#WhomYouKnow #PeachyandtheCity #CulturedPeachy #PatrioticPeachy COMMEMORATE VETERANS DAY WITH A WEEKEND OF SPECIAL PROGRAMS AT NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY Free Museum Admission for All Visitors on Veterans Day, Saturday, November 11, Thanks to AT&T
Veterans Receive Free Museum Admission All Weekend —
Friday, November 10; Saturday, November 11; and Sunday, November 12
Exhibitions, Programs, and Free Films
October – November 2017
NEW FILM
We Rise
Beginning November 4, will play daily in rotation with our film New York Story
Free with Museum Admission
Narrated by Meryl Streep and featuring the song “We Are Here” written and composed by Alicia Keys, New-York Historical’s new film We Rise celebrates the centennial of women’s suffrage in New York State, placing women at the center of political thought and action that reshaped the country in the early 20th century. We Rise, a cornerstone of the new Center for Women’s History, premieres on November 3 in our state-of-the-art ground-floor theater, where it will be shown in regular rotation with the destination film New York Story. Through artistic projections, immersive sound, and theatrical lighting, the unique 17-minute film We Rise profiles some of the remarkable women whose advocacy for change had lasting effects, including Lillian Wald, nurse and founder of Henry Street Settlement; Addie Hunton, suffragist and leader of black women’s organizations; Margaret Sanger, birth control activist; and Clara Lemlich, a leader of the massive strike of shirtwaist workers in New York’s garment industry in 1909; as well as women like Clara Driscoll, head of the Tiffany Studios Women’s Glass Cutting Department, who found new opportunities for work and independence in New York City in that time period.
EXHIBITIONS
Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection
COMING SOON: October 27, 2017 – February 25, 2018
A magical wonderland awaits visitors with the return of this holiday tradition. Featuring hundreds of toy trains, figurines, and miniature models from the renowned Jerni Collection, the exhibition’s immersive scenes and displays transport young and old alike to a bygone era.Holiday Express begins at the West 77th Street entrance, where trains appear to roar through the Museum with the help of four large-scale multimedia screens, and extends through large swaths of the first floor.
Hotbed
COMING SOON: November 3, 2017 – March 25, 2018
In the early 20th century, Greenwich Village was a hotbed of political activism and social change—where men and women joined forces across the boundaries of class and race to fight for a better world. At the heart of the downtown radicals’ crusade lay women’s rights: to control their own bodies, to do meaningful work, and above all, to vote. On view in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery, Hotbed features immersive installations and more than 100 artifacts and images—drawn from New-York Historical’s archives and several private collections—that bring to life the neighborhood’s bohemian scene and energetic activist spirit.
Mapping America’s Road from Revolution to Independence
COMING SOON: November 3, 2017 – March 11, 2018
Mapping America’s Road from Revolution to Independence showcases hand-drawn and engraved maps from the 18th and early 19th centuries that illuminate the tremendous changes—geographic, political, and economic—that occurred before, during, and just after the Revolutionary War. The exhibition features rarely displayed manuscripts and printed maps from New-York Historical’s own premier collection, including the original manuscript surveys of Robert Erskine, Geographer and Surveyor General of the Continental Army, and his successor Simeon De Witt. Also on display will be John Jay’s personal copy of John Mitchell’s Map of the British and French Dominions in North America (1755) to which red lines representing proposed boundaries were added during the negotiations of the Treaty of Paris, 1782–83. This exhibition was organized by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library as We Are One: Mapping America’s Road from Revolution to Independence and curated at New-York Historical by Nina Nazionale, director of library operations.
Audubon’s Birds of America Focus Gallery
COMING SOON: November 10, 2017 – ongoing
In this intimate gallery, visitors will have the unique experience of viewing John James Audubon’s spectacular watercolor models for the 435 plates of The Birds of America (1827–38) with their corresponding plates from the double-elephant-folio series, engraved by Robert Havell Jr. Each month, the exhibition rotates to highlight new species—featured in the order they appear in Audubon’s publication—which showcase the artist’s creative process and his contributions to ornithological illustration. The initial centerpiece on view is the season-appropriate Wild Turkey: Audubon’s watercolor and the engraving, together with the copper plate on loan from the American Museum of Natural History. Other works from New-York Historical’s collection, the world’s largest repository of Auduboniana, illuminate Audubon’s process, and bird calls echoing through the gallery animate the environment. Curated by Roberta J.M. Olson, curator of drawings.
The Vietnam War: 1945 – 1975
Through April 22, 2018
Join us for this groundbreaking look at one of the most controversial events of the 20th century. Featuring interpretive displays, digital media, artwork, artifacts, photographs, and documents,The Vietnam War: 1945 – 1975 provides an enlightening account of the causes, progression, and impact of the war. Spanning the duration of U.S. involvement in Indochina, the narrative incorporates perspectives covering both the home and the war fronts. Displays touch upon the Cold War, the draft, military campaigns initiated by both sides, the growth of the antiwar movement, the role of the president, and the loss of political consensus. Throughout the exhibition, visitors explore themes of patriotism, duty, and citizenship. Key objects include a troopship berthing unit, interactive murals, vibrant antiwar posters, artwork by Vietnam vets, a Viet Cong bicycle, the Pentagon Papers, and news and film clips.
Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art
Through January 21, 2018
Arthur Szyk, the great 20th-century activist in art, confronted the threats that filled the years around World War II—Nazism, the escalating plight of European Jews, Fascism, Japanese militarism, and racism—with forceful artistic depictions caricaturing Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito as the evil architects of their regimes’ destructive and inhumane policies. More than 40 politically incisive works on view underscore the Polish-born artist’s role as a “one man army” fighting odious policies and protagonists and advocating for civil and human rights.
American Visionary: John F. Kennedy’s Life and Times
Through January 7, 2018
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth, American Visionary: John F. Kennedy’s Life and Times brings together more than 75 images that capture the dramatic scope of Kennedy’s life culled from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, Getty Images, private collections, and the Kennedy family archives. No single politician was photographed more than Kennedy—from his first congressional bid as a decorated war hero in 1946 and his fairy-tale wedding to Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953 to his run for the White House in 1960, his subsequent role as commander-in-chief, and his tragic death in Dallas in 1963. Documentary photographers such as Ed Clark, Ralph Crane, Philippe Halsman, Jacques Lowe, Steve Schapiro, and Sam Vestal captured the optimism and challenges of the early 1960s in some of the finest and most vivid images of the period. Many of the photographs on display are iconic while others are lesser known and explore Kennedy's private life. The exhibition is also on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum through September 17.
Visit the New Fourth Floor
Ongoing
Explore American history through stunning exhibitions and captivating interactive media on our new fourth floor. Themed displays in the North Gallery present a variety of topics—such as slavery, war, infrastructure, childhood, recreation, and 9/11—offering unexpected and surprising perspectives on collection highlights. Touchscreens and interactive kiosks allow visitors to explore American history and engage with objects like never before. As the centerpiece of the transformed fourth floor, the Gallery of Tiffany Lamps features 100 illuminated Tiffany lampshades from our spectacular collection displayed within a dramatically lit jewel-like space. Within our new Center for Women’s History, visitors discover the hidden connections among exceptional and unknown women who left their mark on New York and the nation with the multimedia digital installation, Women’s Voices, and through rotating exhibitions in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery.
Collector’s Choice: Highlights from the Permanent Collection
Ongoing
Since 1804, the New-York Historical Society has been welcoming to its collection some of the most esteemed artworks of the modern world. Collector’s Choice: Highlights from the Permanent Collection showcases a selection of paintings that reflect the individual tastes of several New York City collectors who donated their holdings to New-York Historical. Joining Picasso’s Le Tricorne ballet curtain, these treasures include Thomas Cole’s iconic “Course of Empire” series. Featured American and European masterpieces spanning the 14th through the 21st centuries from Luman Reed, Thomas Jefferson Bryan, and Robert L. Stuart include colonial portraits of children, marine and maritime subjects, and an installation showcasing recently collected contemporary works.
SPECIAL INSTALLATION
We the People
Ongoing
The meaning of the first three words of the U.S. Constitution—“We the people…”—has changed over the course of our nation’s history, and who constitutes “the people” is a topic of fierce debate even today. Constructed entirely from shoelaces donated by members of the public, this monumental artwork by artist Nari Ward honors these three words in a permanent display at the New-York Historical Society. Acquisition of We the People is generously underwritten by Diana and Joe DiMenna.
VETERANS DAY WEEKEND
November 10, 11, and 12
FREE Museum Admission for veterans on November 10, 11, and 12
FREE Museum Admission for all visitors on November 11, courtesy of AT&T
Join us this Veterans Day Weekend as we honor those who have served our country, both in our modern era as well as throughout American history. Through performances, talks, and programs, learn about the experiences of our nation's heroes and the challenges that many face today. Family friendly activities offer kids and their adults age-appropriate learning. Many of the programs throughout Veterans Day Weekend are presented in conjunction with our exhibitionThe Vietnam War: 1945-1975. RSVP for programs not required but strongly recommended. Space is limited; those without RSVPs cannot be guaranteed a seat. To RSVP, contact the Call Center at 212-485-9268 or call.center@nyhistory.org.
Cry Havoc!
Friday, November 10, 7 pm
FREE
Stephan Wolfert recounts his experiences of military service, weaving his personal narrative with lines from some of Shakespeare’s most famous speeches and posing challenging questions: The military recruits citizens and trains them to kill, but what does the “de-cruit” process look like? How do civilians and veterans re-learn to live together? After the performance, Stephan Wolfert joins five veterans from the conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan to discuss challenges they faced returning from battle and how they have dealt with them.
Veterans Resource Center
Sunday, November 12, 11 am – 4 pm
Free with Museum Admission
Veterans organizations will be stationed in our second-floor gallery Dexter Hall to answer questions and provide information on services.
Concert: Orion Music Ensemble
Sunday, November 12, 12–1 pm
Free with Museum Admission
Join us for a tribute to our heroes beginning with classical compositions written for the military and ending with marches, gallops, and a grand finale that will get everyone moving. Orion Music Ensemble has played for audiences around the city and around the world, delighting those at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and even Queen Elizabeth II.
Voices from War
Sunday, November 12, 2–4 pm
Free with Museum Admission
Listen to six veterans of the Vietnam War and recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan share original writing on their experiences of war and coming home, followed by a discussion and meet-and-greet with the Voices of War readers.
To learn more about our Veterans Day Weekend programs, including family friendly activities, visit www.nyhistory.org/veterans-day-weekend.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
An Evening with Eva Moskowitz: Shaping America’s Future
Monday, October 16, 6:30 pm
FREE
As the United States looks to remain competitive in an ever-changing world, the future of the American education system is a critical component to the national conversation. As founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools, Eva Moskowitz established an unprecedented track record for guiding New York City’s most disadvantaged children to high academic performance. In a candid talk, Moskowitz reflects on the battles she has waged and the key partnerships she has established with allies such as Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo to reimagine the approach to educating New York’s burgeoning minds.
From the Federal Era to the Civil War: The Modern Metropolis Emerges
Barry Lewis
Tuesday, October 17, 6:30 pm
$48 (Members $38)
Barry Lewis returns to shed light on the development of New York City from the Federal Era of the 1780s and ’90s—when the new American Republic inspired a light, open architectural style harkening back to Roman villas and Greek temples—to the modern metropolis transforming with the influx of immigrants and industry on the eve of the Civil War.
America’s Fragile Democracy
Samuel Issacharoff, Jeffrey Toobin
Wednesday, October 18, 6:30 pm
$44 (Members $32)
The founding generation of political leaders established the United States Constitution and solidified American law, but how have leaders from Theodore Roosevelt to Barack Obama used their power to shape and influence our democratic institutions since then? Experts discuss the history of America’s fragile democracy.
Civil Wars: From Ancient Rome to the Modern Middle East
David Armitage
Thursday, October 19, 6:30 pm
$38 (Members $24)
From Ancient Rome to the present day, the term “civil war” has been applied to myriad confrontations throughout history. In an increasingly interconnected world, the effects of these violent clashes reverberate across the globe. Surveying historic conflicts, including the American Civil War and the Vietnam War, as well as the contemporary crises in Syria and Iraq, acclaimed historian David Armitage explores the fraught origins and consequences of civil wars.
Sex and the Constitution from America’s Origins to the 21st Century
Geoffrey R. Stone, Amy Adler
Saturday, October 21, 9:30 am – 11 am
$48 (Members $38)
Fueled by tensions among politics, religion, public opinion, and the courts, the epic story of how sex came to be legislated in America is as old as the nation itself, beginning with the Founding Fathers’ adamant commitment to the separation of church and state; spanning through the late-19th and early 20th centuries with the development of laws regulating pornography, contraception, and abortion; and persisting through the postwar era with landmark Supreme Court cases, including Griswold v. Connecticut, Roe v. Wade, and Obergefell v. Hodges. Leading legal experts discuss how Constitutional interpretations of sex continue to cause controversy in American law and society today.
Loving v. Virginia
Dorothy E. Roberts, Brent Staples
Tuesday, October 24, 6:30 pm
$38 (Members $24)
Fifty years following its ruling, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia still resonates as a critical legal battle of the civil rights movement. Experts discuss how the Lovingdecision, which legalized interracial marriage throughout the country, constituted a win for equal protection under the law but also represented a missed opportunity for the nation’s highest court to produce a more lasting denunciation of white supremacy in America.
Alone: Britain, Churchill, and Dunkirk
Michael Korda
Monday, October 30, 6:30 pm
SOLD OUT
By mid-1940, Britain—led by newly appointed Prime Minister Winston Churchill—found itself isolated and alone, facing the threat of a Nazi Germany emboldened by victory at the Battle of Dunkirk, the first major conflict on the Western Front. Bestselling author Michael Korda, who, as a young child, evacuated Britain during the war, discusses the early years of World War II.
American Foreign Policy in the Age of Trump
Richard N. Haass, David E. Sanger
Tuesday, October 31, 6:30 pm
SOLD OUT
Leading foreign affairs experts David Sanger and Richard Haass return to New-York Historical Society for an in-depth update on America’s global ties, discussing how international issues influence the United States on a daily basis and highlighting the role American policy plays in the world.
Revolution Song: A Story of American Freedom
Russell Shorto
Monday, November 6, 6:30 pm
$44 (Members $32)
Russell Shorto uncovers the diverse stories of six historical figures on the eve of the Revolution—a Native American warrior, a British aristocrat, a woman, a slave, a laborer, and George Washington himself—shedding new light on the meaning of freedom and describing how the struggle to uphold Revolutionary ideals remains to this day.
George Washington and the Battle for the Nation's Capital
Richard Brookhiser, Dale Gregory
Thursday, November 9, 6:30 pm
$38 (Members $24)
The American Revolution reached a terrifying peak when British forces encroached on the young, embattled nation’s seat of government in Philadelphia. Follow General George Washington’s fight to save the capital, including the Battle of Brandywine—the Revolution’s largest and longest single-day conflict—and discover what forced the Continental Army to encamp at Valley Forge.
The Slave’s Cause: A History of Abolition
Manisha Sinha, Eric Foner
Tuesday, November 14, 6:30 pm
$38 (Members $24)
A radical social movement with roots as far back as the nation’s founding, abolitionism became a cause around which Americans of many backgrounds—men and women, black and white, free and enslaved—found common ground. Join leading Civil War historians Manisha Sinha and Eric Foner as they trace the history of the abolition movement from the Revolutionary Era through the passage of the 13th Amendment.
Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
Gordon S. Wood, Carol Berkin
Thursday, November 16, 6:30 pm
SOLD OUT
Founders Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were exceedingly different both in background and in temperament, and although they worked closely during the Revolution and on the Declaration of Independence, their profound disagreements ultimately led to the establishment of America’s first divergent political parties. Celebrated historians trace the political acts and personal friendship of these two iconic figures from their start as Founding Fathers, to their bitter falling out, to their ultimate reconciliation.
Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and the Vietnam War
William E. Leuchtenburg, Fredrik Logevall, Douglas Brinkley (moderator)
Satuday, November 18, 9–9:30 am: Registration and Continental Breakfast, 9:30–11 am: Program
$48 (Members $38)
Celebrated historians give an in-depth look at the leadership of American presidents during the height of the Vietnam War Era. In conjunction with our exhibition The Vietnam War: 1945–1975, experts discuss how presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon responded to the turmoil of international conflict and the upheaval of protest movements at home.
War Powers and the Presidency
Matthew C. Waxman, Philip C. Bobbitt
Tuesday, November 21, 6:30 pm
$38 (Members $24)
“The power to wage war is the power to wage war successfully…” U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Evan Hughes famously proclaimed a century ago in a statement that continues to echo in the ongoing legal debate over presidential powers during wartime. With the line between peacetime and wartime blurring in the context of today’s sweeping transnational conflicts, legal scholars bring to light a key moment in the history of the war powers debate when, during World War I, President Woodrow Wilson and Congress were empowered by flexible interpretations of the Constitution, leading to the expansion of wartime powers. Join us for a discussion that uncovers what history teaches us about contemporary debates over constitutional war powers.
An Evening with Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokaw, David M. Rubenstein
Monday, November 27, 6:30 pm
SOLD OUT
Tom Brokaw, one of the most respected and trusted figures in U.S. broadcast journalism—best known for his more than 20 years as managing editor and sole anchor of NBC Nightly News—joins us for an in-depth conversation on his prolific life and career delivering the news to millions of Americans. From his early years in Atlanta, GA, reporting on the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King Jr.; to his ascent to NBC White House Correspondent amid the chaos of the Watergate Scandal; to his award-winning interview with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and coverage of the fall of the Berlin Wall; to becoming the first anchor to conduct a one-on-one interview with Russian president, Vladimir Putin; to his harrowing live reporting during the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Brokaw’s career has covered history and made history in equal measure.
Modernism in the Victorian Era
Barry Lewis
Tuesday, November 28, 6:30 pm
$48 (Members $38)
Architectural historian Barry Lewis explores how modernism—an architectural and decorative style defined by its simplicity and efficiency—emerged during the Victorian Era, a time when ornamentation and intricate design reigned.
Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election
Lawrence O’Donnell
Wednesday, November 29, 6:30 pm
$38 (Members $24)
Amid the global crises of the Cold War, domestic riots, and the tragic assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, the 1968 election became chaotic, featuring politicians from Richard Nixon to Lyndon B. Johnson. In conjunction with the exhibition The Vietnam War: 1945-1975, Lawrence O’Donnell unpacks one of the most tumultuous elections in American history.
JUSTICE IN FILM SERIES
This series explores how film has tackled social conflict, morality, and the perennial struggle between right and wrong. Entrance to the film series is included with Museum Admission during New-York Historical’s Pay-as-you-wish Friday Nights (6–8 pm). No advance reservations. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 6 pm.
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
Friday, October 27, 7 pm
Author Philip C. Bobbitt introduces this film about an elderly school teacher reflecting on his extensive career at a boarding school in England, where he experienced love, loss, and war. Directed by Sam Wood. Starring Robert Donat, Greer Garson. 114 min.
High Noon (1952)
Friday, November 3, 7 pm
Considered one of the greatest Western dramas of all time, High Noon stars Gary Cooper as a brave, small-town lawman who prepares for the arrival of a deadly nemesis at high noon. The screening will be introduced by author Philip C. Bobbitt and journalist Amanda Foreman, daughter of High Noon screenwriter Carl Foreman. Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Starring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly. 85 min.
Red Dust (1932)
Friday, November 17, 7 pm
With an introduction by Fredrik Logevall, Ron Simon, and Dale Gregory, this classic romantic drama follows a rubber plantation owner in colonial French Indochina as he becomes embroiled in a love triangle. Directed by Victor Fleming. Starring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Mary Astor. 83 min.
OTHER EVENTS AT NEW-YORK HISTORICAL
The Citizenship Project
Free Civics Classes for Green Card Holders
Registration is open for free civics classes to help green card holders prepare for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization exam. Part of New-York Historical Society’s Citizenship Project, this initiative, in partnership with CUNY’s Citizenship Now!, aims to help legal immigrants in the New York region become American citizens through workshops, classes, educational tools, museum guides, and special installations. Through these courses, made possible by generous grants from the Ford Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, participants learn about pivotal moments in U.S. history as they examine treasures from New-York Historical’s collections.
Visit nyhistory.org/citizenship to apply or to learn more about the Citizenship Project, its programs, and related educational resources.
Stroller Tour Through History
Second Friday of each month: November 10, December 8, 2017; 9:15 – 10 am
Children under 24 months and their adults
$25 per family (includes up to two adults and their children)
Take a stroll through history with your little one! Grown-ups and their children (up to 2 years old) explore America’s past, present, and future in this lively and interactive tour. Our early childhood educator leads you and your child on an exploration of art, history, and creativity―all before the Museum opens for the day. Singing, movement, texture exploration, and art-making in the galleries make for a memorable morning.
CONTACT INFORMATION
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West (at 77th Street)
New York, NY 10024
MUSEUM AND NYHISTORY STORE HOURS:
Tuesday – Thursday: 10 am – 6 pm
Friday: 10 am – 8 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm
The Museum will be closed on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 23.
MUSEUM ADMISSION (as of July 1, 2017)
Adults: $21
Teachers and Seniors: $16
Students: $13
Children (5–13): $6
Children (4 and under): Free
*Pay-as-you-wish Fridays from 6 pm – 8 pm.
