Features
The 25 – John Canning
Master craftsman John Canning and his eponymous company have played a major role in preserving America’s past, bringing enduring beauty to well over 1,000 national registered landmarks ranging from the state capitols of Connecticut, Michigan, and Virginia, and New York City’s Grand Central Terminal to Boston’s Trinity Church, Yale University, and The Mark Twain House & Museum.
In a career that has spanned over 60 years, Canning, one of the pre-eminent practitioners in the field of decorative painting and an acknowledged master of the arts of restoration, replication, and preservation, has honed a unique ability to interpret traditional decorative techniques and has been a generous collaborator sharing his knowledge, always providing a “why” behind the “what” of his recommendations.
Canning, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, served a five-year apprenticeship as a church decorator after completing requirements at the Scottish Decorative Trade Institute, Glasgow Stow College of Building, and taking night classes at the Glasgow School of Art.
“Church projects remain a passion,” he says. “The design of churches represents an exaltation of faith and reverence not found–or appropriate–in other structures. The deep spiritual nature of these designs brings another dimension to the integrity of the craft and inspiration for the craftsman whose honor it is to restore religious work.”
Canning moved his family to Connecticut in 1970, when the American preservation movement was just getting under way. He quickly realized that the missing link in the equation was the tradesman, a role he readily and ably stepped into.
His work has not gone unrecognized: He was one of only 10 artisans featured in the Smithsonian’s 2018 PBS documentary “Good Works: Masters of the Building Arts.”
A recipient of the Connecticut Governor’s Medal for Art and Architecture, Canning is a Professional Associate Member of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and is the only tradesman to be inducted into the American Institute of Architects as an honorary member.
John Canning & Co. has won numerous accolades–the Arthur Ross Award, the Trumbauer Award, the Stanford White/McKim, Mead & White Award, and Bulfinches and Palladios.
Through the years “my passion and goal of perfecting preservation has only grown, including materials of stone, plaster, wood, and artwork,” Canning says. “With so many historic and landmark buildings in the country, the preservation fields remain an important component to ensuring that these valuable buildings and the historic fabric of them are around for future generations to enjoy and appreciate. We must continue to educate and campaign for the students of today to join the preservationists and craftsmen who are needed to continue to preserve, restore, and conserve our iconic buildings.”
