Past Lectures:
2020 Landmark Lecture Series
Tuesday, February 18th – Anthony W. Robins, Historian, and Author of Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years of a New York Landmark.
2020 Artisan Lecture
Tuesday, February 25 – Zachary J. Violette, Architectural Historian, and Author, The Decorated Tenement: How Immigrant Builders and Architects Transformed the Slum in the Gilded Age.
2019 Literature Lectures
Monday, September 9th – Condé Nast: The Man and His Empire with Susan Ronald.
Friday, February 1 – Irene O’Garden, Risking The Rapids: How My Wilderness Adventure Healed My Childhood.
Tuesday, April 2nd, – Julie Dobrow, Will speak about the fascinating lives of Mabel Loomis Todd, Emily Dickinson’s first editor, and her daughter Millicent Todd Bingham in Born Too Soon, Born Too Late, presented in partnership with the Victorian Society.
2019 Labor Lectures
Tuesday, June 4 – Dan Holohan, International Authority on Steam Heating
Thursday, June 13 – Grant Glickson, President of the NewsGuild of New York, Local 31003 will discuss the Guild.
2019 Artisan Lectures
Tuesday, October 15 – Sharon Suchma, Ph.D., entitled The Marriage of Photography and Architecture
Tuesday, October 22nd – Paul Kaplan who will recount the trials and triumphs of New York’s Original Penn Station: The Rise and Tragic Fall of an American Landmark.
Tuesday, October 29th – Codex New York: Typologies of the City is the latest book on explorations and observances about New York City by noted urban photographer Stanley Greenberg. In conversation with Elizabeth Goldstein, President of the Municipal Art Society New York.
Tuesday, November 19th – The Central Park: Original Designs for New York’s Greatest Treasure with Cynthia S. Brenwall, Conservator and Art Historian, New York City Municipal Archives
Tuesday, November 26th – Baroque Virtuosity, a musical evening with a program of virtuosic works by European composers spanning close to 200 years
Tuesday, December 3rd – Hammer & Homework/Auction and Education: the Impact of Connoisseurship and Provenance on the Valuation of Works of Art with Ann-Marie Richard, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Director, MA Fine and Decorative Art and Design.
Tuesday, February 26th – Tim Alpaugh, artisan, will discuss the Craft and History of Golf.
Tuesday, March 12 – Artisan Jeff Wasson, an artist who specializes in making historical reproductions of medieval armor, will discuss his trade.
Tuesday, March 26th – Korean Chef, Sohui Kim will describe her profession and talk about her restaurant, her projects and her cookbooks, The Good Fork and Korean Home Cooking.
Tuesday, April 9th – Atelier Berthold Hoffmann, will discuss the design and manufacturing of cast-iron cookware and sterling silver fine tableware.
Thursday, April 25– Robert Wiesenberger will discuss the new book, Transitional Moments: Marcel Breuer, the W. C. Vaughan Co. and the Bauhaus In America.
Tuesday, May 7th – Artisan Bruno Paulin Lopez, master upholsterer will provide an overview of his craft.
Tuesday, May 14th, at 7 pm – A special screening of the acclaimed documentary, The World Before Your Feet, the story of Matt Green’s odyssey to walk the 8,000 miles of roads and paths of New York City.
Tuesday, June 11 – Nalina Moses will discuss her book Single-Handedly: Contemporary Architects Draw.
Tuesday, June 25 – Vanessa Hoheb and Thomas Donahue will discuss The American Artists’ Hand Archive, an archive of bronze life hand castings working in participation with many of America’s most venerated visual artists including Chuck Close, Jasper Johns, and Maya Lin.
September to December 2018
Tuesday, December 11– Manhattan’s Little Secrets: Uncovering Mysteries in Brick and Mortar, Glass and Stone with John Tauranac
Thursday, December 6th– Victory City: A History of New York and New Yorkers during World War II with John Strausbaugh
Tuesday, December 4 – Jan Seidler Ramirez, Chief Curator and Executive Vice President of Collections at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Creating a Collection for the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
Thursday, November 29th – Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 3: The War Years and After 1939-1962 with Blanche Wiesen Cook
Tuesday, November 6th – Major General Jeffrey L. Milhorn provided a fascinating overview and strategic update of The Army Corps of Engineers’ Worldwide Presence and Operations.
Tuesday, October 30 – Why Unions Still Matter, Labor Educator, Diane Thomas-Holladay, examined the relevance of unions in the 21stCentury, held In partnership with The IATSE Education and Training Department & United Scenic Artists Local 829
Tuesday, October 23 – The Stones of Yale with Adam Van Doren, Author, and Artist, Adam Van Doren discussed his new book, The Stones of Yale. Held in partnership with the New York Landmarks Conservancy.
Thursday, September 20th – Library Book Sale with a special program with the author, Polly Guerin on The Dynamics of Color, about the universal language of color.
March to June 2018
Tuesday, March 20th– Andrew Scott Dolkart, Professor of Historic Preservation, Columbia University School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Creation of New York’s Garment District
Tuesday, March 27th – Memories and Monuments: Preservation in Practice at Green-Wood Cemetery, Neela K. Wickremesinghe, Manager of Restoration and Preservation, Green-Wood Cemetery
Tuesday, April 3 – Tulis, Sculptor, and Designer
Tuesday, April 17th – Lisa Kersavage, Director of Special Projects and Strategic Planning, NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, LPC’s Historic District Data Project
Tuesday, May 8th– Artisans from Alpha Workshops
Wednesday, May 9th– Tessa Murdoch, Deputy Keeper at the Victoria & Albert Museum, ‘Master and Apprentice: The Transfer of Skills in the London Huguenot Community 1680-1760
Thursday, May 10th– David F. Gibson, AIA, Principal of DF Gibson Architects, The Restoration of a Bronx Landmark
Tuesday, May 15th – Joan Berkowitz, Senior Preservationist, and Carolyn Caste, Director of Facade Compliance, Howard L. Zimmerman Architects, Reflections on 35 years of Façade Inspections
Wednesday, May 16th– Saving Radio City Music Hall: A Dancer’s True Story, Rosemary Novellino-Mearns
Tuesday, May 22nd–One-Track Mind: Drawing the New York Subway by Philip Ashforth Coppola, Ezra Bookstein, and Jeremy Workman
Tuesday, June 5th– The Roots of Radiant Heating with Dan Holohan
Thursday, June 7th – Talk & Reception to Celebrate the 150th Birthday of Charles Rennie MacKintosh
Tuesday, June 12th – William Youse, Director of Technical Services and Special Projects at Steinway & Sons
Thursday, June 14– Helluva Town: The Story of New York City During World War II, Richard Goldstein and other guests
Tuesday, June 19th – Meisha Hunter, Li/Saltzman, The 119th Street Croton Aqueduct Gatehouse: Repurposing Small Scale, Historic Infrastructure
Friday, June 22nd – Behind the Scenes with Musician, Composer, and Conductor Gregory Singer
Monday, June 25th – An Insider’s View on Independent Publishing with Bellevue Literary Press, A Conversation with Publisher Erika Goldman and Author Diane DeSanders
Tuesday, June 26th – Dawn Ladd, Founder, Aurora Lampworks
Thursday, June 28th – Behemoth: A History of the Factory and the Making of the Modern World with Joshua Freeman
2017
Tuesday, February 28th– Lukas Wronski, Violin Maker With Violinist Kinga Augustyn
Tuesday, February 14th, 2017- Intertwining Roots: Watchmaking, Artisanship & Technology with Horological Expert, Michael L. Friedman, Historian at Audemars Piguet & Watchmaker, Nicholas Manousos, President of the Horological Society
Tuesday, April 11– Tucker Viemiester, Industrial Design, Viemiester Industries, for more information
Tuesday, April 25 – Jamie Swan, Bicycle Maker
Tuesday, May 9– Michiko Sakano, Michiko Sakano Studio, Glass Artist
Tuesday, May 23 – Chris Pellettieri, Pellettieri Stone Carver, Stone Carver/Sculptor
Tuesday, June 6th – Paul Gunther, Co-Author of New York Living: Reinventing Home, Executive Director of the Gracie Mansion Conservancy, and featured designers, Tamara Eaton, and Chris Kraig
Tuesday, June 13th– Robert Baird, Historical Arts & Casting, US Capitol Cast Iron Dome Restoration
Tuesday, June 20th – Jean Wiart, Les Metalliers Champenois, Master Artisan of Fine Ornamental Metalwork
Thursday, June 29th – Yves Theunis, TRM Enterprises, Master Artisan of Slate, Tile and Stone Roofing
Tuesday, November 28th- Paul Gunther discussed Gracie Mansion: 75 Years as the People’s House The Anatomy of a New York Landmark
Thursday, July 20th– Hook’s Tale With Author, John Leonard Pielmeier
Thursday, June 8th– John Freeman Gill and The Gargoyle Hunters
Tuesday, June 27th– David R. Capobianco, P.E., New NY Bridge Project, A New Bridge Rising
Thursday, April 13th– Bill Miller, Gateway to the World: The Great Port of New York
Tuesday, May 2nd – Corey Kilgannon, Behind-the-Scenes with a New York Times Reporter
June 7, 2017 – Dan Holohan, The Art of Steam Heating: Case Study – The General Society’s Classic Steam System
Tuesday, May 3 – Screening of One Track Mind with Philip Ashforth Coppola and Director Jeremy Workman
Tuesday, May 17th – Vertical Urban Factory: The Social and Architectural Shifts of the Urban Factory with Nina Rappaport, Architectural Historian, Curator, and Publications Director, Yale School of Architecture
Tuesday, June 7th– The Works: Anatomy of a City with Kate Ascher, Milstein Professor of Urban Development at Columbia University and Partner, Burohappold Engineering
Thursday, June 23rd – Picking Up with Robin Nagle, Anthropologist–in-Residence with the Department of Sanitation in New York City and Director, Draper Interdisciplinary Master’s Program, NYU
Tuesday, February 21st – Julie L. Sloan, Consultants in Stained Glass, New York: Birth Place of American Stained Glass
Tuesday, March 28th– Robert C. Bates, Principal Walter B. Melvin Architects, Cast Iron Restoration at Soho Landmark – Donald Judd’s Home and Studio-A Case Study
Tuesday, April 18th – Mary Kay Judy, Architectural and Cultural Heritage Conservation Historic Gilded Age Mansion Interior Restoration
Tuesday, May 16th– Derek Trelstad, Associate, Silman Structural Engineers, More Than Dull, Dusty, and Old: Get to Know the Hidden Landmarks in Your Floor
Tuesday, February 16 – Film Screening of Modern Ruin with film-maker Matthew Silva
Tuesday, March 15th – Nancy R. Hudson, Robert Silman Associates, Renovations at the Guggenheim Museum
Tuesday, April 19 – Glenn Boornazian, Integrated Conservation Resources, The Development of Architectural Conservation Programs for Mid-Century Modern Structures
Tuesday, May 24th– Richard W. Southwick, Partner, Director of Historic Preservation, Beyer Blinder Belle, Life, Death and Rebirth of the TWA Flight Center
2016
De Huisman: On Craftsmanship, Insight, and Authenticity. A Documentary on the Restoration of a Notable Dutch Windmill with Film-maker Wendy van Wilgenburg
Illuminating Knowledge: Creating a Major Stained Glass Installation to Foster Engaged Learning at Utah Valley University
Tuesday, March 7th– CITY OF SEDITION: The History of New York During the Civil War With Author John Strausbaugh
December 13th – The Red Bandanna with Emmy-award winning ESPN correspondent Tom Rinaldi
Tuesday, September 27th– Classic Penguin: Cover to Cover with Paul Buckley and Elda Rotor
Tuesday, April 5th– Against the backdrop of the General Society’s Lock Collection, Geoff Manaugh and Robert Krulwich
Friday, May 13th– Terry Ballard on his book “Fifty Specialty Libraries of New York City: From Botany to Magic
Tuesday, June 28th —The Bowery Boys: Adventures in Old New York, Followed by book-signing and reception
Tuesday, February 23 – Gregory Dietrich, Architectural Historian, Dahlander in Brooklyn
Tuesday, March 8th – Béatrice Coron, Stories Cut from Paper
Tuesday, April 12th – Rhett Butler, Owner, and Founder, E.R. Butler and Company
Monday, April 18th – Robert Baines, Art Jeweler, and Goldsmith
Tuesday, April 26th– Christopher Spitzmiller, Owner and Founder, Christopher Spitzmiller, Inc
Tuesday, May 10th – Glenn Boornazian, President and Principal Conservator, Integrated Conservation Resources
Tuesday, June 14th– Alix Soubiran, Founder and Creative Director, Princes & Crows
Tuesday, June 21st -Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan
Tuesday, April 5th– Geoff Manaugh and Robert Krulwich discussed on Mr. Manaugh’s newly published book, A Burglar’s Guide to the City
Friday, May 13th– Terry Ballard presented a program based on his book “Fifty Specialty Libraries of New York City: From Botany to Magic”
Tuesday, June 28th —The Bowery Boys: Adventures in Old New York, Followed by book-signing and reception
2015
November 24th- Literary scholar and cultural historian Shelley Fisher Fishkin will discuss her acclaimed new book Writing America: Literary Landmarks from Walden Pond to Wounded Knee.
Thursday, September 17– Michael Welton, Drawing from Practice
Thursday, October 29 – with Stefanie Walker “Bats, Bad Dreams, and Damsels in Distress: The Darker Side of René Lalique’s Jewelry”
Thursday, November 12 – Marijn Manuels, Conservator, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Tuesday, December 8th – Vicki Vasilopoulos, Film Documentary Maker, Men of the Cloth
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.