Raymond Farm Center for Living Arts and Design

Kids On 12th
19107

"Truly creative work finds its basis in nature, in freedom, in reality, and in hard work." ~Antonin Raymond

practice. In the course of 15 years, their innovative design approach became globally recognized. Today, Antonin Raymond is known in Japan as well as India as the “Father of Modern architecture.”

In 1939 they returned to the United States and set up a summer studio/home in Bucks County. The Raymonds called this studio/home “the New Hope Experiment” -- an architectural atelier teaching practical design solutions, where their apprentices had hands-on experience with various building trades and crafts, and would include working the land and raising livestock. The Raymonds’ renovations and additions created a distinct work of architecture onto itself -- an early example the integration of Modernist design and traditional architecture. Though in need of minor restoration, the Farmhouse and the Raymond additions remain amazingly intact as built in 1938. This project is a not for profit entity, The Raymond Farm Center for Living Arts and Design. Its mission will be the preservation, repurposing and utilization of the historic structures that make up the Raymond Farm, and the creation of an arts & design center for Bucks County and the Philadelphia and New York regional corridor. Bucks County is famous for its arts and design crafts culture dating from the 19th, through the 20th Century and to the present. With their relocation there from Japan, Antonin and Noémi became part of, and a rich influence upon, the Bucks County arts culture. The Raymond Farm’s location, size and international historical legacy, presents a rare opportunity to create a regional arts and design center. Although Bucks County is already so rich in its artistic heritage, there is so far no facility now serving the Bucks County region with the space and qualities that the Raymond Farm will be able provide. This Raymond Farm Center for the Living Arts and Design would provide programs in the arts, craft and cultural programs. It will act as a conference and educational center dedicated to art and design and their relationship to nature, culture and life style that is consistent with the principals embodied in the life and work of Antonin and Noémi. Of particular focus will be in the mutual influence between American architecture and design and that of Japan. As a major component, it will provide an artist/craftsman residency program. This summer long residency would provide lodging and workspace for master artists and craftsman. These programs would work in conjunction with other active community programs, including week (or two week) long workshop sessions with students, exhibitions, and lectures. The existing barn and out buildings at the Raymond Farm can be repurposed and utilized to accommodate such future programs. The Raymond Farm Center will provide a much needed facility that will support and expand the cultural community of Bucks County and its greater region. The Raymond Farm Center will not be just another “museum house,” but would provide a new vital hub for the arts community and bring international attention to Bucks County. The idea is to start small and build up incrementally and let the final size and scope of the Center take shape organically. We hope to have our first artist in residency program starting with just one summer long artist in residence and eventually build up to multi-session summers with several artists, craftsmen, and designers in residence working in differing studios over the course of the summer months. These would include, woodworkers, furniture makers, ceramicists, glass workers, textile artist, painters, sculptors, iron and metal workers, writers, composers and musicians, as well as architects and graphic designers -- all the media and trades that the Raymond’s themselves utilized in their work. The Raymonds’ Farmhouse will be open to the public for scheduled tours. It will be also utilized for conferences and programs tailored to the design, arts and culture particularly for the Bucks County region. Programs specific to the Raymond connections to Japan, Europe, and the work of the Frank Lloyd Wright will be featured. Continuing education programs for architects and designers will be also be offered. The Center will offer travel study programs to the work of other related architects, as well as trips to Japan to study the Raymond’s work in Japan. Architects, designers and craftsmen of Japan to come visit the Raymond Center as part of a joint symposiums.

Photos from Raymond Farm Center for Living Arts and Design's post

10/10/2025

This past September, we concluded our season with a moving symposium, Women's Work: Women's Voices in Art, Craft, Architecture, and Design.

Keynote speaker Mary McLeod expressed, "I found this symposium inspiring. This (symposium) was not like others... it didn't just look back on the lack of recognition and injustices suffered by women and those of "other" genders, within the histories of the Modern cannon, or how many women who have won recognition needed to act 'like one of the boys' to achieve it, but here was a fantastic group of women, getting on with it-- creating unapologetic, truly beautiful, significant, and socially remarkable work. Truly inspiring."

Congratulations and a big thank you to our presenters Mary McLeod, Miriam Carpenter, Farzana Gandhi, Victoria Vuono, Gülistan Kenanoğlu, and Frankie Alchanati for sharing their amazing work and to Mira Nakashima for Sunday's tour at the Nakashima Woodworkers.

09/08/2025

We had so much fun this past August at our first Mini Crafting Series. Thank you to all of our instructors and attendees for making these workshops so memorable. Look forward to more crafting opportunities in 2026!

08/05/2025

Our first crafting workshop this past Saturday was a hit! Thank you Tamiko for sharing the art of sashiko with us. We look forward to seeing everyone's finished work 🪡🧵

Join us for our other workshops this month including kanzashi flower making on August 16 and woodblock printing on August 23: https://www.raymondfarmcenter.org/events

07/11/2025

Our Summer Newsletter is out! Read about our preservation efforts and our upcoming Summer programming.

https://mailchi.mp/cb299ce6ef37/rfcspring2025-6744998

05/05/2025

The Raymond Team has been hard at work getting the farmhouse ready for the new season. Join us for our first tour of the year this Saturday, May 10 at 1pm!

https://www.raymondfarmcenter.org/events

08/30/2024

Noemi Raymond’s textile design, "Striped Fields for Schumachers."

"The Japan Folk Art Association (Mingei Kyokai) was founded in the 1920s by the philosopher Soetsu Yanagi and potters Kenkichi Tomimoto, Shoji Hanada, and Kaijiro Kawai. Their shared intention was to raise awareness of underappreciated craft traditions. Mingei is an appreciation of the imperfect objects that we use and care for in daily life. Soetsu coined the word Mingei (people’s craft) to categorize different forms of utilitarian objects made by generations of unknown craftspeople. Mingei is the opposite of Jyoute-mono, expensive traditional crafts made by known artisan masters.

While working in Japan, Noemi and Antonin Raymond studied not only historic architecture and Jyoute-mono but also visited Mingei artisans' homes and studios. The Raymonds befriended members of craft communities through the British potter Bernard Leach. Leach was a lifelong supporter of the Mingei movement and a friend of Yanagi and Hamada. They all lived in Abiko, a small artists' commune called Shirakaba-ha, and co-published literary magazines in the 1910s before the establishment of Mingei." - Yuka Yokoyama

Join us on September 7th for a wonderful presentation by Yuka Yokoyama delving further into this topic! Link in bio for tickets and more information!

08/23/2024

Sonoda house by Junzo Yoshimura in Jiyugaoka, Tokyo, Japan. Junzo Yoshimura, a prominent Japanese architect, is associated with the Mingei movement through his design philosophy and his contributions to architecture that embody the principles of Mingei. The Mingei movement, founded by Yanagi Sōetsu in the late 1920s, celebrated the beauty of everyday, handcrafted objects, emphasizing simplicity, functionality, and the craftsmanship of ordinary people. Although primarily focused on crafts, the movement's principles influenced various forms of art and design, including architecture.

Join us for an insightful presentation by Yuka Yokoyama as she explores the evolution of living spaces in the Mingei movement and their impact on modern living. Drawing from her extensive background in Japanese art and culture, Yuka will delve into the philosophy and history of Mingei, a movement founded in the 1920s by Soetsu Yanagi and prominent potters like Kenkichi Tomimoto and Shoji Hamada. The presentation will feature captivating slides of traditional craftspeople's homes and the residential designs of Junzo Yoshimura, a protégé of the renowned architects Neomi and Antonin Raymond. Yuka's talk will also highlight the Raymonds' deep engagement with Mingei artisans and their close relationships with figures like Bernard Leach, who was instrumental in promoting Mingei principles.

Check the link in the bio for tickets and more information! Image courtesy of Yuka Yokoyama.

08/16/2024

"The Kamakura House" by Keisuke Serizawa (1895-1984). Serizawa was renowned for his katazome stencil dyeing technique, and was one of the leading members of the Mingei movement ("Folk art," "Folk craft") which was founded by Yanagi Sōetsu (1889–1961).

Join us for an insightful presentation by Yuka Yokoyama as she explores the evolution of living spaces in the Mingei movement and their impact on modern living. Drawing from her extensive background in Japanese art and culture, Yuka will delve into the philosophy and history of Mingei, a movement founded in the 1920s by Soetsu Yanagi and prominent potters like Kenkichi Tomimoto and Shoji Hamada. The presentation will feature captivating slides of traditional craftspeople's homes and the residential designs of Junzo Yoshimura, a protégé of the renowned architects Neomi and Antonin Raymond. Yuka's talk will also highlight the Raymonds' deep engagement with Mingei artisans and their close relationships with figures like Bernard Leach, who was instrumental in promoting Mingei principles.

Check the link in bio for tickets and more information!

08/01/2024

Infrared Thermography of the Raymond Farmhouse conducted by Sara Ghdula. Heat escaping from interior through glass of windows as well as the eastern chimney. Areas of stucco show a lower temperature, while the roof showing high temperature, meaning heat is entering the attic space between insulation and roofing materials, and is dissipating into the outer atmosphere.

Join us on August 3rd as Conservator Sara Gdula presents the findings from her 2018 Master’s thesis entitled "The New Hope Experiment: An Investigation and Conservation Plan for the Antonin and Noémi Raymond Farm."

This work has resulted in a comprehensive building chronology from the 1730s through the Raymond period, as well as an initial material condition assessment that can be used in future preservation planning. Methods of investigation for this project include an inspection of construction history, archival research, infrared thermography, environmental monitoring, and architectural archaeology including analysis of the site's fasteners, hardware, and mouldings. Sara currently works as an architectural conservator for Heritage Conservation, and specializes in site-specific research, conditions mapping and documentation, architectural archaeology, as well as both treatment recommendation and implementation.

07/30/2024

Pre-Raymond floor plans by H.H. Stevens, April 27, 1939. Source: Raymond family-held drawing collection. 🎞🎞

Join us on August 3rd as Conservator Sara Gdula presents the findings from her 2018 Master’s thesis entitled "The New Hope Experiment: An Investigation and Conservation Plan for the Antonin and Noémi Raymond Farm."

This work has resulted in a comprehensive building chronology from the 1730s through the Raymond period, as well as an initial material condition assessment that can be used in future preservation planning. Methods of investigation for this project include an inspection of construction history, archival research, infrared thermography, environmental monitoring, and architectural archaeology including analysis of the site's fasteners, hardware, and mouldings. Sara currently works as an architectural conservator for Heritage Conservation, and specializes in site-specific research, conditions mapping and documentation, architectural archaeology, as well as both treatment recommendation and implementation.

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Our Story

The Raymond Farm was the home and summer studio of the architects and designers, Noémi and Antonin Raymond. In addition to practicing architecture, they designed furniture, lighting, textiles, ceramics, flatware, and ironwork. In their formative years, the Raymonds worked with Frank Lloyd Wright on the Imperial Hotel in Japan. After completion, they decided to remain in Japan and started their own practice. In the course of 15 years, their innovative design approach became globally recognized. Today, Antonin Raymond is known in Japan as well as India as the “Father of Modern architecture.”

In 1939 they returned to the United States and set up a summer studio/home in Bucks County. The Raymonds called this studio/home “the New Hope Experiment” -- an architectural atelier teaching practical design solutions, where their apprentices had hands-on experience with various building trades and crafts, and would include working the land and raising livestock. The Raymonds’ renovations and additions created a distinct work of architecture onto itself -- an early example the integration of Modernist design and traditional architecture. Though in need of minor restoration, the Farmhouse and the Raymond additions remain amazingly intact as built in 1938.

This project is a not for profit entity, The Raymond Farm Center for Living Arts and Design. Its mission will be the preservation, repurposing and utilization of the historic structures that make up the Raymond Farm, and the creation of an arts & design center for Bucks County and the Philadelphia and New York regional corridor.

Bucks County is famous for its arts and design crafts culture dating from the 19th, through the 20th Century and to the present. With their relocation there from Japan, Antonin and Noémi became part of, and a rich influence upon, the Bucks County arts culture. The Raymond Farm’s location, size and international historical legacy, presents a rare opportunity to create a regional arts and design center. Although Bucks County is already so rich in its artistic heritage, there is so far no facility now serving the Bucks County region with the space and qualities that the Raymond Farm will be able provide.

This Raymond Farm Center for the Living Arts and Design would provide programs in the arts, craft and cultural programs. It will act as a conference and educational center dedicated to art and design and their relationship to nature, culture and life style that is consistent with the principals embodied in the life and work of Antonin and Noémi. Of particular focus will be in the mutual influence between American architecture and design and that of Japan. As a major component, it will provide an artist/craftsman residency program. This summer long residency would provide lodging and workspace for master artists and craftsman. These programs would work in conjunction with other active community programs, including week (or two week) long workshop sessions with students, exhibitions, and lectures. The existing barn and out buildings at the Raymond Farm can be repurposed and utilized to accommodate such future programs.

The Raymond Farm Center will provide a much needed facility that will support and expand the cultural community of Bucks County and its greater region. The Raymond Farm Center will not be just another “museum house,” but would provide a new vital hub for the arts community and bring international attention to Bucks County.

The idea is to start small and build up incrementally and let the final size and scope of the Center take shape organically. We hope to have our first artist in residency program starting with just one summer long artist in residence and eventually build up to multi-session summers with several artists, craftsmen, and designers in residence working in differing studios over the course of the summer months. These would include, woodworkers, furniture makers, ceramicists, glass workers, textile artist, painters, sculptors, iron and metal workers, writers, composers and musicians, as well as architects and graphic designers -- all the media and trades that the Raymond’s themselves utilized in their work.

The Raymonds’ Farmhouse will be open to the public for scheduled tours. It will be also utilized for conferences and programs tailored to the design, arts and culture particularly for the Bucks County region. Programs specific to the Raymond connections to Japan, Europe, and the work of the Frank Lloyd Wright will be featured. Continuing education programs for architects and designers will be also be offered. The Center will offer travel study programs to the work of other related architects, as well as trips to Japan to study the Raymond’s work in Japan. Architects, designers and craftsmen of Japan to come visit the Raymond Center as part of a joint symposiums.

Location

Philadelphia

Contact the school

Click here to send a message to the school

Telephone

+12158622691

Website

http://www.raymondfarmcenter.org/, https://www.raymondfarmcenter.org/events

Address

Philadelphia, PA