Paul Revere, Silversmith: Assessing his Craft and Legacy with Janine E. Skerry and Jeannine Falino

Event Times

06:30 PM - 07:45 PM

Location Details

Smith Commons, 5th Floor Sargent Hall, Suffolk University 120 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02108

Cost

This is a free event.

Event Description

Join Executive Director Nina Zannieri and two noted silver experts for a thoughtful discussion of Revere as perhaps America’s best-known silversmith. Is this status warranted by his talent, a result of his “Midnight Ride” fame, or a little of both? How does his work inform our notion of craft, craftsmanship, business, and entrepreneurship?

Jeannine Falino is an independent curator working in craft, design, and American culture. Formerly the Carolyn and Peter Lynch Curator of American decorative arts and sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Jeannine co-published the museum’s American silver collection (2007), which is rich in works by Paul Revere, Sr. and Jr. In 2017, she curated New York Silver, Then and Now, a dialogue between contemporary artists and the historic silver collection of Museum of the City of New York.

Janine E. Skerry, PhD, has curated exhibitions, lectured, and written widely on the topics of silver, ceramics, and dining in England and America. She has been employed at the Yale University Art Gallery, Historic Deerfield, and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, where she served as curator of ceramics and glass (1993–2009), curator of metals (2009–2016), and senior curator of metals (2016–2022). She is currently transcribing the silver shop daybooks of Paul Revere.

Since 1986, Nina Zannieri has been the Executive Director of the Paul Revere Memorial Association in Boston, MA, which owns and operates a now fully accessible complex of three historic buildings that includes the Paul Revere House. Ms. Zannieri has held leadership positions in several national and regional professional museum organizations including American Alliance of Museum, New England Museum Association, and the American Association for State and Local History.

This lecture is presented as a part of our 2026 Lowell Lecture Series, “Engrave, Paint, Sew, Weave: Craft and Craftspeople in Massachusetts.” Craft transcends boundaries of place, time, and culture by communicating across literal and figurative distances. Many craft traditions are also deeply rooted in the places they are practiced in, influenced by local climates, geographies, and resources. Inspired by Paul Revere’s legacy as an artisan, this series delves into four local and regional histories of craft and craftspeople.

Lectures take place on Mondays, September 14 and 28 and October 05 and 26, from 6:30 to 7:45 pm. Lectures are free to the public and can be watched online or in person at Smith Commons (5th floor), Sargent Hall, Suffolk University, 120 Tremont Street. The lectures will be recorded and available after the fact.

The in-person location is wheelchair accessible and has accessible restrooms. Seating is in free-standing chairs which may be moved. The live-stream and recording will have auto-generated closed captions only. Please contact the Paul Revere House with any questions about accessibility.

Presented in partnership with GBH Forum Network, the Suffolk University History Department, and the Museum of Fine Arts, with funding from the Lowell Institute.