By Wendy Wallace Johnson
This year’s anniversary, celebrating two decades of Antiques at the Gardens, recognizes three honorees whose involvement dates to its earliest days. Margot Shaw, Richard Keith Langham and Bart McCorquodale have all left indelible marks on the event, while continuing to contribute to the weekend’s evolution into the buzz-worthy, vibrant and multi-dimensional occasion that it is today.
Margot Shaw, founder and editor-in-chief of FLOWER magazine, was involved with the show’s precursor as far back as 1991, when she chaired the Junior League of Birmingham Antiques Show’s preview party at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex. “I have been somehow attached ever since,” Margot says. “When we moved to the Gardens (in 2006), I thought this was a masterstroke. The Gardens taking on the antiques show was a boon and a blessing. It’s a better fit. It is a gem of a show.”
Shaw launched Birmingham-headquartered FLOWER magazine in 2007, which has expanded to a bi-monthly publication available in all 50 states and 17 countries, making her well-positioned to identify valuable partnerships.
In 2008, she suggested inviting Manhattan-based, Alabama-raised Richard Keith Langham to deliver a Friday lecture. His popularity was such that he was invited back the following year. “It was around that time Margot decided the show needed an ambassador, so she called me up at my office in New York and anointed me!” says Keith. “In those days, the show was pretty small. It was hard to get big names in our industry to come down to Birmingham, so I was enlisted to woo them.”
A tour de force in the decorating world with two books and countless remarkable rooms installed for A-list clients across the U.S., Langham retains the easy charm and infectious wit from his formative years in the Deep South. His Southern roots remain at center stage despite decades spent based in New York City, making him a perennial favorite at Antiques at the Gardens. Beyond being the show’s ambassador, many guests to Antiques at the Gardens have knighted him “Alabama’s ambassador.”
The frequent sellout of lectures in recent years speaks to the success of their efforts, along with those of the show chairs and Friends of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. “Once we get our speakers here, our guests are so duly impressed, they are dying to come back,” Langham explains. Bart McCorquodale, Chief Executive Officer of McCorquodale Transfer, concurs. “We work in different geographies, so when I tell people that I’m from Birmingham, they ask me about the show. If they’re in the design world, it’s on their radar.”
McCorquodale was also present at the first show in 2006. For his company, which specializes in white-glove receiving and moving services for high-end homeowners and designers, involvement in the show was a natural fit. “We helped with the live auction and all of the moving for the show,” he says. “It was very, very small then, so it’s amazing to bear witness to its evolution. Moving the installation elements and items for our dealers in and out of the building today looks much different than it did 20 years ago.”
Continuing to sponsor the event is important, McCorquodale says. “Not only is the show the biggest fundraiser for the Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, but it also has a significant economic impact. The money being spent, not only at the show, but for hotels, shops, restaurants and bars is meaningful for our communities and businesses.”
Langham also contributes to the event by shopping for himself, saying he buys himself a “treat” at the show every year. “We have the best vendors, and I want to support them,” he says. “But what is really nice is for me to have those memories.”
Shaw agrees, reminiscing on her favorite purchase made in tandem with her friend, the author, journalist and socialite Julia Evans Reed, who was speaking at the show. “It’s a beautiful antique green glass carafe, with a stopper and a set of six short glasses,” Shaw says. “Julia and I spotted them at the same time. Rather than fight over them, we agreed to split them. I got the bottle, and she got the glasses. That’s the sort of romantic, intrinsic value of a piece, the memory. Now that Julia is no longer with us, it will forever be my favorite purchase.”
McCorquodale has seen firsthand the popularity of sought-after items, with new owners chomping at the bit to bring them home. He offers a friendly warning for attendees, “If you see something you like, don’t wait. That item you fall in love with on Thursday night or Friday likely won’t be there on Sunday.”
While antiques have always been the cornerstone of Antiques at the Gardens, the weekend’s evolution is largely due to the visionary guidance, creative energy and continued dedication of this year’s honorees. “In recent years, I started noticing the increased number of young people at the show and the gala, which is so gratifying, because years ago we identified the need to bring young people in,” says Shaw. “In 2013, I came up with an event we called ‘Tastebuds’ for the under-40 set because I really sensed a lack of younger involvement. FLOWER sponsored this for about six years, educating the next generation. And we’re seeing this realized now as a multi-generational weekend.”
Langham appreciates this expansion. “It warms my heart to see how the show has blossomed into the fantastic event it is today,” he says. “The ever-growing roster of talent—and new talent—on our stage is impressive.”
“What has remained constant is an intention to celebrate timeless beauty….in interiors, entertaining and of course, the natural beauty of the Gardens,” says Shaw. “We are all pouring this passion back into Birmingham, back into the show, and ultimately through its success, back into the Gardens.”
Mark your calendar for this special anniversary celebration, October 1-4, at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. For tickets, show schedule, speaker bios and dealer information, visit bbgardens.org/antiques, follow show announcements and reveals on Facebook and Instagram @antiquesgardensbham, and sign up for updates and alerts at bbgardens.org/anitques-email. We look forward to celebrating 20 years at Antiques at the Gardens!
