Celebrating 35 Years of Traditions

Collector’s Weekend is an excuse to escape the real world and join like-minded people that share an affinity to Christmas, traditions, and their love of Vaillancourt Chalkware. Since the first Collector’s Weekend in 1996, Collectors—both serious and casual—have made the annual trek to the Vaillancourt Studios in Sutton, MA for a weekend where they can paint their own Santa under the guidance of the Vaillancourt Artists, enjoy educational lectures, or just enjoy the weekend in our Gallery where limited edition pieces are introduced with the lowest production number available. Many collectors come simply to attend the reception and Annual Collector’s Weekend Dinner, where they can converse with others passionate about chalkware, Christmas, and traditions. We recommend that you plan on painting on Friday or Sunday, attend the Friday opening, enjoy the free lectures on Saturday, and join us for the Annual Reception & Dinner—and don’t forget the free Artists’ breakfast buffet on Sunday

Friday, April 26, 2019

  • Painting Workshop 1
    9:30am – 4:00pm
    Orientation begins promptly at 9:00 am. Workshop includes lunch.
  • Friday Evening Opening at Vaillancourt’s
    5:00pm – 8:00pm
    Join us on Friday evening as we kick off the weekend with the release of special products, food, and merriment with fellow collectors. Small plates will be served from 5 – 6 pm with a wine pairing to help choose the 2019 Vaillancourt Christmas Wine. The entertainment will start at 6:30 pm and we’ll celebrate #35Traditions with cake cutting at 7:30 pm.

Saturday, April 27, 2019

  • Painting Workshop 2
    9:30am – 4:00pm
    Orientation begins promptly at 9:00 am. Workshop includes lunch.
  • Lecture 1: Lisa Chaloner (Traditional Hooked Rugs and the Christmas Celebration)
    10:00am – 11:00am
https://www.facebook.com/chalkware/videos/440608933413462/
https://www.facebook.com/chalkware/videos/445412536264324
  • Lecture 3: Rick Roberts & Maria Thomas (Artists’ Lecture on Zentangle, Lettering, and botanical paintings)
    1:30pm – 2:30pm
    The Zentangle Method is and easy to learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. On the surface, Zentangle art may appear either simple or complicated, depending on how you look at it.  But in practice, it is an unexpected, yet easily accessible, doorway to focus, creativity, and imagination.  It will awaken that artist you were always meant to be! Join Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, the founders of the Zentangle Method of drawing,  for a lecture and demonstration of this fascinating art form. Want to try it? Join us on June 1st for our Visiting Artist Workshop: Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas Present Zentangle.
https://www.facebook.com/chalkware/videos/312068069461068
  • Lecture 4: Judi Vaillancourt (The New Nantucket Series + 2019 Nantucket Santa)3:00pm – 4:00pm
https://www.facebook.com/chalkware/videos/2319464594957831
  • Annual Reception and Dinner at Nuovo Restaurant (Worcester, MA)
    Reception starts at 6:30, Dinner served at 7:30
    What some call the highlight of the weekend, the annual dinner has become a popular event for collectors both serious or casual and long-time or first-time. Dine with those who share a passion for Christmas and Vaillancourt Chalkware and have the opportunity to be chosen to design your own Santa for the following year’s Collector’s Weekend! This year’s dinner will be held at Nuovo on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA and feature a cash bar.
https://www.facebook.com/chalkware/videos/460393194503197

Sunday, April 28, 2019

  • Collector’s Breakfast Buffet for participants of Painting Workshop
    9:00am – 10:00am
  • Painting Workshop 3
    9:30am – 4:00pm
    Orientation begins promptly at 9:00 am. Workshop includes lunch.

Looking back at past Collector’s Weekends