The Antiques Dealers’ Association of America honors Joan and Victor Johnson of Philadelphia as the recipients of the 2016 Award of Merit. The joint award will be presented at the Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show during a gala dinner on Friday, April 15th.

The Johnsons have long been supporters of the arts, a dedication that began more than fifty years ago. “When we were first married,” notes Joan, “we knew nothing about antiques. Our first home was a wonderful old farmhouse that I planned to renovate and update to incorporate our Nakashima and Danish Modern furniture. Two friends who had just graduated from the first Winterthur program convinced me to visit Mr. du Pont and see his museum before I did anything. That experience,” she says, “along with living in the old house itself, changed my life, and from that point on I was hooked.” Victor has been an enthusiastic partner, and through the years the couple has focused their collection on Pennsylvania-German folk art and furnishings; their 230-piece fraktur collection is a promised gift to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and was recently featured in a remarkable exhibition and catalogue, Drawn with Spirit: Pennsylvania German Fraktur from the Joan and Victor Johnson Collection.

Their advocacy of early American material culture has led to the couple’s support of both private and public endeavors—museum exhibitions, antiques shows, academic conferences, and educational publications. Joan served as the chair of the Loan Show Committee of the Philadelphia Antiques Show for more than thirty-five years and in 2016 acted as an advisor. Joan currently serves on the board of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and is a past board member of the American Folk Art Museum; the couple were founding members of and remain active in the American Folk Art Society.

Victor and Joan Johnson are original and current members of the American Folk Art Society, here on an early trip.
Joan and Victor at the opening of the exhibition of their fraktur collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2015.

Joan says of their award recognition, “We were so shocked and pleased to be honored in such a way, and to join this prestigious group of recipients. We look forward to seeing so many of our friends who are coming from around the country to attend.” Adds ADA President James Kilvington, “Victor and Joan are pioneers in the second generation of Philadelphia collectors. The only thing that outmatches their enthusiasm is their passionate quest for form, color, and original state of preservation. Their contributions go well beyond their collecting activity and support of the antiques trade.”

ABOUT THE ADA AND THE AWARD OF MERIT DINNER
The dinner will be held at Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show, The Navy Yard, Marine Parade Grounds, South Broad Street & Intrepid Avenue. The evening will include remarks from guest speakers. Admission to the antiques show is included in the cost of the ticket. Tickets are available and open to the public for a cost of $95 per person. Seating is limited. Valet parking is available at the antiques show for a small fee. Flather & Perkins Insurance, Antiques and The Arts Weekly, Antiques and Fine Art magazine, and The Magazine ANTIQUES are sponsors. Additional thanks go to the Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show Committee. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please contact ADA Executive Director, Judith Livingston Loto at 603-942-6498 or visit www.adadealers.com.

The Antiques Dealers’ Association of America, Inc. (ADA) was established in May 1984 as a non-profit trade association. Its major objective is to make more professional the business of buying and selling antiques. This year, the association celebrates thirty-one years of excellence in the antiques trade. For more information please visit www.adadealers.com.