"Help!" is the topic of the Greenwich Historical Society's next Story Barn oral history performance, where a roster of raconteurs will proffer tales that illustrate the nature of giving and getting help.
The current exhibition at the Historical Society, Everyday Heroes: Greenwich First Responders, explores what it's like to come to the aid of others in times of extreme crisis, but there isn't one of us that hasn't needed a bit of help at some time in our lives. When help arrives, it may be given subtly or in a gaudy package; it can come from someone near and dear or from quarters least expected. Sometimes we don't even know we need help! That's what makes the nature of the beast so interesting. Help has many faces.
Sit back, relax, enjoy the refreshments and listen to real-life stories that will inspire, delight and generally prompt you to muse on what it means to give and take.
If you are interested in participating as a storyteller, please contact Bonnie Levison.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Doors open at 7:00 pm; show begins at 7:30 pm
Vanderbilt Education Center
$15 for members; nonmembers $20. Light refreshments included.
Register below or call or call 203 869-6899, Ext. 10
Co-sponsored by the Greenwich Historical Society and Greenwich Point Conservancy
In celebration of Women's History Month, speaker Sylvia Hasenkopf will lecture on Katherine C. Budd (1860–1951), the architect who designed Innis Arden Cottage for J. Kennedy Tod. Ms. Hasenkopf will explore the work of this extraordinary woman, a true maverick and one of the first women to practice in an era when men considered women to be neither intelligent nor capable enough to be successful in this male-dominated field. William Appleton Potter, Budd's teacher and architect of the Tod mansion, recommended Ms. Budd when he was unable to undertake the commission for Innis Arden Cottage. Budd went on to design hundreds of residential and commercial structures throughout the United States and was a contemporary and friend of Julia Morgan, the female architect for Hearst's San Simeon.
Sylvia Hasenkopf is a historian, genealogist and columnist, who specializes in research in the Hudson Valley. Her lecture topics range from house history research to slavery in New York State, as well as a broad range of genealogical topics.
Sunday, March 4, 2012, 2:00 pm
Innis Arden Cottage, Greenwich Point Park, Tod's Driftway, Old Greenwich, CT
Free admission. Advance reservation required. Call 203-869-6899, Ext. 10
Seating is limited and reservations will be accepted in the order received.
At this lecture co-sponsored with Greenwich Pen Women, Alan Fausel, Vice President and Director of Fine Art at Bonhams of New York, will compare and contrast California Impressionism with that of East Coast Impressionism (Cos Cob school). Providing a fresh perspective intended to expand understanding of the subject, Mr. Fausel will explore the various painting techniques and palettes used in these bicoastal styles as well as examine the historical aspects that influenced the genre.
Old House, South End by Elmer MacRae
Mr. Fausel has almost 30 years of art world experience as a scholar, curator and appraiser. He is the Vice President and Director of Fine Art at Bonhams of New York, oversees the department and conducts regular auctions of American, European and Old Master Paintings. He has been a regular at the Antiques Roadshow® paintings table since the show's inaugural season. Mr. Fausel teaches at New York University in the Graduate School of Arts Education and is a frequent lecturer to groups including the Appraisers' Association of America.
Co-sponsor Greenwich Pen Women is a professional organization for women artists, composers and writers, and is a branch of the National League of American Pen Women, founded in 1897.
Tuesday, March 6, 3:00-5:00pm
Greenwich Historical Society, Vanderbilt Education Barn 39 Strickland Road, Cos Cob, CT
The event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served. Reservations suggested.
To reserve, call 203-869-6899, Ext. 10
On Friday, March 30, Joseph McGill, Jr. will spend the night in the dark, cramped attic slave quarters at Bush-Holley House. McGill, a descendant of slaves, is no stranger to the heat, sweat and backbreaking work that African slaves who were brought to this country bore on a daily basis. As a young man, he toiled in tobacco fields. Now, as a field officer at the Charleston Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Mr. McGill has established the Slave Dwelling Project and has made it a personal mission to preserve the humble shelters that serve as a reminder of what life was like for the slaves in both the north and the south.
Slave Quarters at Bush-Holley Historic Site
As part of the Slave Dwelling Project, Mr. McGill has thus far spent the night in 28 documented slave quarters. Bush-Holley House, home of the Greenwich Historical Society and one of the few historic homes in New England to address its connection with slavery, will be Mr. McGill's second stay in the North. Says McGill, "My experiences have all been different but I've come to understand that despite their lack of all but the most rudimentary amenities, these dwellings were the one place where slaves could experience some serenity in their lives." Prior to his overnight stay, Mr. McGill, along with Coming the Table, an organization that addresses the legacy of slavery in America, will conduct a panel discussion at the Historical Society. The roster of distinguished experts will include Dr. Allegra diBonaventura, Assistant Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Yale University; Dionne Ford, Writer, Coming to the Table and FindingJosephine.com; Grant Hayter-Menzies, Coming to the Table and Biographer and Historian; Rev. David Pettee, Coming to the Table Member; John Pfeiffer, Adjunct Professor, Lyme Academy of Fine Arts and Old Lyme Town Historian; Dale Plummer, City Historian of Norwich and Chair of the Emancipation Proclamation Commemoration Committee.
Share this fascinating, personal journey and gain a greater understanding of the little-explored topic of slavery in Connecticut and its direct connection with Greenwich History.
Friday, March 30, 7:00–8:30 pm
Vanderbilt Education Center 39 Strickland Road, Cos Cob, CT
$10 for members; $15 for nonmembers
The Greenwich Historical Society is pleased to present author and photographer David G. Spielman in of Greenwich Reads Together program. Through images and words, he will share his experiences during and after the great storm. While photographing his beloved New Orleans under extremely difficult conditions, he was living without electricity, gas or running water; he had to improvise and to create a plan. Mr. Spielman's first-person account along with his images will help you see, feel and understand what was happening to this city under siege.
To bring the topic even closer to home, seldom-seen original photographs from the Historical Society Library & Archives depicting Greenwich floods, storms and hurricanes will be on display for this event only.
David G. Spielmanis an accomplished photographer whose work spans over 35 years and six continents and includes fine art as well as corporate and feature news photographs. Spielman is well known for his portraits of political, literary, artistic, and musical figures. He currently operates a gallery in New Orleans and continues to travel on assignment.
After the lecture, Mr. Spielman's book Katrinaville Chronicles: Images and Observations from a New Orleans Photographer, will be available for purchase and signing.
Thursday, April 19, 7:00 pm
Greenwich Historical Society Vanderbillt Education Center, 39 Strickland Road, Cos Cob, CT
Admission is free but reservations are required. To reserve, call 203-869-6899, Ext. 10
This program is being held in conjunction with Greenwich Reads Together
Greenwich Reads Together is a community-wide reading experience that engages all of Greenwich in exploring a single book. The Steering Committee leading this effort includes Greenwich Library, Greenwich Arts Council, Greenwich Historical Society, Greenwich Alliance for Education, Greenwich Pen Women, Greenwich Public Schools and Private schools and Friends of Greenwich Library. This year's selection is Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. Print copies, eBooks, and Audiobook CD formats are available at all Greenwich Library branches. Print copies may also be purchased at local bookstores, including Diane’s Books.
Discussions, programs and lectures based on Zeitoun will be taking place from April 15 to April 29. To stay updated on other Greenwich Reads Together events, visit www.greenwichlibrary.org/GreenwichReadsTogether.aspx.
The Greenwich Police Department responded to over 46,000 calls in 2011. On a special tour of police headquarters spearheaded by Lt. Robert Berry, police liaison and advisor for the Everyday Heroes: Greenwich First Responders exhibition, you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at just how this staggering workload is handled on a daily basis. Visit the state-of-the-art facility, see the new public safety communications center (911), check out the latest in detention cells and generally gain a better understanding of how Greenwich police officers keep tabs on everything from fingerprints to firearms.
Everyday Heroes: Greenwich First Responders explores landmark catastrophes in Greenwich and how first response practices have changed over time as a result of hands-on experience and technological advances. The tour of police headquarters will add another dimension to the exhibition and extend it into the community. "When you visit Everyday Heroes: Greenwich First Responders, you get a pretty good idea of how first response has evolved over time," notes Lt. Berry, " but [this tour] will also stress what hasn't changed–-the commitment of the officers and our focus on serving the community." Step into the future with Greenwich's finest, as they introduce you to law enforcement in the 21st century.
Sunday, April 29, 2:00 pm
Free admission. Advance reservations required due to limited space.
The tour will begin in the lobby of the Greenwich Public Safety Complex, 11 Bruce Place, Greenwich, CT
June 30, 2012, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Whether you've dipped a finger into the world of homemade jam or never laid eyes on a canning jar, you'll love this class. Canning is a tried and true method of preseving food that has enjoyed renewed interest with the resurgence of eating "local and organic." Canning teacher, dedicated farmers' market shopper, blogger and cookbook author Marisa McClellan will walk you through the basics of jam making, pickling and boiling-water bath canning at a very special afternoon at the Greenwich Historical Society on June 30, 2012. The class provides a unique, hands-on opportunity to roll up your sleeves, cut and chop, learn to make spiced nectarine jam and dilly beans–and triumphantly return home with a small jar of each complete with corresponding recipes. Marissa McClellan is a food writer and canning teacher who lives in Center City Philadelphia. Her new book, Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year Round, will be published by Running Press in spring 2012. A handbook for the new wave of home food preservers, her latest work features more than 100 recipes cooked up in McClellan's 80 square-foot kitchen. It contains basic advice as well as recipes to help you take canning to the next level of sophistication.
The program will take place at the Greenwich Historical Society's Bush-Holley Historic site, former home of the Holley Boarding House and a truly fitting place to explore this culinary tradition. During the boarding house era, fruits and vegetables from backyard garden were preserved for future use on an almost weekly basis during the growing season. Documents from the era (now found in the Historical Society Library and Archives) include dozens of recipes, seed catalogs and meal descriptions. Join us as we put a whole new spin on historic preservation!
June 30, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Greenwich Historical Society Vanderbilt Education Center, 39 Strickland Road, Greenwich, CT
Members $50; nonmembers $60 Reservations required.
A full refund for program and special events payments will be made up to 10 days before the program or event. Within 10 days of the program or event, no refund can be granted, but payments may be changed to tax-deductible contributions at payer's request. A fee of $25 will be charged for checks returned to us for nonsufficient funds.
