Jonathan Leo Fairbanks (born February 19, 1933, in Ann Arbor, Michigan) is an American artist and expert of American arts and antiques. Fairbanks created the American Decorative Arts and Sculpture department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,[1] and served as Curator of the department from 1970 to 1999.[2]
Fairbanks has served as curator for several exhibits, including "Becoming a Nation, Americana from the Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State," which toured eight cities from April 2003 until January 2005. He was also the senior vice president of AntiquesAmerica.com, the editor at large for the Catalogue of Antiques and Fine Art, and a research associate at Boston University.[2] He is on the board of directors of the Decorative Arts Trust, of which he was president for 12 years.[6] Fairbanks served as vice president of research for Artfact.com.[2] In 2012, he was appointed the director of the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA.[7] In 2017, he retired to become the museum's senior research associate and director emeritus.[8]
Fairbanks has received several awards, including the Victorian Society of America Award for Conservation, the Charles F. Montgomery Award from the Decorative Arts Society, the Urban Glass Award for Exceptional Museum Glass Exhibition, the Ellen Banning Ayer Award for Contributions to Arts and Culture, and the Lifetime Achievement Medal from the Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston. In 2003 the Decorative Arts Trust announced the endowment of the Jonathan L. Fairbanks Lectureship in honor of Fairbanks’ achievements.[10] In 2003, the Furniture Society bestowed upon Fairbanks the Award of Distinction.[5] In 2006 Fairbanks received the Iris Foundation Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Decorative Arts by the Bard Graduate Center.[11] In 2009, Fairbanks was honored by Fuller Craft Museum as a Luminary.[12] In 2016, he received the President's award from Old Sturbridge Village.[13] Jonathan was further honored in 2017 with the tenth anniversary AD 20/21 Lifetime Achievement Award.[14]