WINTERTHUR, DE.-Winterthur Museum & Country Estate, has extended the deadline for applications for its Winter Institute, an in-depth, two-week (January 16-27, 2006) study of domestic furnishings made or used in America from 1640 to the 1780s. The course, titled “Perspectives on the Decorative Arts in Early America,” includes an introduction to the study of material culture and the principles of connoisseurship; a study of the evolution of style, design and the cultural implications of the arts; and an analysis of craft practices, traditions, and construction.

The program includes lectures by Winterthur staff as well as such guest speakers as Jane Nylander, President Emerita, Historic New England; Robert F. Trent, Independent Consultant & Historical Upholsterer; and Beth Carver Wees, Associate Curator, American Decorative Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, along with room studies and in-depth workshops. Content for the workshops and room studies centers on the Winterthur collection, the world’s largest assemblage of decorative arts made or used in America between 1640 and 1860. Optional activities include a field trip to Philadelphia and a two-hour special subject tour of a particular media.

Applications and a letter of recommendation for Winter Institute are due December 15, 2005, and acceptances will be mailed within two weeks of receipt. Winterthur also holds an annual Fall Institute, covering the decorative arts from 1782-1920, in September. Applications are due July 3, 2006.

Tuition is $1400. For applications and housing information, write Winter Institute, Department of Public Programs, Winterthur Museum & Country Estate, Winterthur, DE 19735; call 800.448.3883, or email continuing-ed@winterthur.org. Applications are also available online at http://www.winterthur.org/research/winter_fall.asp?sub=admission.

Winterthur Museum & Country Estate—known worldwide for its preeminent collection of 85,000 American antiques; a naturalistic garden; and a library that is a research center for the study of American art and material culture—offers a variety of tours, exhibitions, programs, and activities throughout the year. USA Today recently named Winterthur as one of the country’s “10 great places of historic proportions,” and Budget Travel called it “one of the 10 grandest mansions in America.”

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday. Winterthur, located on Route 52, six miles northwest of Wilmington, Delaware, and five miles south of U.S. Route 1, is closed Mondays (except holidays), Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Winterthur is committed to accessible programming for all. For information, including special services, call 800.448.3883, 302.888.4600, or TTY 302.888.4907. Online, go to www.winterthur.org.