Attendees at the 2019 Communal Studies Conference October 17-19, 2019 will experience a change of pace from most CSA meetings – instead of meeting at an historic communal site, we will instead meet at one of America’s premier decorative arts museums, Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library.  The vision of Henry Francis DuPont, the house contains his extensive collection of antiques, including numerous Shaker pieces. Its vast 2600-acre site is beautifully landscaped and the Winterthur library contains the Edward Deming Andrews Shaker manuscript collection and the papers of other historic communities, including Arden and Rose Valley.

Local arrangements chair Tom Guiler, an Assistant Professor of Humanities at Winterthur and a CSA board member, is planning special tours of the collections pertinent to intentional communities.  Attendees will also be able to take a free general public tour of the museum and gardens on their own during the conference.

The theme for the conference is “Space, Place and the Spirit of Material Culture,” is appropriate for a meeting in a place so brimming over with artifacts of communities, intentional or otherwise.  Many presentations will focus on the theme. The preliminary program is now online at www.communalstudies.org/annualconference as is registration information.

Pre-Conference Tours

Two tours are planned before the conference.  Wednesday, October 16 will feature tours, led by Tom Guiler, to nearby Arden, a single-tax community, and Rose Valley, a turn of the 20th century arts and crafts community.  Thursday’s tour is to Greenbelt, Maryland, a Depression-era planned community, near Washington, D. C. Space on the tours is limited, so sign up early.

Travel and Accommodations

The Crowne Plaza Wilmington North at 630 Naamans Rd., Claymont, DE 19703 has been selected as the conference hotel.  It is approximately 22 minutes via DE 92 East from the museum. Cost is $119 per night, double occupancy.  Call the hotel at 302-792-2700 directly for reservations and say you are with CSA.  Room reservations should be made at least a month in advance, as any rooms not reserved at that time will be released by the hotel after September 17.  

Attendees using air transportation should use Philadelphia, PA (PHL) airport.  No shuttle service is available from the airport to the hotel, so attendees should anticipate either renting a car or using ride-hailing services.  Likewise, no service from the hotel to the conference site or dinner venues is anticipated, so attendees are encouraged to pair up with other attendees who do have transportation.  

We have a discounted rate for community members, and we hope you will want to attend.  For more information, go to www.communalstudies.org/annualconference .