NEW YORK, NY.- Celebrate the “Best of America” on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at the all-American opening night gala for the American Antiques Show, which will take place January 22-25, 2009, during New York City ’s Americana Week.

The American Antiques Show features all-American objects of history, design, imagination, and surprise. It is known for its distinguished roster of all-American dealers who consistently receive accolades for bringing the “Best of America” to the show.

The gala – the major winter fundraising event for the American Folk Museum -- will offer a key opportunity to preview the American Antiques Show works before they go on public display the next day. All proceeds from the opening night, daily show admission, and related activities will benefit the museum’s exhibition and educational programs. Both the gala (5:00 pm-9:30 pm) and the Antiques Show will be held at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 E. 18th St. , in the spirited Chelsea area.

Set in an inviting and relaxed atmosphere, the Show’s 47 dealers will exhibit a broad range of fresh material from the 17th to the 20th centuries that appeals to seasoned and beginning collectors, curators, and interior designers. Noted for the consistently high level of exceptional antiques, this year’s show will also feature fine objects that are affordably priced.

The rich mix of Americana and American folk art on view includes handsome 18th century furniture; striking folk paintings; dynamic sculpture (such as decoys, weathervanes, trade signs and show figures, carousel animals, 20th century three-dimensional objects); textiles (schoolgirl needlework, samplers, quilts, and rugs); snapshots and folk photography; American Indian material; Shaker furniture; game boards; tramp art; toys; jewelry; and idiosyncratic works of art.

Ten new dealers complement the returning exhibitors and add a further sense of discovery to the collecting areas that visitors to this show enjoy:

· Dalton’s American Decorative Arts, Syracuse, NY - 20th century decorative arts, particularly the American Arts and Crafts Movement

· Finnegan Gallery, Chicago , IL - garden ornaments and architectural elements

· Otto and Susan Hart, Arlington , VT - 19th century painted furniture and folk art

· Just Folk, Summerland , CA - American folk sculpture

· Keny Galleries, Columbus , OH - American fine and folk art of the 19th and 20th centuries

· Jeff and Holly Noordsy, Cornwall , VT - antique glass and period decorative arts

· Spencer Marks, Southampton , MA - fine silver and reference material

· Russack & Lotto, Northwood , NH - books on folk art, Americana , and decorative arts

· Gary R. Sullivan Antiques, Sharon , MA - American antiques from the Queen Anne through the Classical periods and early American clocks

· Winter Works on Paper, Brooklyn , NY - folk photography and works on paper



Event Co-Chairs of the 2009 American Antiques Show are Barry D. Briskin, Joan M. Johnson, and Elizabeth V. Warren. Executive chairs are Barry D. Briskin, Edith S. Briskin, Lucy and Mike Danziger, Joan and Victor Johnson, Julie Kofman and Stephen Corelli, Petra and Stephen Levin, Laura and Richard Parsons, and Elizabeth and Irwin Warren. Vice Chairs are Peyton Cochran and Rebecca and Michael Gamzon. Chair, Interior Designers’ Committee is Eric Cohler, Eric Cohler Design. Show manager is Karen DiSaia and the Show Executive Director is Caroline Kerrigan Lerch.