Past Events 

November 9, 2019

In early November, the Raymond Farm Center (RFC) teamed up with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN®) for a one-day symposium titled “BEYOND BRUT: Residential Architecture in Concrete” focusing on historic and contemporary residential architecture in concrete. Our speakers will look at the works of architects and designers including Antonin & Noémi Raymond, Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Rudolf Schindler, John Lautner, Tadao Ando, and Toyo Ito. 

SPEAKERS + TOPICS

John DeFazio, AIA + RFC Executive Director
The Reinanzaka House & Antonin & Noémi Raymond
Pioneering Concrete Architecture in Japan

Manisha Shodhan Basu
Shodhan Villa— Concept to Creation
A Walk Through of Le Corbusier’s Last House

Frank Escher
Between Earth and Heaven: The Architecture of John Lautner

James Steele Ph.D
Conflicting Influences on Japanese Modernism

To learn more about the RFC Architecture Symposium 2019 or this year’s speakers, click here.

After the symposium, speakers and registered guests shared a delicious meal hosted by Charlotte & Janet Raymond. It was truly a wonderful day for architects, artists, and designers to hear from an impressive panel of speakers and we hope to see you next year!

We would like to thank our sponsors & collaborators for helping fund and promote this event:

AIA National CRAN®
AIANY Cultural Facilities Committee
CRAN ®NY
CFA + Design Philadelphia
Residential Design Magazine

En Plein Air Watercolor Workshop

October 26, 2019
12:30pm - 4pm

This past Saturday, we were joined by painter, Rob Finn, for an En Plein Air Watercolor Workshop. Rob gave a one hour demonstration showing principles of depth, layering and wet-on-wet painting techniques. We were so happy the weather held out and guests were able to enjoy the Fall colors! Thank you, Rob!

To see more of Rob's work, follow the link.

Landscape Architecture and the Human Experience

October 5, 2019
1:00pm - 4:00pm

Thesis Presentation by Sonya Shapoval and book talk by Kathleen John-Alder

On Saturday, October 5th we were joined by Sonya Shapoval, a Master of Landscape Architecture student from Rutgers University, and Kathleen John-Alder, Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape, for presentations surrounding landscape architecture and its relationship to human experience. 

Sonya began by discussing her thesis entitled, Thresholds: Enhancing the Experience at the Raymond Farm. She spent the past year studying the Raymond Farm landscape, both as a personal exploration and an empirical one. Multiple visits were made to the Farm in order to experience the site overall and locate the thresholds that define the experience. During the visits, personal experiences were recorded and empirical data was collected to better identify aspects such as temperature changes, flora species, and the presence of sun or shade and how it affected the space. She created a design that draws more awareness to the existing thresholds within the landscape, while using inspiration from the work of Antonin Raymond, Noémi Raymond, and George Nakashima.

Following Sonya, Kathleen John-Alder presented her recent book, Ian McHarg and the Search for Ideal Order. Kathleen is a practicing landscape architect whose research explores the transformative role of ecology and environmentalism in the discourse of mid-twentieth century landscape design and its impact upon contemporary practice. Her book explores the life of famous landscape architect, Ian McHarg, how his ideas developed in both their complexity and scale, offers new interpretations into his search for environmental order, and outlines how his struggle to understand humanity’s relationship to the environment in an era of rapid social and technological change reflects an ongoing challenge that landscape design has yet to fully resolve. 

Image courtesy of Charlotte Raymond.

A Study in Historical Preservation of the Raymond Farm

The Historic Site Survey Process at the Raymond Farm Center and The Importance of Historic Preservation in Solebury Township

September 28, 2019

This two-part lecture featured Jeffrey Marshall, the President of the Heritage Conservancy in Doylestown, PA and Sara Gdula, a recent graduate of University of Pennsylvania’s Historic Preservation Master’s program.

Jeffrey began by outlining what historic preservation means, explaining the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Register of Historic Place, the Pennsylvania History Code, and local historic zoning. Jeffrey has been involved with historic preservation for 40 years including the documenting, photographing and researching of 10,000 old buildings. He is a recognized expert in southeastern Pennsylvania historic architecture and his lecture will discuss how historical preservation of Solebury Township has defined this community. The Heritage Conservancy has worked to preserve over 15,000 acres and registered more than 600 historic structures since 1958.

Sara then presented the findings of her 2018 Master’s thesis entitled The New Hope Experiment: An Investigation and Conservation Plan for the Antonin and Noémi Raymond Farm. This work resulted in a comprehensive building chronology from the 1730s through the Raymond period, as well as an initial material condition assessment that can be used in future preservation planning. Methods of investigation for this project include an inspection of construction history, archival research, infrared thermography, environmental monitoring, and architectural archaeology including analysis of the site's fasteners, hardware, and mouldings. Sara currently works as an architectural conservator for Materials Conservation, the largest conservation firm in the Philadelphia region, and specializes in site-specific research, conditions mapping and documentation, architectural archaeology, as well as both treatment recommendation and implementation.

Image courtesy of University of Pennsylvania’s Architectural Archive

September Open House and Raymond Lecture Series

September 7, 2019 1 pm-5 pm ; Lecture at 2:30pm and house tour at 4pm

Arthur Wesley Dow: Principles of Japanese Design & the Formation of Modern Art and Architecture

Perhaps no other person has had a more profound influence on the art, craft, and design work of architect/designer Noémi Pernessin Raymond than distinguished arts educator Arthur Wesley Dow, her professor and mentor at Columbia University. From the tail end of the 1800s through the early 1900’s, Arthur Dow was perhaps the most significant advocate for self expression in art. He asserted that in lieu of copying nature,individuals should create art through elements of composition, such as line, mass, and color. He saw that "art is a living force for all in everyday life, not as a sort of traditional ornament for the few." Dow's prestigious students included painter/photographer Max Weber, woodblock print artist Ethel Mars, artist Georgia O'Keeffe, and many others. Dow's ideas, writings, and teaching went on to influence the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and Piet Mondrian, and through them, became a cornerstone in the foundation of abstract Modern Art.

Image: Imperial Palace Moat, Tokyo, Woodblock Print, C. 1920’s, 9 3/4”x 15”, Noémi Pernessin Raymond

The Magic of Washi, Traditional Japanese Papermaking

August 25, 2019

RFC visitors spent a lovely day outside with paper artist, Winnie Radolan, as she took us through the process of making sheets of washi ( Japanese paper). Workshop attendees used kozo, gampi, and abaca to form their sheets and got to experiment with the different fibers. After a couple hours of learning the history and the process, we enjoyed a delicious picnic (made by our very own Charlotte Raymond) and the picturesque view behind the farmhouse.

Some visitors brought decorative items to embed in the paper - like dried plant material, gold leaf, and feathers - and everyone went home with a beautiful stack of paper! Thank you, Winnie!

August Open House & Guided Tour

August 3, 2019

We opened our doors to the public for our monthly open house. Visitors got to take a guided tour of the farmhouse and explore the grounds of the farm. Our open houses are a great opportunity to get acquainted with our organization and learn about the rich history of the Raymond family!

July Open House and Raymond Lecture Series

July 13, 2019

 RFC Executive Director, John DeFazio, presented part two of the Raymond lecture series regarding Antonin & Noémi’s work on the Imperial Hotel and how it launched their careers.

Building the Imperial Hotel— Antonin & Noémi Raymond and Frank Lloyd Wright in Japan

In 1919, Frank Lloyd Wright invited Antonin and Noémi Raymond, to join him in Japan to complete the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Wright was deeply influenced by the culture and aesthetics of Japan, particularly as found in woodcut prints and its wood architecture. The Imperial Hotel was the most significant commission yet for Wright, and one in which he would be staking his career. Considered to be one of the most unique buildings of the emerging modern movement, this led to Antonin and Noémi launching their own careers and setting the course for Modern Architecture in Japan.

Japanese Bookbinding

June 22, 2019

Ananda Connolly returns to teach a new workshop in Japanese Bookbinding, inspired by the unique, architectural adaptations to the Raymond Farmhouse. Participants learned about the shoji windows and doors and the traditional materials, particularly Japanese paper or washi that was used to make them.

Using the Raymond Farm as inspiration, workshop attendees made a small softcover, notebook to learn the elegant technique of Japanese bookbinding and a larger, more intricate hardcover sketchbook to expand their experience and skills.

The workshop concluded with a discussion about how the techniques may be adapted and applied to non-traditional materials and purposes.

June Open House and Drawing from Nature

June 1, 2019

Visitors brought their sketchbooks and favorite sketching tools spending a relaxing day of drawing inspired by the beautiful scenes at the Raymond Farm.

May Open House and Raymond Lecture Series

May 4, 2019

Executive Director of the Raymond Farm Center, John Defazio presents a lecture on Antonin and Noemi Raymond’s return from Japan and their new life in New Hope.

The Return from Japan: Antonin and Noémi Raymond and The New Hope Experiment
With the outbreak World War II in Asia and Europe in 1937, the Raymonds returned their practice to New York and set up a summer studio/home on an 18th century Quaker farm in Bucks County. Dubbed “The New Hope Experiment,” the Raymond Farm served as a live/work atelier that taught practical design solutions. Here, the Raymond Farm apprentices would learn by working in the studio while also assisting in the farm work. During the summer months, the Raymonds would frequently host their friends— fellow architects, artists, musicians, writers, poets, architects, and scholars— who would often welcome a sojourn in the Bucks County countryside. Hence, the Raymond Farm became more than a home and studio, but an atelier, salon, and a way of life rooted in nature, beauty, art, and work.

Wharton Esherick: Founder of the American Studio Furniture Movement

November 10, 2018

Mark Sfirri, an internationally renowned artist, sculptor, teacher and one of the foremost wood turners in the world, has been studying and researching Wharton Esherick since 2006.  Sfirri has authored eighteen articles on history, design, and technique for a variety of craft publications and authored six articles on Esherick for Woodwork and Journal of Modern Craft.  In this lecture, Mark discussed Esherick's journey from painting, to printmaking, to graphic design, and eventually sculpture and furniture, where he made his biggest mark. 

Wharton Esherick (1887 – 1970) was an internationally significant figure in the landscape of art history and American modern design. As a sculptor, Esherick worked primarily in wood and extended his unique forms to furniture, furnishings, interiors, buildings, and more.  Now recognized as the leader of the Studio Furniture Movement, Esherick saw himself as an artist, not a craftsman, and his concern was with form, not technique. He pursued his artistic vision in forms that might turn to furniture or other sculptural furnishings.

The Raymond Farm- Its Architecture, Landscape, and Dream

 October 27, 2018

In 1938, with the outbreak of war in Asia, Antonin and Noémi Raymond returned to the United States after eighteen years of practice of architecture and design in Japan.
They purchased a farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with the dream to establish a home studio/design atelier— the New Hope Experiment. They renovated and added to the18th Century Quaker farmhouse, executed in the style the Raymonds had synthesized while in Japan — a crafted modern wooden interior within a colonial stone structure.

Raymond’s renovations seem so direct and effortless that one may not notice how challenging it is to create such a simple and compelling work. How did the Raymond’s create such harmony between Japanese and Western proportional systems? How did the Raymonds adjust the design principles and materials they utilized in Japan to accommodate western scaled rooms? Scholar in Residence, Maki Utsunomiya,studied the structural adjustments and design interventions that Antonin and Noémi made at the Raymond Farm, the spatial and sensual effects they create, and how they reflect Raymonds' philosophy of living in harmony with nature. With her background in horticulture as well as architecture, Ms. Utsunomiya mapped the farm’s natural vegetation to better understand the intimate relationship between the site, the environment, and the Farmhouse.

Woodblock Printmaking Workshop

 September 15, 2018

The workshop led by artist Ananda Connolly, guided participants through the basics of relief printing. Participants started with designing and drawing an image, continued by transferring the image to the wood block, and finally printing their own miniature edition. Special attention was placed on paper type and selection, equipment use, and hand printing. 

Materials included shina or birchwood blocks, water based inks, and Japanese wood cutting tools.

Lecture-  The New Hope Experiment: An Investigation and Conservation Plan for the Antonin and Noémi Raymond Farm

 September 1, 2018

The farmhouse at the Raymond Farm Center for Living Arts and Design was the topic of a Spring 2018 University of Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Master's thesis entitled The New Hope Experiment: An Investigation and Conservation Plan for the Antonin and Noémi Raymond Farm by Sara Gdula. This work has resulted in a comprehensive building chronology from the 1730s through the Raymond period, as well as an initial material condition assessment that can be used in future preservation planning. Sara discussed methods of investigation for this project, including an inspection of construction history, archival research, mortar analysis, infrared thermography, environmental monitoring, and analysis of the site's fasteners, hardware, and mouldings.

Summer Indigo Dyeing with Sayaka Toyama 

 August 25, 2018

Featuring instructor Sayaka Toyama from Curious Corners located in New York City, this workshop taught participants basic shibori (tie-dye) and itajime (wood-clamping) pattern making using Yamato Indigo, a natural-blend dye from Japan.

Instructor Toyama demonstrated different ways our newly created furoshiki could be used to wrap gifts, books, wine bottles, and more.

Bird Walk

 August 18, 2018

In partnership with the Bucks County Audubon Society, Diane Smith, Director of Education at BCAS, led a bird walk for all ages at the Raymond Farm Center.  Since joining BCAS in 2004 as a volunteer, Diane has led countless bird walks, taught Beginning Birding at the Bucks County Community College and enjoys few things more than bringing the joy of birds to new enthusiasts. Visitors walked slowly and quietly through various habitats in search of our summer resident birds.  

Yusuke Kamata: Recent Works

August 4, 2018

Welcoming our 2018 Summer Artist in Residence:

Yusuke Kamata’s recent artworks are based on his research of Japanese-Style Houses, which have been built around the world over the past century-and-a-half for several diverse reasons. His works consist of documentary videos and installation art pieces. Kamata is in the United States to study the work and history of Antonin and Noémi Pernessin Raymond, and their protégé, Junzo Yoshimura.

Born in 1984 in Kanagawa, Japan, Yusuke Kamata, graduated with a Master in Fine Arts in Inter-Media Art from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2013. His works have shown at several exhibitions such as “How Little You Know About Me” (2018), National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, “Windowology” (2017) , Spiral Garden, Tokyo, Japan, “Kaetemiru–Time For A Change” (2016), Aomori Contemporary Art Centre. His work exposes the distortion inherent in architecture and its history, and is built upon extensive research into the connections between war, the energy industry and modern history of Japan.

Sustaining Self/Practicing Interconnectedness Open Air Yoga Workshop

August 4, 2018

Yoga + Meditation Workshop with Elizabeth Fullen with acoustic music provided by Kyle Sparkman

Participants joined Liz Fullen for a two-hour open-air yoga workshop, that left them feeling reset and refilled. Following the yoga session, Liz guided the class through a gentle and grounding meditation practice. 

Liz Fullen is a trained yoga and meditation instructor. She has studied and practiced yoga for over 10 years and has been teaching for five. She instructs the foundational practices of yoga that help us to gain self-mastery.  

Sheltering Millions: Refugee Architecture and Urbanism

 July 21, 2018

Expelled from home by war, persecution, failed governance or natural disaster, refugees flee toward safety with few possessions and little protection from the elements. What types of shelters and camps protect the world’s sixty-plus million refugees, where, and with what provisions for their individual, communal, and often long-term needs? Moderated by Joshua Lessard, this presentation explored past and existing refugee shelters and camp environments from a design perspective, and ideas for improved prospects.

The presenters are professors emeriti of architecture, Brooke Harrington of Temple University and Judith Bing of Drexel University, in Philadelphia. Currently they are both Center Associates at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, and Visiting Scholars at the Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT, in Cambridge. They live in Cushing, ME.

Drawing From Nature/ Field Drawing at the Raymond Farm

 July 14, 2018

Inspired by the nature around us and visitors spent a lovely summer afternoon sketching outside the Raymond Farm Center. Guests enjoyed the beauty of the farm house, its surrounding pond, unique barn, vibrant trees, and roaming chickens.  Special thanks to the Philadelphia Sketch Club for coming out and sharing your wonderful sketches. 

Artist Nura Petrov Workshop: Kinetic Memory & Walks as Art 

 July 7, 2018

Participants in Nura’s workshop had the opportunity to investigate drawing as a means of recording experience and invoking kinetic memory. Instead of relying on traditional pictorial illusion, lines and shapes realized in the process of going for a walk will become the substance of the work. The resulting charts/diagrams of individual experiences were superimposed on each other to create a communal art work, each thread gaining importance as it relates to the whole, becoming in the process a visual object beyond the walk itself.

Nura Petrov: Ideas and Images in Conceptual Art: Utamaro Revisited

After the house tour, Nura presented a slideshow of original paintings and sculptures whose theme is a revisit to Utamaro’s work.  Kigawa Utamaro was an 18th century Japanese artist whose woodcut prints were a source of inspiration to many western artists including Toulouse Lautrec and Mary Cassatt

DETAILS, details: Residential Architecture Assembled/the Prose and Poetry of Construction

 June 30, 2018

A one-day symposium on the history, theory, and evolution of  modern residential architectural detailing, from the early 20th  century to contemporary architecture today. In Celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the Publication of Antonin and Noémi Raymond’s Architectural Details (1938)

Speakers & Topics

Edward R. Ford: Intolerance: Craft in the Age of Digital Perfection

Ken Tadashi Oshima: Culture, Climate & Craft in Antonin Raymond’s Architectural Details

Michael Cadwell, FAIA: Strange Details: Carlo Scarpa, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe & Louis Kahn

Christian Schittich: Contemporary Details: Europe + Asia

Simon Tickell: Moderator Panel Discussion & Q & A: the Prose & Poetry of Construction     

Crafting Makgeolli: An Introduction to Korean Rice Wine 

 June 16, 2018

Brian Romasky introduced guests to the world of home brew makgeolli, a Korean "rice wine." After an informative lecture about the history and culture of the drink, Brian walked guests through the process to make their very own batch to take home.  Guests were then invited to a tasting to compare home made makgeolli versus a commercial product. 

The Art of Japanese Flower Arranging : Mother’s Day Ikebana

 May 12, 2018

This workshop, led by Ikebana Master Junko Miura  introduced guests to the history of ikebana - the art of Japanese flower arranging. She demonstrated basic cutting and arrangement techniques focusing on Moribana style. Guests then created their own arrangements using seasonal dogwood branches and peonies. 

The Art (& Science) of Structural Engineering with Alex Stadel, PE

November 4, 2017

This lecture for  provided an overview of the engineering fields and explored how understanding materials, forces, and forms can lead to innovative engineering solutions. Alex Stadel is a licensed professional structural engineer for Keast & Hood Structural Engineers in Philadelphia, PA

Fall Color : Painting from Nature 

October 21, 2017 

Local Plien Air artist Jane Ramsey led an afternoon full of  paints, pastels, color pencils and plenty of inspiration from the Bucks County fall foliage. 

First Annual Fall Soirée

October 7, 2017

Guests enjoyed a beautiful evening in the Raymond Farm House. The event commenced with a VIP tour of the Raymond Farm Center, which included a talk by our Artist in Residence, Mirimam Carpenter, and featured live french jazz by the Hot Club of Philadelphia, delicious small plates prepared by Chadd Jenkins, formerly of Little Fish in Philadelphia, and a silent auction, which included a Stool by Nakashima Woodworkers, original pieces by Miriam carpenter, Jane Ramsey's Water Color of the Raymond Barn, along with books,  gift certificates to local businesses, and museum experiences. 

September 30-October 1

The Bucks County Audubon Society's annual Art of Barn Tour featured the 18th century barn on the Raymond Farm. The public was encouraged to explore the Raymond Property and Farmhouse. 

Painting by Jane Ramsey