WASHINGTON, DC- The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently announced the addition of 19 new affiliate sites, including Pope’s Museum, to its prestigious Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios (HAHS) membership network, representing the largest expansion of the program since its founding in 2000. This landmark expansion also comes during HAHS’ 25th anniversary year and marks a historic milestone in the program’s evolution.

HAHS is a peer-to-peer coalition of sites that brings these museums together to conserve the legacy of creativity in the visual arts in the United States. This network of sites leverages the knowledge and experience of individual members to benefit the entire coalition in critical areas, including historic preservation, visitor and community programming, and communications. The Affiliate category was created in 2022 in order to broaden pathways for entrance into the program for sites that may not follow traditional models of operation, interpretation, or visitation.

The acceptance of these Affiliate members into the HAHS program marks a significant benchmark in HAHS’ ongoing commitment to diversifying the consortium to present a more complete picture of American artistic achievement. The new class notably includes numerous sites representing the legacy of women artists, HAHS’ first sites presenting both Asian American and Indigenous artist experiences including a Japanese American and South Korean American artist couple’s former loft in lower Manhattan, and the workspaces of several generations of Native artists in both the Northwest and Plains regions. Two sites created by self- taught Black artists in western New York and in Mississippi are opening to the public. These diverse locations span multiple states and represent various artistic movements and time periods in our nation’s art history. From intimate studio spaces to expansive compounds, artist-designed buildings and landscapes to sprawling vernacular art environments, each site provides visitors with an authentic experience of the places where inspirational art was conceived and created.

One such site is Pope’s Museum. 

Pope’s Museum is the oldest surviving artist-built environment created by a woman in the United States. It was the home of Laura Pope Forester (1873–1953), who is one of the few documented female artists in the early 20th century to create such an extensive outdoor art installation. The site showcases 20 original sculptures and dozens of murals created by Pope Forester using her own mortar mixture, including striking tributes to women’s achievements, military veterans, and literary figures, all crafted by this self-taught artist who broke cultural barriers of her time. Visitors can tour the restored 2-story home with its unique architectural features like a balcony made from sewing machine parts, explore the historic gardens filled with heirloom plants, and view the impressive 100-foot-wide World War II memorial wall that all stand as testament to Pope Forester’s artistic vision.

These new additions bring the total number of HAHS member sites to 80, across 31 states in the nation, further strengthening the program’s mission to advocate and support the preservation and interpretation of site-specific artistic heritage for the benefit of the public and future generations. Several of these new members have been part of HAHS’ extended community for years, accessing the program’s unique resources throughout preservation efforts, and the transition from private home to public museum.

“It is an honor to welcome 19 new sites into the HAHS network during this anniversary year,” said HAHS Director Valerie Balint. “This extremely diverse group represents the richness and breadth of place-based art legacy in this country. It has been a pleasure to witness some of these sites evolve from nascent preservation initiatives to spaces of meaningful public engagement and to welcome them into membership alongside other more established sites that are at important moments of new expansion, innovation, and storytelling. All these new Affiliate sites have much to offer the public audiences they serve, but also their peers within the existing HAHS coalition. As with each site within HAHS, these inspirational new Affiliates are all worth a pilgrimage to experience.”