Gilded Age Lecture Series
Your support for our FREE virtual 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 Whole Gilded Age: Newport and Beyond
The David W. Dangremond Lecture
Presented July 14 by Ulysses Grant Dietz
Learn more, view this lecture
Melodies of the Gilded Age
The Pamela & David B. Ford Lecture
Presented July 28 by Dr. Mark A. Stickney and Dr. Christopher Brellochs
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The Archival Oyster: Aqueous Black Ecologies Along the Eastern Seaboard
The Eaddo & Peter Kiernan Lecture
Presented August 2 by Preservation Society Fellow Adrian Cato
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The Jacalyn & William P. Egan Lecture
Presented August 9 by Preservation Society Fellows MaryKate Smolenski and Luli Zou
Returning To Hunter House
MaryKate Smolenski, 2020-2022 Preservation Society Research Fellow, shares the research and planning process behind the new visitor experience at Hunter House, the Preservation Society's landmark 18th-century house reopening to the public in August. MaryKate explores the challenges of researching the colonial era, especially the lives of enslaved people in Newport, and recounts the discoveries she made along the way. She also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the new Hunter House tour, which highlights never-before-told stories about the house's many occupants as well as its outstanding collection of fine and decorative arts. MaryKate earned her MA in History and Museum Studies from Tufts University and studies early American history with a particular interest in female loyalists and material culture. She has worked with the George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum, the Cambridge Historical Society, and the Newport Historical Society. In 2020, she co-founded the Coalition of Master’s Scholars on Material Culture, an online platform that shares the work of emerging material culture scholars. MaryKate began working for The Preservation Society of Newport County nine years ago as a seasonal tour guide and is currently finishing a two-year research fellowship, working on the reinterpretation of Hunter House. In the fall, she will be starting a PhD in American and New England Studies at Boston University.
When Talking about Lacquerware: A Closer Look at the Collection of The Preservation Society of Newport County
The Preservation Society of Newport County has an eclectic collection of lacquerware objects. In 2014, a limited survey was performed by the Conservation Department. Recent research revealed a need to update this survey. Therefore, a fellowship project was created to revise and expand the survey to further identify treatment needs and interpretation priorities, as well as document more cultural information. This lecture talks about lacquer (oriental lacquer and japanning lacquer), the survey project and its data analysis results, and some highlights of lacquerware in our collections. Luli Zou has a BA in History (Cultural Heritage Studies) from Beijing Union University and an MSc degree in Architectural Conservation from the University of Hong Kong. She was also involved in the CRAFT conservation training program (Tsinghua-Palace Museum-World Monuments Fund Qing Dynasty Interior Design and Furniture Conservation). Currently, she is a Research Fellow at The Preservation Society of Newport County and an incoming MA student at Bard Graduate Center in Decorative Arts and Material Culture. With experiences in different conservation disciplines like paper, murals, and furniture, she has interned or worked in both Chinese and American institutions. Her interests lie in techniques research, the material culture of lacquerware, and the social history behind Chinese export lacquerware and conservation issues.
Behind the Scenes of The Gilded Age
The John G. Winslow Lecture
Thursday, August 11, at 6 p.m. EDT
Rosecliff and Zoom -
To attend free, via Zoom, click this link.
Award-winning production designer Bob Shaw takes us behind the scenes to show what it means to bring 19th-century splendor to life in HBO’s The Gilded Age. Mr. Shaw will speak about the process of recreating this period for film and television, as well as the many steps involved in turning an idea into a finished product. He will focus on the Brook and Russell family houses and discuss the process of collaboration with directors, producers, writers, and the HBO network which culminates in the show we watch. For the architectural enthusiasts who notice the occasions when the show ‘gets it wrong’ historically, Mr. Shaw will explain when a cinematically appropriate decision takes precedence in order to better bring the production to life for viewers.
Bob Shaw is an Academy Award-nominated art director and production designer well known for his work on The Irishman (2019), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and The Sopranos (2000-2007). His career in film, television and theater spans 30 years and includes winning two Emmys for his work on Mad Men (2008) and Boardwalk Empire (2011). During the past two years, he has worked in Newport as production designer for HBO’s The Gilded Age, for which he has been nominated for a third Emmy.
To attend free, via Zoom, click this link. We are no longer accepting registration to attend in person.