Jonathan Leo Fairbanks
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Leo Fairbanks is an American artist and expert of American arts and antiques. Fairbanks created the American decorative arts and sculpture department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
, and served as the department’s Curator from 1970-1999.
Fairbanks is the son of the American sculptor, Avard Fairbanks
. He was born in Ann Arbor while his father was teaching at the University of Michigan
. He is also an eleventh generation descendant of Jonathan Fairbanks
.
Fairbanks is on the Board of Directors of the Fairbanks Family in America, Inc., which owns and operates the house. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts
from the University of Utah
and his MFA from the University of Pennsylvania
through a joint program with the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He earned a second Masters degree, an M.A. in American Culture, from the University of Delaware
in the Winterthur Museum Fellowship Program. He served at the museum as an Associate Curator in charge of conservation for nine years.
Fairbanks has served as curator for several exhibits, including "Becoming a Nation, Americana from the Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State," which toured eight cities from April 2003 until January 2005. He was also the Sr. Vice President of AntiquesAmerica.com, the Editor at Large for the Catalogue of Antiques and Fine Art, and a Research Associate at Boston University
. He is on the Board of Directors of the Decorative Arts Trust, of which he was President for 12 years. Fairbanks currently serves as Vice President of Research for Artfact.com.
Some of Fairbanks’ artwork is owned by institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery
, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Boston Public Library
, the Wye House
and Myrtle Grove
on the Eastern Shore of Maryland
, and the Alhambra
in southern Spain. His work was featured in the exhibit, “Jonathan Leo Fairbanks, A Painter's Journey, 1952-2004,” which was on display at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts
in Hagerstown, MD in 2004.
Fairbanks has received several awards, including the Victorian Society of America Award for Conservation, The Charles F. Montgomery Award from the Decorative Arts Society, The Urban Glass Award for Exceptional Museum Glass Exhibition, The Ellen Banning Ayer Award for Contributions to Arts and Culture, and the Lifetime Achievement Medal from the Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston. In 2003 the Decorative Arts Trust announced the endowment of The Jonathan L. Fairbanks Lectureship in honor of Fairbanks’ achievements. In 2003, the Furniture Society bestowed upon Fairbanks the Award of Distinction
. In 2006 Fairbanks received the Iris Foundation Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Decorative Arts by the Bard Graduate Center
.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
, and served as the department’s Curator from 1970-1999.
Fairbanks is the son of the American sculptor, Avard Fairbanks
Avard Fairbanks
Avard Tennyson Fairbanks was a prolific 20th century American sculptor. Three of his sculptures are in the United States Capitol, and the state capitols in both Utah and Wyoming, as well as numerous other locations, also have his works...
. He was born in Ann Arbor while his father was teaching at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He is also an eleventh generation descendant of Jonathan Fairbanks
Jonathan Fairbanks
Jonathan Fairbanks was an American colonist born in Heptonstall, Halifax, Yorkshire, England who immigrated to New England in 1633...
.
Fairbanks is on the Board of Directors of the Fairbanks Family in America, Inc., which owns and operates the house. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
and his MFA from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
through a joint program with the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He earned a second Masters degree, an M.A. in American Culture, from the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
in the Winterthur Museum Fellowship Program. He served at the museum as an Associate Curator in charge of conservation for nine years.
Fairbanks has served as curator for several exhibits, including "Becoming a Nation, Americana from the Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State," which toured eight cities from April 2003 until January 2005. He was also the Sr. Vice President of AntiquesAmerica.com, the Editor at Large for the Catalogue of Antiques and Fine Art, and a Research Associate at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. He is on the Board of Directors of the Decorative Arts Trust, of which he was President for 12 years. Fairbanks currently serves as Vice President of Research for Artfact.com.
Some of Fairbanks’ artwork is owned by institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery
National Portrait Gallery (United States)
The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in Washington, D.C., administered by the Smithsonian Institution. Its collections focus on images of famous individual Americans.-Building:...
, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Boston Public Library
Boston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
, the Wye House
Wye House
Wye House is a large Southern frame plantation house located in Talbot County, Maryland, seven miles northwest of Easton. It was listed for preservation on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.-History:...
and Myrtle Grove
Myrtle Grove (Easton, Maryland)
Myrtle Grove is a historic home in Easton, Talbot County, Maryland. It consists of a frame section dating from the first half of the 18th century, a 1790 Flemish bond brick section, and a 1927 frame wing...
on the Eastern Shore of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, and the Alhambra
Alhambra
The Alhambra , the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra , is a palace and fortress complex located in the Granada, Andalusia, Spain...
in southern Spain. His work was featured in the exhibit, “Jonathan Leo Fairbanks, A Painter's Journey, 1952-2004,” which was on display at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is an art museum located in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. The building is located off Park Circle and serves as a centerpiece in Hagerstown City Park. The museum was donated in 1929 by Mr. and Mrs. William Singer, Jr. It was completed in 1931 and two...
in Hagerstown, MD in 2004.
Fairbanks has received several awards, including the Victorian Society of America Award for Conservation, The Charles F. Montgomery Award from the Decorative Arts Society, The Urban Glass Award for Exceptional Museum Glass Exhibition, The Ellen Banning Ayer Award for Contributions to Arts and Culture, and the Lifetime Achievement Medal from the Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston. In 2003 the Decorative Arts Trust announced the endowment of The Jonathan L. Fairbanks Lectureship in honor of Fairbanks’ achievements. In 2003, the Furniture Society bestowed upon Fairbanks the Award of Distinction
Award of Distinction
The Award of Distinction is conferred annually by The Furniture Society upon one or more living individuals who are recognized as having had a profound impact on the field of Studio Furniture...
. In 2006 Fairbanks received the Iris Foundation Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Decorative Arts by the Bard Graduate Center
Bard Graduate Center
The Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture is a graduate institute affiliated with Bard College, located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York....
.