Fusco & Four to relaunch Ellis Boston Antiques Show

The Ellis Antiques Show, Boston's premier fair which ran for 49 years through 2008, will be resurrected for a comeback, October 13 to 16, 2011. Show producers Fusco & Four will relaunch the show at The Cyclorama, Boston Center for The Arts, with 40 exhibitors of the highest quality, drawn from past Ellis exhibitors as well as many new additions.

"As Mark Twain might have said, the rumors of the show's demise were premature," comments co-producer Tony Fusco.

A Gala Preview on Thursday, October 11, will benefit Ellis Memorial, Boston's first settlement house.

"When the Antiques for Charity committee which had been running the Ellis Antiques Show for many years called it quits, canceling the 2009 show which would have been its 50th, we felt it was something that just shouldn’t happen," explains Fusco. "Luckily, the Board of the non-profit organization felt the same way, so we have agreed to produce the show to continue to benefit Ellis Memorial, and to offer a world-class antiques event in Boston."

Signaling a change in direction while still honoring the traditions of the past, the producers have added the city name to the show's title, renaming it The Ellis Boston Antiques Show. 

"We want people to know that we will be making some significant changes to the show's composition, marketing and positioning while building on an important tradition that spanned half of a century," says Fusco. "It is also our way of recognizing The Boston Antiques Show, which ran for 21 years under the direction of our friend and colleague Jacqueline Sideli.  Hopefully, we will do honor to both historical shows while remaking the Ellis Boston Antiques Show for the 21st century."

The Cyclorama provides the ideal venue for this exciting show.  A large circular rotunda and adjacent salons encourage visitors to both linger and wander.  The historic structure is located in the heart of the BCA complex, which boasts four theatres, a gallery, the Boston Ballet School, 50 artist studios and other facilities.  There are more than a dozen "hot" restaurants and nightspots within a five-minute walk, making it a focal point for cultural life in the city.

“We're thrilled to be bringing The Ellis Boston Antiques Show back to the Cyclorama where the old Ellis started," notes Fusco.

Fusco & Four also produces two other successful shows at The Cyclorama: The Boston International Fine Arts Show in November and AD 20/21: Art & Design of the 20th & 21st Centuries, which includes the Boston Print Fair, in April.

For information, call 617-363-0405, or visit www.EllisBoston.com