2021 Fall Lecture Series
Maker and Muse: Sculpting the Gilded Age
Sculpture, like its fine art relatives, can take many forms, with its most powerful being the human figure. The Preservation Society of Newport County’s Fall 2021 lecture series pays tribute to both the artists who produced iconic works at the turn of the century, as well as the models and muses who provided the inspiration and thus defined the era.
Our Fall 2021 lecture series will feature three FREE presentations on Thursday evenings, October 7, October 21 and November 4. The first two lectures will be available either in-person at Rosecliff or virtually via Zoom. The third lecture is via Zoom only. To register, please select the preferred attendance option. In-person registration at Rosecliff is limited.
Your support for our FREE virtual and in-person lectures is appreciated
Our virtual lectures are free and registration is open to the public. In order for us to continue these offerings, your support is critical. Please consider making a donation to the Preservation Society by clicking the donation button below. Any amount is greatly appreciated and we are thankful for your continued support.
To view past Virtual Lectures, click here
The Goddess-Like Hettie Anderson, a Forgotten African-American Muse
Eve M. Kahn, historian and author
October 7
Hettie Anderson (1873-1938), a South Carolina native, emerged on the Manhattan cultural scene in the 1890s as an artists’ model. For two decades she posed as formidable goddesses, immortalized on canvas and atop pedestals by artists as prominent as John La Farge, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Daniel Chester French and Evelyn Beatrice Longman. Anderson defied her era's expectations for women and Black people and even fought copyright battles. Independent scholar Eve M. Kahn — in collaboration with Anderson’s cousin, independent researcher Willow Hagans, and other scholars — has chronicled Anderson’s achievements and life story, although mysteries endure. This talk will put Anderson's career in the context of Gilded Age models, who fascinated writers while struggling to get their own stories told.
Eve Kahn, the former Antiques columnist for The New York Times, is the author of a prizewinning biography, Forever Seeing New Beauties: The Forgotten Impressionist Mary Rogers Williams, 1857-1907 (Wesleyan University Press, 2019). She contributes regularly to the Times, The Magazine Antiques, Apollo magazine and Atlas Obscura. Her book now in progress is provisionally titled Queen of Bohemia Predicts Own Death: The Forgotten Journalist Zoe Anderson Norris, 1860-1914.
Watch lecture here.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller: Race, Space, and the Making of a Professional Woman Artist
Jessica Roscio, Director and Curator, Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University
Thursday, October 21, 6 p.m. ET – live at Rosecliff and via Zoom
The Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University is the caretaker of the contents of the studio of Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, a sculptor who defined the African-American experience at the turn of the 20th century. The collection contains an intriguing photograph of Fuller at work in her first Framingham, Mass., studio, which was in the attic of her home. Women artists often had to merge domestic and professional space while balancing multiple roles, and a home studio was a vital creative outlet. Join us to learn about challenges she faced in becoming a professional artist.
Jessica Roscio joined the Danforth Art Museum in 2011, was appointed Curator in 2015, and became the Director in 2020. She has overseen curatorial and administrative operations since the Museum became a part of Framingham State University. Prior to the Danforth, Roscio held positions at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She taught courses at Emerson College and Suffolk University, and has been a regular contributor to Aspect Initiative, an online gallery focusing on contemporary photography in New England. Roscio has an MA in Art History from the University at Buffalo and a Ph.D. in American Studies, with a focus on the History of Photography, from Boston University.
This lecture is FREE, but you must register. To attend in person at Rosecliff, register here. Click this link to view this lecture live via Zoom webinar.
Bessie Potter Vonnoh and Sculpture for the American Home
Julie Aronson, Curator of American Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings, Cincinnati Art Museum
Thursday, November 4, 6 p.m. ET – Zoom ONLY
Bessie Potter Vonnoh’s contemporaries recognized her significant contributions to small bronze sculpture and garden statuary for the artistic embellishment of the home. Her fluid and suggestive modeling and command of sculptural form earned her wide admiration. Responding in the 1890s to the call for a national art dedicated to American themes, Vonnoh stands alone as a specialist in the portrayal of contemporary women and children. Through both her subjects and her concentration on sculpture for domestic settings, Vonnoh successfully negotiated a male-dominated profession to broaden the audience for high-quality sculpture.
Julie Aronson has served as Curator of American Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings at the Cincinnati Art Museum since 1999. She earned her B.A. in art history from Brandeis University, M.A. from Williams College, and Ph.D. from the University of Delaware. Aronson is the recognized authority on the sculpture of Bessie Potter Vonnoh, the subject of her doctoral dissertation and a 2008 touring exhibition and catalogue. Her professional experience includes prior positions at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Dr. Aronson was a key member of the curatorial team that produced the groundbreaking display The Cincinnati Wing: The Story of Art in the Queen City. She also co-curated the exhibition Perfect Likeness: European and American Portrait Miniatures from the Cincinnati Art Museum with its landmark catalogue. Her other curatorial projects include the exhibition and catalogue Eternal Summer: The Art of Edward Henry Potthast, and most recently, Frank Duveneck: American Master presented with a new scholarly publication in 2020.
This lecture is ZOOM ONLY, but you must register. Click this link to view this lecture live via Zoom webinar.