Thursday Morning Lectures

With its vast range of subjects, the Thursday Morning Lecture Series is a wealth of information and inspiration. This friendly and topical series will engage your mind, and give you new ideas to consider, as well as some old ones to revisit. It may spark a greater interest in something you’ve been curious about, or introduce you to a new interest you didn’t know you had. You’ll meet others who enjoy continually learning about themselves and the world around them. Come for just an hour-long presentation, or stay on afterwards for the noontime Organization of Older Students lecture series!

Civil War Monuments of New England

Laura Eisener

Almost every New England town has its Soldiers and Sailors Monument, tributes to the sacrifices made by its townspeople in the war that killed more Americans than any other. Often the most conspicuous example of public art, many of these monuments occupy prominent locations while others are tucked away on less visible sites. Some towns have more than one — donated by different organizations or the result of changing tastes and interests which encouraged townspeople to build a new monument of a different style. There are even new Civil War monuments being built today, as well as many that have undergone restorations in the last few years. The statues are often the work of leading 19th and early 20th century sculptors. Favorite motifs include soldiers and sailors in realistically detailed Civil War uniforms, allegorical figures of classical women representing America, or Victory, as well as columns, obelisks, and artillery. An intriguing sampling of our region’s monuments includes a bronze soldier in New Hampshire which took a bullet hole in the shoulder, a spectacular trumpeter on his lively horse galloping in Brookline, an infantryman in York, ME that many people have mistaken for a Rebel soldier, and many more. National and local history combines with art when you look at the many styles of Civil War monument seen throughout New England.
April 17
EVENT CODE: LA17

Tune in tomorrow for the next exciting episode of...

Richard King

"Serials" were 15-minute radio programs broadcasted during the dinner hours with continuous cliff-hanging episodes, five days a week during the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Heroes larger than life, like Jack Armstrong, Captain Midnight and Superman, brought children home for supper and captured their imaginations. Each episode ended on an exciting situation that would be resolved on the next episode. The serials were sponsored largely by cereal companies that found out that although the parents purchased cereals, their children told them which ones to buy. To ensure their success, radio premiums were created. Rings, decoder badges, etc., were offered that were used by their heroes in the programs. In this program, return to those thrilling serials with radio historian Richard King and relive those exciting times. Note: There’s a new sound system for easy listening!
April 24
EVENT CODE: LA24

Twilight of Painting?

David Wenstrom

R. H. Ives Gammell (1893-1981) was a Boston painter and teacher attempting to preserve an artistic creed based on European old masters. He became aware of the rapid erosion of professional fine arts standards brought on by two world wars and the general malaise of society. In his visionary book Twilight of Painting (1946), Gammell warned of the Art of Painting, begun in the Renaissance and based on severe training and cumulative knowledge, ending in another Dark Age. His book was an indictment towards the prevailing do-as-you-will art training. His sharp analysis would hold some keys for educating the 21st century art student and professional painter. This talk will examine the life of Ives Gammell and Twilight of Painting, and look at traditional art teaching systems.
May 1
EVENT CODE: LM01

The Cape Homeless: A Photgraphy Project

Andrew Miller

Photographer Andrew Miller began a black and white portrait project of Cape Cod’s homeless that eventually resulted in a gallery show. We will view these unstyled portraits as Andrew talks about the project from both personal and technical perspectives. He’ll discuss how the photos are made, how projects like this can come up, and the political issues, compromises and difficulties with photographing logistically inconsistent subjects.
May 8
EVENT CODE: LM08

Family Ties: Poems About Family Connections

Charles Coe

Poet Charles Coe is author of Picnic on the Moon (Leapfrog Press). In this program, Family Ties, Charles will read and discuss his poems about family connections — the topic of his next book. The reading will include poems from his first book and the book in progress, as well as pieces about family written by other poets.
May 15
EVENT CODE: LM15

The Evolution of Jazz

Debbie Gruber

Jazz originated in New Orleans in the early 1800’s. In this lecture, we will explore how jazz evolved through the years.We will explore its features — blues, polyrhythms, syncopation, improvisation, instrumentation. We will also listen to many different types of jazz, such as early swing, big band, be-bop, cool jazz, free jazz, latin jazz and jazz fusion.
May 22
EVENT CODE: LM22

Searching for God in Music

Jim Smith

The search for ultimate meaning is an integral part of great music. The artistic struggle for expression mirrors the spiritual rowing towards whatever we conceive of as God(s) in such works as Bach’s B Minor Mass and Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. Our attention will be on how the musical intuition and patterns of these geniuses express their desire to connect with the universe in a profound and transformative way. Open to theists, deists, agnostics, atheists, pagans, and others.
May 29
EVENT CODE: LM29

Conversations with Latin American Women About Knowledge, Power and the Craft of Self-discovery

Maria-Fernanda Gonzalez Robas

In this presentation, we will explore the different identities that Latin American women have had throughout time. We will select three cases of Latin American writers: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651), Elena Poniatowska (1932) from Mexico, and Isabel Allende (1942) from Chile. We will explore these three identities by reading and studying literary descriptions, images and expressions. The presenter, María-Fernanda González Rojas, teaches at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico and at the Education Development Center in Newton. For more information about her, visit: www.mex-i-can.net.
June 5
EVENT CODE: LJ05