By Dan Hinchen
It feels like spring finally arrived here in Boston. Why not get outside and take a walk to the MHS for some public programs? This week we are heavy on our lunchtime Brown Bag talks, but there are also a couple other public programs to balance things out. Here’s what’s coming:
– Monday, 16 May, 12:00PM : The first Brown Bag talk of the week is titled “Valuing the Body of the Enslaved: From the Cradle to the Grave.” Pack a lunch and come listen to short-term research fellow Daina Ramey Berry of the University of Texas at Austin. Berry presents her framework for understanding the valuation of enslaved peoples from birth to beyond death, based on 10 years of research in northern and southern archives. This talk is free and open to the public.
– Monday, 16 May, 6:00PM : “Jefferson the Architect” is the final public program from the Jefferson Series, which centers around our current exhibition. In this talk, Henry Adams of Case Western Reserve University explores the impact of Jefferson in American architecture and the legacy he has left on our country’s built environment. This talk is open to the public, though registration is required with a fee of $20 (no charge for MHS Fellows and Members). There is a pre-talk reception at 5:30PM and the talk begins at 6:00PM.
– Wednesday, 18 May, 12:00PM : Brown Bag talk number two this week is presented by Sarah Templier of Johns Hopkins University, and is called “The Lives of Textiles: Trading and Consuming Clothing, Fabrics, and Apparel Accessories in French and British North America, 1720s-1770s.” The progam presents an overview of Templier’s dissertation research. This talk is free and open to the public.
– Thursday, 19 May, 6:00PM : POSTPONED: “Mass Momentum: Highlighting the Innovation Hub.”
– Friday, 20 May, 12:00PM : The third and final Brown Bag talk this week features Travis Jacquess, University of Mississippi. In his talk, “‘My Principles for Government…Are Fixed,’ Declarations of Independence between Fathers and Sons in the Age of Revolution,” Jacquess argues that the spirit of of independence – the spirit of ’76 – gave rise to the spirit of individualism, which was passed from father to son as a natural product of their experience in the Revolution and their engagement in the new American Republic. This talk is free and open to the public.
– Saturday, 21 May, 1:00PM : Join us for the final instalment of this season’s discussion of primary readings, Begin at the Beginning, led by Dr. Abby Chandler. “John Gyles’ Odd Adventure : A Different Captivity Narrative” tells a story of his upbringing among the Micmac and Maliseet peoples: a story of understanding and respect, unlike most Puritan captivity narratives that tell tales of horror and fear. This program is open to the public and registration is required at no cost; Please RSVP.
Finally, if you have not yet come in to see the Private Jefferson, your time is running out. The exhibition remains on view to the public through Wednesday, May 26. Don’t miss it!
There is no Saturday tour this week