Modernist and Preservation: O’Keeffe, Chabot and the Restoration and Conservation of the Home & Studio

Georgia O’Keeffe’s desire for a “modern” house in Abiquiú was balanced by the appreciation that Maria Chabot, the friend who managed restoration of the site from 1946-1948, brought to the 19th-century adobe ruins. Their correspondence, as well as a close examination of construction photographs, reveals how Chabot drew on a remarkable cadre of Santa Fe women in the 1930s, as well as the latest post-War building technology. Pamela Hawkes discusses how their attitudes shaped the appearance of the site during O’Keeffe’s lifetime and have posed challenges to its long-term conservation.

About the Speaker

Pamela Hawkes | As Principal with Scattergood Design in Portland, ME, and Professor of Practice in Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design, Pamela is an architect specializing in contemporary design within historic settings. She directed a wide variety of award-winning projects throughout the United States over twenty-six years as Principal with Ann Beha Architects in Boston, including strategies for heritage sites owned by the National Park Service and National Trust for Historic Preservation, as well as numerous civic and cultural organizations. Recent projects include: a Conservation Plan for the Georgia O’Keeffe Home and Studio in Abiquiú, NM; a Conservation Management Plan for the J. Irwin Miller House in Columbus, IN; classrooms and dormitories for a public secondary school in Tanzania; and a new welcome center for Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine.

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This talk was recorded as part of our free ‘Mornings With O’Keeffe’ lecture series on the first Wednesday of every month.