response to the long, narrow lot upon which the house was built.

It has eight large bedrooms, three and a half completely renovated bathrooms, a large living room with gas fireplace and built-in bookcases with leaded glass doors, as well as a formal dining room lined with beautiful wood paneling. The modern kitchen has been totally renovated, and opens to the large rear deck overlooking a small garden. The large front porch offers a view of the ocean.

The asbestos exterior has been removed to expose the original wood shingles and some of the region’s top designers and suppliers are turning the house into a showcase with all the latest design elements an creature comforts available.

Tours are self-guided and include a full-color program book with information about the designers, products and vendors. Admission is $20 for adults and $15 for children (ages 3–12). Dinner and show house tour combinations will be available on selected evenings.

Proceeds benefit the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Cape May’s heritage. For information, 609-884-5404, 800-275-4278 or www.capemaymac.org.

must run 5-30

SMITHSONIAN ISSUES CHALLENGE GRANT TO ENDOW CURATOR AT RENWICK GALLERY

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Smithsonian American Art Museum has announced the establishment of an endowment to support a curator of craft position at the museum’s Renwick Gallery. An $800,000 challenge gift from Lloyd Herman, the founding director of the Renwick Gallery, is the catalyst for attracting an additional $1.2 million match from contributors across the United States.

“The excitement generated by Lloyd Herman’s generous gift is reverberating around the museum and throughout the craft world,” said Elizabeth Broun, the Margaret and Terry Stent director at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The Smithsonian Board of Regents approved the establishment of the endowment at its May 5 meeting. It is intended that the curatorial position will be named the Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft in honor of the lead donor.

“Though I haven’t the wealth of many craft advocates and artists whose friendships I treasure from my 40-year association with the Renwick Gallery, even I can help,” said Herman. “Whatever their means, I hope that artists, collectors and all others who treasure American creativity in glass, clay, wood, fibers and metals will help me establish a permanently endowed curatorial position for craft at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.”

Anyone interested in supporting this initiative may contact Ross Randall, development officer for major gifts, at 202-633-8393 or RandallR@si.edu.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is at Eighth and F streets NW. The Renwick Gallery is at Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street NW.

For recorded information, 202-633-7970 or view www.americanart.si.edu.