REMEMBERING ELMERINA PARKMAN

we are saddened to share the news that elmerina parkman passed away on october 12, 2024 at the age of 92

Elmerina and her late husband, Dr. Paul Parkman, were part of a small group of collectors that founded the James Renwick Alliance for Craft. Elmerina served as an early president from 1984 to 1986, guiding the organization in its formative years.

Together, the Parkmans were influential collectors, deeply engaged in the craft world and in particular, the American studio glass movement. They traveled extensively, formed connections with artists, curators and museums. Their donations include significant portions of their collection to the Renwick Gallery and the Corning Museum of Glass.

Elmerina was also a founding member and organizer of the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass (AACG), a dedicated supporter of the Corning Museum of Glass, and WheatonArts, Board Member of the Maryland Crafts Council, Director of Tour Development for the Textile Museum in Washington, DC, and served as a juror for multiple organizations and events.

In 2013, JRACraft honored the Parkmans with a One-of-a-Kind Award for their dedication to the organization, their support for the Renwick Gallery, and their contributions to the craft community. Elmerina passed away just six months after her husband, Paul.

With permission from board member J.G. Harrington, we are sharing an excerpt from a recent post, reflecting on his memories of Elmerina.

"...I always had a sense that Elmerina was someone who cared, who wanted things to be right, and was always on the lookout for people to connect to institutions and other people who mattered to her. She never seemed to raise her voice, even when she was unhappy with you or disappointed (and you felt bad disappointing her, so I tried to avoid it). And she was a cheerful presence at JRACraft events, including staffing the greeter table at JRACraft Day for many years.

And a random recollection that's always stuck out for me - she was very proud one year at the annual Spring Craft Weekend brunch that she was wearing a dress she'd worn on the day that she and Paul were married. It still fit beautifully, and it obviously brought her happy memories. And now I'm imagining her and Paul together again, and happy once more."

Elmerina will be remembered and greatly missed by her friends at the Alliance. 

READ ABOUT PAUL

one-of-a-kind

Read more about the Parkmans' background, and how they help build the alliance into what it is today. 

READ THE CRAFT QUARTERLY

Elmerina and Paul Parkman at Spring Craft Weekend in 2019.

Elmerina Parkman speaking at the Spring Craft Weekend Gala in 2013 after receiving the One-of-a-Kind Award with her husband, Paul. 

oral history interview

An interview with the Parkmans was conducted on September 2014 by Tina Oldknow for the Archives of American Art at the Parkman's home in Kensington, Maryland. ​

ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART