October 2013 Talks and Films at the New-York Historical Society
NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
170 Central Park West, New York, NY (212) 873-3400 www.nyhistory.org
PROGRAM LISTINGS
October 2013
For tickets to Public Programs, please call the New-York Historical Society’s call center at (212) 485-9268 or visit http://www.nyhistory.org/programs. Programs $30 (Members $18) unless otherwise noted.
LECTURES
Tuesday, October 1, 6:30 pm
Kenneth J. Winkle, Harold Holzer (moderator)
Straddling the geographical line between the North and South, Washington, DC’s position was never as precarious as during the Civil War. In conversation with Harold Holzer, Lincoln biographer Kenneth J. Winkle examines how Lincoln and his administration managed to mold a town rife with ideological and political division into a beacon for the Union’s cause.
Thursday, October 3, 6:30 pm
Randall Kennedy
What are the costs of affirmative action on higher education and American society? Is this approach to diversification and advancement obsolete? Following the Supreme Court’s recent decision regarding Fisher v. University of Texas, Harvard law professor Randall Kennedy offers a deeply personal exploration of the complex history of this contentious issue and argues why it still plays an obligatory role in modern America.
Wednesday, October 9, 6:30 pm
Jonathan Alter, Jodi Kantor, Kati Marton (moderator)
$34 (members $20)
Forty-four men have been elected to our nation’s highest office, and since the days of the Founding Fathers, their private lives have fascinated the American public. Join us for a continuation of The White House Series as three experts discuss the presidential terms, strengths, and weaknesses of Barack Obama and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Tuesday, October 15, 6:30 pm
Naomi Schaefer Riley, Elizabeth Bernstein (moderator)
The rise of interfaith marriage isn’t the only way matrimony has changed within the last decade, but it does account for 45% of all marriages today. Esteemed journalist Naomi Schaefer Riley explores hard, yet important, questions about this understudied phenomenon and the impact it is having on America’s future.
Saturday, October 19, 9 am – 11 am
John H. Maurer
$40 (members $28)
Winston Churchill is best remembered for the leadership role he played during the Second World War. However, decades earlier he played a crucial role in Britain’s involvement in the First World War. In light of the 100th anniversary of this epic conflict, John H. Maurer examines how Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, transformed the Royal Navy and provided for Britain’s security against the rising German naval challenge in the Great War, and why Churchill’s coinciding efforts to avert war with Germany were ultimately unsuccessful.
Tuesday, October 22, 6:30 pm
Barry Lewis
$34 (members $20)
The post-World War I generation wanted a new international language of architecture based on science and technology, not the inherent “nationalisms” of the entrenched historic revivalisms—“nationalisms” that had led to a devastating war. In the 1910s, '20s & '30s, this generation forged a new architecture that would change the New York skyline by the mid-century. Experience the origins of such game changers as the Seagram Building and One Chase Manhattan Plaza, and learn about their roots in the European Modern Movement of the 1910s and '20s.
Thursday, October 24, 6:30 pm
Marilyn S. Kushner, Kimberly Orcutt
On February 17, 1913, the avant-garde exploded onto the New York art scene with the opening of the Armory Show, causing a trans-Atlantic cultural upheaval that still resonates a century later. In this discussion, curators Marilyn S. Kushner and Kimberly Orcutt examine the historical context and shed light on the groundbreaking exhibition that forever changed the way we understand art.
Monday, October 28, 6:30 pm
Russell Shorto
$34 (members $20)
Almost 350 years after the short-lived Dutch rule came to an end on Manhattan, traces of “New Amsterdam” can still be found in everything from street names to the design of the official flag of New York City. Using the history of Amsterdam as a backdrop, critically acclaimed author Russell Shorto explains why we also have the Dutch to thank for some of New York’s most celebrated and enduring characteristics, including its cultural and religious diversity.
Tuesday, October 29, 6:30 pm
John Taliaferro, Harold Holzer (moderator)
Beginning his remarkable political career as personal secretary to Abraham Lincoln and ending it as secretary of state to Theodore Roosevelt, John Hay witnessed and, at times, orchestrated some of the most momentous events in American history. Biographer John Taliaferro, in conversation with Harold Holzer, provides a long-overdue look into the life and work of this unparalleled figure.
WALKS AND TALKS
Sunday, October 6, 11 am
Cal Snyder
From the 7th Regiment Armory to St. James’s Church to the Society Library to the Knickerbocker Club, the lifestyles of the rich and famous at the turn of the 20th century still resonate in the urban fabric of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Join us to explore the homes, churches, clubs, libraries, military associations, and war memorials of the silk-stocking denizens portrayed in the exhibition Beauty’s Legacy: Gilded Age Portraits in America. Meeting location will be provided to patrons when they purchase tickets.
Monday, October 7, 1:30 pm
Barbara Dayer Gallati
With the amassing of great fortunes founded on industrial expansion came the impetus to document the appearance of those who propelled and benefited from burgeoning wealth, echoing a cultural pattern reaching back to the colonial era. Join curator Barbara Dayer Gallati and explore the social legacy of the American portrait tradition through this remarkable exhibition, which focuses on the resurgence of portraiture in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Gallery tours are limited to 35 guests per tour. Please buy tickets in advance.
Saturday, October 12, 9 am
Alan Messer
Journey with wildlife artist Alan Messer to some of the most magical places in Central Park’s wooded Ramble, discovering along the way both resident and migrating birds. Delight in the fall warblers and sparrows along with late-migrating nuthatches, finches, and visiting raptors. Walking tours are limited to 35 guests per tour. Please buy tickets in advance.
Monday, October 21, 11 am
Marilyn S. Kushner
The 1913 New York Armory Show was a public sensation that introduced the American masses to European avant-garde painters and sculptors. Join curator Marilyn S. Kushner in revisiting the show on its 100th anniversary. New-York Historical’s exhibition The Armory Show at 100: Modern Art and Revolution reassesses the 1913 Armory Show with a carefully chosen group of approximately one hundred works, which includes pieces by Duchamp, Gauguin, Renoir, and Matisse. Gallery tours are limited to 35 guests per tour. Please buy tickets in advance.
Sunday, October 27, 11 am
Cal Snyder, Lucy Oakley
In January 1917, Marcel Duchamp ascended a staircase to the top of the Washington Arch, where he joined friends in proclaiming the Free and Independent Republic of Washington Square. Eleven months later, the Armistice ended World War I. Join us in exploring the homes and haunts of Duchamp and his fellow modernist artists, who lived and worked cheek-by-jowl among the local Irish and Italians who knew little of modern art but much of war and its grief. Visit the remarkable memorials they erected and discover some surprising connections between the two communities. Walking tours are limited to 35 guests per tour. Please buy tickets in advance.
FILMS
Entrance to the film series is included with Museum Admission during New-York Historical’s Pay-as-you-wishFriday Nights (6 – 8 pm). No advanced reservations. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 6 pm.
WWI and Its Legacy in Film
Join us for the New-York Historical Society’s film series, featuring opening remarks by notable directors, writers, actors, and historians. Organized in conjunction with The Armory Show at 100: Modern Art and Revolution, these classic films take us through the trenches of the Great War and provide insight into how this conflict, unprecedented in scale, reshaped the 20th century.
Friday, October 18, 7 pm
David Denby, Kati Marton
Set in the trenches and battlefields of the First World War, this powerful anti-war epic chronicles a group of young German soldiers as they discover the harsh realities of combat. Directed by Lewis Milestone. Starring Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray, Slim Summerville. 138 min.
Friday, October 25, 7 pm
David Denby, Kati Marton
Set in a WWI prisoner-of-war camp, director Jean Renoir uses this story of French officers plotting their escape to comment on class relationships and Europe’s changing social order. Directed by Jean Renoir. Starring Marcel Dalio, Pierre Fresnay, Jean Gabin, Dita Parlo, Erich von Stroheim. 114 min. (French with English subtitles.)
INFORMATION HOTLINE: To reach the Museum’s offices call: (212) 873-3400
ONLINE INFORMATION: www.nyhistory.org
MUSEUM AND STORE HOURS
Tuesday - Thursday: 10 am-6 pm
Friday: 10 am-8 pm (pay as you wish from 6 pm-8 pm)
Saturday: 10 am-6 pm
Sunday: 11 am-5 pm
MUSEUM ADMISSION
Adults - $18
Teachers and Seniors - $14
Students - $12
Children (5-13)- $6
Children (under 4) -free
