FALL LECTURES 2026

• Tuesday, September 29^th 2026, 6PM

The American Artists’ Hand Archive with Thomas Donahue and Vanessa Hoheb

Vanessa Hoheb and Thomas Donahue are creating an archive of bronze life hand castings working in participation with many of America’s most venerated visual artists. The Project mission is to assemble an ongoing archive of superbly crafted bronze hand casts. Each artist, in their own way, approaches aesthetic challenges through the most basic manipulation of materials with gifted hands. As agents of creativity, these hands bear the marks of use that are inextricably tied to important contributions to contemporary American art. Ms. Hoheb and Mr. Donahue will discuss this significant project, recent developments and its important legacy.

 

• Tuesday, October 6^th 2026, 6PM

Ornamental Cornices: Manhattan’s Sheet-Metal Masterpieces with Henry Hillman

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the facades of many residential and commercial buildings in America’s cities were crowned with sheet-metal cornices. These offered certain practical advantages over stone or brick cornices―for example, they were lighter and safer to install―but the easy workability of sheet metal also allowed for greater decorative possibilities. And of all the cities where these cornices were installed, New York may preserve the greatest number and variety―particularly in such Manhattan. Mr. Hillman, in his talk based on his new book, Ornamental Cornices, will describe some of these exceptional cornices.  This program is held in partnership with The New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Victorian Society of New York.

 

• Tuesday, October 13^th 2026, 6PM

Art Deco New York City Public Programs in the 1930’s with Architectural Historian, Matt Postal

New York City was transformed in 1930s. Thousands of city residents were unemployed during the Great Depression and such far-sighted government officials as US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Mayor Fiorella LaGuardia and urban planner Robert Moses joined together to create an extraordinarily ambitious program of public buildings, art projects, and infrastructure. In this talk, Art Deco examples in all five boroughs will be examined and the impact that was felt on housing, health, recreation, leisure, and the environment.  Join Matt Postal for an illustrated talk that considers how these enduring achievements came to be in the Art Deco era and why they still matter today. This program is held in partnership with the Art Deco Society of New York.

 

This page will be updated with additional Fall lectures.

For more information, please contact ktaylor@generalsociety.org