The Historical Society of Princeton is pleased to announce Suzanne Perrault as its featured guest speaker for the 2010 Princeton Fall Antiques and Fine Arts Show.  Ms. Perrault will present “A Roving Eye,” an inside look at the Robert A. Ellison American Art Pottery Collection, recently installed in the New American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The collection—which spans the years 1876 through 1956 and represents all regions of the nation—ranks among the foremost of its kind.

Suzanne Perrault heads cataloguing at Rago Arts and Auction Center in Lambertville, New Jersey, and co-directs its department of 20th C. Design. She and partner David Rago are also private dealers, appearing at antique shows nationally and receiving clients by appointment. She is an author who lectures nationally and an expert appraiser for the hit PBS series, Antiques Roadshow, where she specializes in decorative ceramics and porcelain.

Ms. Perrault’s specialty is the art tile, an interest inspired by the tiles adorning the walls of New York’s subway stations. While she began her career as a fashion model in her native Montreal and Japan, she became an independent antiques dealer after serving an apprenticeship with Barton Kaplan Antiques in New York. In 1991, she joined ranks with David Rago. Together they opened the Perrault-Rago Gallery.

In 1994, Ms. Perrault founded the New York Decorative Ceramics Society, a non-profit organization aiming to teach about art pottery by visiting important collections in museums, private residences, and galleries. 1994 was also the year she first curated an all-tile exhibition and sale, followed by a show featuring the tiles of Harris Strong for the New York's Triple Pier Show in 1995.

In 1996, Ms. Perrault curated an exhibition at Gustav Stickley's Craftsman Farms museum, entitled "Women's Work: The Role of Women In The Arts & Crafts Movement." That summer she also accepted an offer to serve as an appraiser for the first season of an unknown, unseen PBS program called Antiques Roadshow.

An author and frequent lecturer, Ms. Perrault’s most recent book is Miller’s American Art Pottery: Treasure or Not?, co-written with David Rago. She contributed her expertise on tiles to American Art Pottery by David Rago (Knickerbocker Press, 1997) and co-wrote the introductory chapter of American Art Tile by Norman Karlson (Rizzoli, 1998).

The 2010 Princeton Fall Antiques and Fine Arts Show is managed by Frank Gaglio of Barn Star Productions and benefits the Historical Society of Princeton.  The Show features an eclectic mix of 55 professional exhibitors featuring 18-20th century furniture and furnishings, important paintings, decorative arts, estate jewelry, vintage posters, Americana, folk art, silver, ceramics, classic cars and more. The Show takes place Saturday and Sunday, September 25 and 26 at the Princeton Airport in Princeton, New Jersey.  Ms. Perrault’s talk will be on Saturday at 2:30pm.  Limited exhibitor space is still available.  For more information contact Barn Star Productions at 845-876-0616 or visit www.barnstar.com