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~~~~~~~~~~ May ~~~~~~~~~~ Thursday, May 1 ~ Georgia O'Keeffe: An American Master. Early in her career, Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) clearly demonstrated her fierce independence as she charted her own course between representation and abstraction. O'Keeffe's greatly enlarged flower paintings of the 1920s brought her fame, and her long and productive life transformed her into an American icon. In 1946 she became the first woman to be the subject of a one-person retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. O'Keeffe and her husband, Alfred Stieglitz belonged to that vanguard of modernists who profoundly changed America's cultural landscape in the first half of the 20th century. Learn about this fascinating artist from retired Art History professor Bob Manning in a slide show and talk. South Ryegate Presbyterian Church, Basement, 7:00 p.m. Call Regina Hazel, (802) 584-3317.
Sunday, May 4 ~ The Allen Brothers: Original Vermont Developers. Little has been said about Ethan and Ira Allen's activities as real estate developers. This presentation by Vincent Feeney explains the importance of real estate speculation in the colonies on the eve of the Revolution, how the grants system functioned in theory and in practice, how the Allens acquired thousands of acres in Vermont with little cash, how American independence ruined their real estate empire, and how Ira sought to recoup his fortune in schemes inimical to United States interests. Burlington, Fletcher Free Library, Community Room, 1:30 p.m. Call Stephanie Schott, (802) 865-7211.
Monday, May 5 ~ Dorothy Canfield Fisher: A Vermonter for the World. Dorothy Canfield Fisher wrote often about Vermont, but she was a writer beyond our region who communicated to the world and to the human spirit. She celebrated the book as the surest tool for thought. In her forty books of fiction and non-fiction, she attacked discrimination, intolerance, brutality, and fraud. Her writing was vibrant and heartening with glorious aspects of living life with courage and joy. This living history presentation by Helene Lang showcases her life's works. Grand Isle, Block School House, Next to Hyde Log Cabin, 7:00 p.m. Call Maggie Lawliss, (802) 372-9099.
Tuesday, May 6 ~ Life Onboard: Studying Lake Champlain's Sunken Canal Boats. In the 1800s Lake Champlain was home to thousands of canal boats. Every year a few of these boats found their way to the bottom of the lake, leaving modern-day underwater archaeologists with a treasure trove of wooden shipwrecks. The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum recently completed an investigation of one such canal boat wreck. Discover the gripping tale of this shipwreck with Adam Kane, through slides, drawings, and artifacts. Colchester, Burnham Memorial Library, 7:00 p.m. Call Suzanne Furst, (802) 658-3706.
Tuesday, May 6 ~ Civil War Sites in Vermont. The Civil War affected everyone, not just those who carried a gun. In researching a new book on Civil War home sites, historian and author Howard Coffin has found some fascinating places right here in Vermont, including a cave where a man lived for years to avoid the draft, a home where a woman sequestered herself after hearing of her fiancé's death, and an isolated house where soldiers returning with syphilis were quarantined. Come hear about these places and share your stories of Civil War sites in your community. Williamstown, “The Gardens” at Williamstown Square, 2844 VT Rte. 14, 7:00 p.m. Call Becky Watson, (802) 433-5451.
Wednesday, May 7 ~ Dorothy Canfield Fisher: A Vermonter for the World. Dorothy Canfield Fisher wrote often about Vermont, but she was a writer beyond our region who communicated to the world and to the human spirit. She celebrated the book as the surest tool for thought. In her forty books of fiction and non-fiction, she attacked discrimination, intolerance, brutality, and fraud. Her writing was vibrant and heartening with glorious aspects of living life with courage and joy. This living history presentation by Helene Lang showcases her life's works. Shelburne, Trinity Episcopal Church, 6:00 p.m. Call Sally Rice, (802) 860-1891. Saturday, May 10 ~ Civil War Sites in Vermont. The Civil War affected everyone, not just those who carried a gun. In researching a new book on Civil War home sites, historian and author Howard Coffin has found some fascinating places right here in Vermont, including a cave where a man lived for years to avoid the draft, a home where a woman sequestered herself after hearing of her fiancé's death, and an isolated house where soldiers returning with syphilis were quarantined. Come hear about these places and share your stories of Civil War sites in your community. Shelburne United Methodist Church, Just off Route 7 in the Village, 1:00 p.m. Call Ina Isham, (802) 879-1925.
Tuesday, May 13 ~ Vermont’s Flood of 1927: A New Look. The flood is remembered as the greatest natural disaster ever to strike Vermont, and stories of loss, tragedy, and heroism abound. Yet it is far more than an episode restricted to the history of a single state. An examination of the flood and reconstruction helps shed light on important facets of our national history, and helps us understand better America's passage through the often anxious and difficult years of the 1920s. The speakers are historians Deborah and Nicholas Clifford. Milton Public Library, 7:00 p.m. Call Fran Ferro, (802) 893-4644.
Thursday, May 15 ~ Vermont in the Victorian Age. The prevailing image of the last half of the nineteenth century in Vermont is one of relative decline and stagnation. Portraying the Victorian years instead as a time of tremendous activity, vitality and development, Kevin Graffagnino's slide lecture examines the major events and movements that enlivened the period in Vermont—the social reform crusades, the Civil War, the coming of the railroads, the development of the stone and lumber industries, the emigration of many native Yankees and the immigration of Irish, French-Canadian, Italian, and other foreign workers, the tension between rural and urban areas, the establishment of Republican Party political hegemony, the beginnings of the tourist industry, and the ongoing importance of agriculture. The combination of a rich assortment of pictures and an analysis of five decades of continuity and change in Vermont offers a fascinating look at this important period in our state's history. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 7:00 p.m. Call Shara McCaffrey, (802) 748-8291.
Sunday, May 18 ~ Vermont History Through Song. Singer and researcher Linda Radtke, joined by pianist John Lincoln, brings Vermont history to life with engaging commentary about the songs found in the Vermont Historical Society's collection of sheet music. Dressed in period costume, Ms. Radtke takes listeners through state history, using the songs Vermonters published in their communities. The program can be geared toward your town's history, or toward a specific historical period such as the Civil War. Northfield Historical Society, 7:00 p.m. Call James Pedley, (802) 485-6228. |
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Speakers Bureau Schedule |
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Office in Montpelier
11 Loomis Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05602 802.262.2626 Fax: 802.262.2620 E-mail: info@vermonthumanities.org |
