Preservation Society's Summer Lectures go from "Flora to Farmland"

The Preservation Society of Newport County’s summer lecture series will bring a stellar group of speakers to Newport to share their knowledge about historic landscapes, gardens and collections.

In addition, several of its own Research Fellows will share their work on subjects ranging from the development of early American libraries and health resorts, to new insights into the architectural development of Kingscote.

Many of the lectures are free, but advance reservations are required for all. Reservations can be made online at www.NewportMansions.org or by calling (401) 847-1000 ext. 137.

Here’s the list:

Thursday, May 14, 2015 11:00 a.m. Rosecliff

Slavery, the Transatlantic Book Trade, and the Origins of American Philanthropy: A Study of Early American Libraries North and South

Sean Moore, Ph.D., Research Fellow, The Preservation Society of Newport County; Associate Professor of English, University of New Hampshire College of Liberal Arts

Early American libraries represent a confluence of two transatlantic branches of eighteenth-century commerce: the book trade and the slave trade. The philanthropy of slave traders and of those involved in related enterprises like sugar, rum, tobacco, and shipbuilding provided the capital necessary for libraries to build their book collections. Touching on the well-known role of enslavers in endowing universities like Brown, and on the lesser-known influence of their contributions to the Salem Social Library, Redwood Library, New York Society Library, Library Company of Philadelphia, and the Charleston Library of South Carolina, this talk will discuss how some of the books held by these libraries, paradoxically, were resources for anti-slavery advocates. Admission is free; advance registration required.

Thursday, May 21, 2015 11:00 a.m. Rosecliff
Arthur A. Shurcliff: Design, Preservation, and the Creation of the Colonial Williamsburg Landscape
Elizabeth Hope Cushing, Ph.D., Landscape historian

This lecture will illuminate how his early work in Boston and Ipswich, Massachusetts prepared landscape architect and preservationist Arthur Shurcliff (1870-1957) for his biggest project, the landscape of Colonial Williamsburg. This design, begun in 1928, remains one of the most important examples of the American Colonial Revival landscape. Admission is free; advance registration required.

Thursday, May 28, 2015 11:00 a.m. Rosecliff

The Eaddo & Peter Kiernan Lecture for Fellows

Building History: New Insights into Kingscote’s Architectural Development

Aimée Keithan, Research Fellow, The Preservation Society of Newport County

Kingscote’s rich family and renovation history makes it an ideal example of architectural responses to evolving societal norms in 19th and 20th century Newport. After being sold during the Civil War, the house remained with one family for over a century and chronicles the work of significant architects like Richard Upjohn, McKim, Mead and White, and George Champlin Mason. This lecture reveals previously unknown building phases and clarifies the extent of known renovations through innovative methods integrating historic evidence with building analysis. From its original southern owner through successive generations of the King family, Kingscote illustrates how a building can be altered to reflect the changing social roles of its owners. Admission is free; advance registration required. Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Beatrix Farrand: Private Gardens, Public Landscapes

Judith B. Tankard, Landscape historian

Beatrix Farrand was one of the foremost landscape architects of the 20th century. In a career spanning from the Gilded Age to the late 1950s, Farrand was renowned for her private estate gardens, such as Dumbarton Oakes in Washington, D.C. and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden in Maine. She was also a campus consultant at prestigious universities, such as Yale and Princeton. The restoration of a number of her important landscapes has brought her work to the forefront. Admission is free; advance registration required.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015 11:00 a.m. Rosecliff

19th Century Watering Holes: From Infirmary to Social Itinerary

Arabeth Balasko, Research Fellow, The Preservation Society of Newport County

Ms. Balasko will present her research, which focuses on the making of resort communities in the North--Newport, RI--and the South--Greenbrier and Monroe Counties in West Virginia. The lecture will showcase the founding and development of resort communities, from convalescent havens to luxury retreats. The research demonstrates that the services, lifestyles and experiences of today’s resort towns are not very different from the early decades of the 19th century. Admission is free; advance registration required.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015 6:00 p.m. Rosecliff

Visions of Vizcaya, a Passion for the Past

Ian Simpkins, Chief Horticulturist, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

Vizcaya is a one of a kind estate – a pastiche of old and new, emerging from the steamy mangrove swamps. Created by a man with an open checkbook and another man with unlimited creative vision, it continues to beckon today as theater of a bygone era, transporting the visitor to another place and time. The gardens are a captivating blend of Italianate architecture and French inspired horticultural design with splashes of tropical exuberance and heightened decay. Take a journey through the gardens, be captivated by their beauty, learn about new research findings, and discover the background of the genius that created them. Admission: Preservation Society members $5; general admission $10; advance registration required.

Thursday, July 30, 2015 6:00 p.m. Rosecliff

The Pamela & David B. Ford Lecture

Making Modern Flowers: The Path to the Avant Garde

Dr. Mitchell Merling, Paul Mellon Curator and Head of the Department of European Art,

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

This talk explores how artists used flowers as a subject to inflect their works with modern meanings. The flower was a valid medium for this as it was often a metaphor not only for color, that basic tool of the artist, but also of artistic creation, as analogized to nature’s fecundity. Artists discussed will include Delacroix, Manet, van Gogh, and Matisse. Admission: Preservation Society members $5; general admission $10; advance registration required.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015 8:00 p.m. Rosecliff

An Evening in Honor of John G. Winslow

Collecting Histories and Collecting Mysteries: Great Art Collections of America’s Gilded Age

Inge Reist, Director of the Center for the History of Collecting, The Frick Collection

This lecture will bring alive the personalities of art collectors and those who influenced their taste as they formed some of America’s most dazzling and admired art collections. Their motivations and methods of acquisition will be explored, as will the philanthropic legacies of Gilded Age collectors, so many of whom established their collections as public museums. Admission: Preservation Society members $15; general admission $20; advance registration required.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015 6:00 p.m. Rosecliff

An Evening with Maureen Chilton

Maureen K. Chilton, Chairman of the Board, The New York Botanical Garden

Join Maureen Chilton as she shares her experiences at the New York Botanical Garden and her ongoing preservation work at White Hall Plantation near Charleston, South Carolina. Mrs. Chilton has served on the Board of the New York Botanical Garden since February 2005, and became Chairman in 2009. In addition to leading important endeavors throughout the organization, she holds a special interest in the Garden’s education programs, especially those that provide opportunities for underserved children. Mrs. Chilton is a member of the Preservation Society’s International Council. Along with her husband she is involved with a number of charitable, cultural and educational institutions. Admission: Preservation Society members $10; general admission $15; advance registration required.

Thursday, August 27, 2015 11:00 a.m. Rosecliff

Longwood Gardens: Behind the Gates of One of the Great Gardens of the World

Jim Sutton, Display Designer, Longwood Gardens

Get a sneak peek into Longwood’s 1,007 acres, including 20 outdoor and 20 indoor gardens with exquisite flowers, majestic trees and opulent architecture. Learn about the extensive research that goes into the floral and exhibit design, including the plant trials and selection process that have made Longwood Gardens spectacular for more than a century. Admission: Preservation Society members $5; general admission $10; advance registration required. The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, is a non-profit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes, decorative arts and social history. Its 11 historic properties--seven of them National Historic Landmarks--span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development. For more information, visit www.NewportMansions.org.