Tim Ingold and Material Worlds Symposium Next Week

Material Worlds Symposium 2008
Friday, April 18 at 5:30 pm
Saturday April 19 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Smith-Buonanno, 95 Cushing Street, Providence, RI
http://proteus.brown.edu/cogutmaterialworlds/4080
 
The Material Worlds Working Group at Brown has organized a series of events that promise to explore interdisciplinary challenges and potential of the philosophical, theoretical and methodological approaches that arise from the study of all things material. A diverse field of scholars from across the Brown community and other institutions have come together to untangle this issues through such topics as Audubon’s prints, 19th century shovels, and the paper trail of the Egyptian organ trade.

Friday April 18 at 5:30 pm
Smith-Buonanno 106
 
Keynote Address:
Internationally renowned anthropologist Professor Tim Ingold (The University of Aberdeen)
“BRINGING THINGS BACK TO LIFE: CREATIVE ENTANGLEMENTS IN A WORLD OF MATERIALS”
 
Saturday April 19 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Smith-Buonanno 207
 
Jennifer Roberts - Harvard University
Audubon's Burden: Materiality and Transmission in The Birds of America.
 
Ömür Harmansah - Brown University
Stones of Ayanis: (Architectural) Technologies of Placemaking and Architectonic Culture at an Urartian City
 
Ian Straughn - Brown University
“Islam is Large”: Iconoclastic Materiality and the Dynamics of an Islamic Tradition
 
Benjamin Lazier - Reed College
Earth Undone, or the Globalization of the World Picture
 
Seth Rockman - Brown University
Shovels for the South: Farm Implements, Entrepreneurism, and Slave Resistance in Antebellum America
 
Sherine Hamdy - Brown University
Papering Over Egypt's Organ Trade


Please see the website for the complete schedule, abstracts and participation details:
http://proteus.brown.edu/cogutmaterialworlds/4080

 ----
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World
Brown University | Box 1837 | 70 Waterman Street | Providence, RI  02912
t: (401) 863-3188 | f: (401) 863-9423 | e: joukowsky_institute@brown.edu
http://www.brown.edu/joukowskyinstitute

Lecture next Wednesday (4/16): Douglass Bailey on Prehistoric Figurines

Douglass W. Bailey (Cardiff University)
Prehistoric Figurines: Barbie Dolls, Walt Disney and Sex Abuse
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Mencoff Hall (The Cabinet), 68 Waterman Street
 
Dr. Douglass Bailey is Professor of European Prehistory in the Cardiff School of History and Archaeology, at Cardiff University.  His research interests include Prehistoric Europe, Neolithic of Central and Eastern Europe, Landscape, Sedentism, Architecture and the Built Environment, the History of Photography, and Surrealism/Dada.  He is the author of Prehistoric Figurines: Representation and Corporeality in the Neolithic, among many other publications.


Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World
Brown University | Box 1837 | 70 Waterman Street | Providence, RI 02912
t: (401) 863-3188 | f: (401) 863-9423 | e: joukowsky_institute@brown.edu
http://www.brown.edu/joukowskyinstitute

New Exhibit Opening at the Haffenreffer!

NEWS FROM THE HAFFENREFFER!

Dancing Tradition, Masking Change Opens April 23, 2008

at the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology in Bristol, RI


BRISTOL, R.I. -Brown University's Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology in Bristol, RI is pleased to announce that its new exhibition, Dancing Tradition, Masking Change, will debut and open with a public reception on Wednesday, April 23rd, at 5:30 p.m. Ancient traditions of masked dance, rooted in Pre-Columbian ritual but veiled within Western traditions, still thrive in the festivals of highland Mexico and Guatemala.  This exhibition uses stunning 18th-19th century Guatemalan masks to explore how they reinforce traditional identities and allow cultural tensions to be expressed through the code of the dance.

"Dancing Tradition, Masking Change" is curated by Allison Pappas, a senior at Brown University, as an innovative honors thesis project in Anthropology. She became interested in pursuing a career in museums while a member of the class at Brown that co-curated the Haffenreffer's exhibit Believing Africa with faculty and staff members of the Haffenreffer Museum. Allison was drawn to these masks not only for their beauty, but also because of the fascinating role that these masks played in Guatemalan Maya communities representing their history.  She grew up in Texas where her appreciation of Latin American art evolved.

This exhibition was created with support from the Haffenreffer Family Fund and the Friends of the Haffenreffer Museum.

On-going exhibitions in the Bristol museum's galleries include Facing Mesoamerica, Kayak, Umiak, Canoe; and Packrats for Posterity.

The Haffenreffer Museum houses fascinating artifacts from the cultures of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. It is recognized as one of the leading anthropological teaching museums in the Northeast. The Museum's galleries in Bristol and Providence offer stimulating settings in which to learn about the world's cultural diversity. The Haffenreffer offers public lectures, performances, symposia, festivals, summer camps, and a broad range of related programs and events for all ages.

The Haffenreffer's main Museum and administrative office are located on Tower Street in Bristol on 372 acres of picturesque land along the shores of Mount Hope Bay; a satellite gallery, the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Manning Hall, opened on the Brown campus in May 2005. The Museum in Bristol is open from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from September through May; during the summer, it is open 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday - Sunday; closed Mondays.

The gallery at Brown is open Tuesday - Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring its ongoing exhibit Believing Africa.

For more information about the Haffenreffer, call 253-8388, or visit us at www.haffenreffermuseum.org.
                                        

Elizabeth Barksdale Cooper
Public Information Coordinator
Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology

Brown University
Box 1965, 300 Tower Street
Bristol, RI 02809
Tel: 401-253-8388
Fax: 401-253-1198
Elizabeth_Cooper@Brown.edu

RI Historical Society -- Upcoming Events

Thursday, April 17, 6:30 p.m.
Gallery Night
John Brown House Museum
52 Power Street, Providence
Free Admission, To R.S.V.P.: Dalila Goulart
(401) 331-8575 x45 or programs@rihs.org
 
If These Walls Could Talk… A Genial History of Rhode Island
The Gallery Night lectures continue tonight with a unique take on Rhode Island history. Join us in welcoming Paul F. Eno and Glenn Laxton, both longtime news reporters, to speak on their joint work, Rhode Island: A Genial History. The book takes an entertaining approach on highlighting the varied heroes and villains throughout our state’s history. The talk will particularly feature discussion on Nathaniel Greene, the murder of Amasa Sprague, and the WWII Chopmist Hill Radio Intelligence Division (RID) station. Copies of the book will be on hand for sale after the lecture.

************************************

Saturday, April 26
10:00 a.m. – 12 noon
Rhode Island Historical Society Library
121 Hope Street, Providence
Register by April 18!
To Register: (401) 273-8107 x12
For more information: Lee Teverow
lteverow@rihs.org
 
Family History for Families – A Beginner’s Look at Genealogy
If you have little or no experience with genealogy, this workshop is for you!
Jonathan D. Galli, a professional genealogist with 30 years of international research and education experience, will teach you the methods and the sources for accurately tracing your family history in an interactive presentation using today's technology. Bring your children (ages 12 and up), parents, grandparents, adult siblings, younger and older relatives, and also bring whatever names, dates and other information you have to make the most of this session. Mr. Galli and RIHS librarians will be on hand to guide your research. Participants will also receive resource materials including blank charts to record what you already know as well as new discoveries. Free to RIHS members; non-members: $15 for two family members, $25 for 3-4.

*************************************

At the Providence Public Library …

For more information:
Tonia Mason, Marketing & Communications Director
401-455-8090
www.provlib.org <http://www.provlib.org>  or www.thelibraryonline.org <http://www.thelibraryonline.org/>

Benjamin Franklin traveling exhibition at Providence Public Library
Programs and events planned throughout April and May, 2008
 
OPENING RECEPTION – SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 2:00 PM
Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street, 455-8000
Opening Remarks – Gordon S. Wood, Professor of History, Brown University
3:00 pm – Franklin portrayer Bill Ochester – “Benjamin Franklin: A 300 Year-Old Man Speaks”

For full schedule of Lectures and Presentations:
Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World Exhibit and Events <http://www.provlib.org/happening/events/exhibit.html>

“Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World,” a traveling exhibition that will officially open at the Providence Public Library (PPL), Central Library, 150 Empire Street, (Lippitt Hall) on April 13, 2008, tells the remarkable story of the man who began his life as a poor printer’s apprentice and ended it as a revered elder statesmen known throughout the world for his wisdom, wit, and resourcefulness.  Benjamin Franklin’s achievements in diplomacy, science, philanthropy and other fields profoundly influenced the path of a new nation and continue to inspire us more than three hundred years after his birth.
Organized by the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, Philadelphia, in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, “Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World” was made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): great ideas brought to life.  The traveling exhibit is based upon a major exhibit of the same name, developed by the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, which has traveled to major cities in the United States and abroad (http://www.benfranklin300.org <http://www.benfranklin300.org/> ).  The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary is a nonprofit organization established through a major grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts to educate the public about Franklin’s enduring legacy. “Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World” will be on display at the Library until May 23.

************

Founded in 1822, the Rhode Island Historical Society is the nation’s fourth oldest state historical society and is today the steward of tens of thousands of books, manuscripts, prints, photographs, paintings, artifacts, and other historical materials.  The Society maintains its research library and John Brown House Museum in Providence and operates the Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket.  The Society’s ongoing public and educational programming includes publication of the historical journal Rhode Island History and the presentation of exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and tours.  www.rihs.org <http://www.rihs.org/>

Semana Chicana Events

Semana Chicana Convocation
Guest Speaker: Rosa Rosales, President of League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
Date: Wednesday, April 9th
Time: 7pm
Location: Salomon 001
Co-Sponsor: Third World Center
She will discuss the importance of the Mexican vote, and the diversity of the Chicano community.
Contact: Monica_Pelayo@brown.edu

Teatro Luna Performance & Talkback
Date: April, Thursday 10th
Time: 5:30pm
Location: List Art Rm 120
Co-Sponsor: Creative Arts Council
This all Latina-group based from Chicago performing about issues of gender and sexuality.
Contact: Monica_Pelayo@brown.edu

Teatro Luna Workshop
Date: April, Friday 11th
Time: 12pm
Location: Salomon 203
Co-Sponsor: Creative Arts Council
This workshop is for students interested in performance and how race, class, gender, and sexuality play a role.
Contact: Monica_Pelayo@brown.edu

Noche de Cultura
Guest Performance: Marisela Norte
Date: Saturday, April 12th
Time: 9pm
Location: Hillel
Co-Sponsors: Late Nite Fund and Latino History Month
Come celebrate and enjoy performances, free food, and all forms of art!
Contact: Monica_Pelayo@brown.edu

Made in L.A Screening & Discussion
Guest Speaker: Filmmaker Almudena Carracedo
Date: Monday, April 14th
Time: 7 pm
Location: List Art 120
Co-Sponsor: The Center for Study of Race and Ethnicity
Made in L.A. is a story about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find your own voice in a sweatshop.
Contact: Monica_Pelayo@brown.edu

Border Commemoration
Date: Tuesday, April 15th
Time: 10am
Location: Main Green
Co-Sponsored: MEChA
We commemorate the lives lost of the many people that attempt to cross the México-U.S. Border.
Contact: Louis_Trujillo@brown.edu <mailto:Lousis_Trujillo@brown.edu>

Providence Preservation Society's April e-newsletter

PPS April 2008 e-news
 
In this issue:
PPS PRESERVATION NEWS
EDUCATION NEWS
UPCOMING EVENTS
PPS CALENDAR
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
COMMUNITY NOTES
 
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EVENTS THIS WEEK:
APRIL 2: Business Membership Event
APRIL 4 & 5: Most Endangered Properties Traveling Exhibit
 
More information below or at www.ppsri.org.
 
-------------------------------------------------
*PPS PRESERVATION NEWS*
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MOST ENDANGERED PROPERTIES TRAVELING PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT ON SMITH HILL!
 
The Holden Street Gallery, located at 97 Holden Street in Providence, will show a selection of the best photographs from PPS’s Most Endangered Properties Photography Exhibit. Appearing April 4- 12, 2008, the exhibit features images and status updates for all eleven properties on the 2007 Most Endangered Properties List. The exhibit is open for viewing April 5- 12, Fridays 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 1:00.

Join us for an artists’ opening reception, which will be held Friday, April 4, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. The reception is open to the public and all are welcome.

The Holden Street Gallery is a privately run gallery space committed to promoting art and community on Smith Hill, Providence. It features local and nationally recognized artists who work in a variety of mediums. The Holden Street Gallery is located within the historic Christopher G. Dodge carriage house. Built in 1858, the brick building constructed as a carriage house for a wealthy industrialist has had a variety of uses during its 150 year existence including a carpenter shop, blacksmith shop, rooming house, and single-family residence.
 
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HISTORIC TAX CREDIT UPDATE
 
From GrowSmart RI: The House Finance Committee will hold a hearing Thursday, April 3 in Room 35 of the State House on the full Supplemental Budget Bill (House Bill 7204) containing the Governor’s proposed tax credit caps. That hearing is scheduled to begin at approximately 4:30 p.m.
 
Currently  several pro-tax-credit advocates are involved in high level discussions occurring in the House that are exploring alternatives to the Governor’s proposed retroactive and prospective cap.
 
PPS will continue to update you on the progress of the Governor’s proposed caps and alternative bills in the Senate and House. For the latest news and information on the matter check out www.growsmartri.com <http://www.growsmartri.com/> .

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*EDUCATION NEWS*
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SAD NEWS
 
With a sad heart we report the passing of one of PPS’s most dedicated volunteers.  Angelo Fraioli, PPS’s longest serving docent, passed away last week at his home in Providence’s Mt. Pleasant neighborhood.  This year would have marked Angelo’s twentieth anniversary as a PPS Children’s Heritage Education docent.  He was also a regular volunteer for the Festival of Historic Houses and for various PPS special events.  Many members who attended PPS’s 50th Anniversary Hall of Fame Event at the State House on May 4, 2006 may remember seeing him greeting honorees and handing out programs.  
 
PPS was not the only recipient of Angelo’s call to community service.  He was a docent at the John Brown House for almost as long as he was with PPS.  He also ushered at the Barker Playhouse, PPAC, and scheduled regular hours as a volunteer greeting and helping visitors at the RI Convention Center.
 
An amiable and cultured man, Angelo grew up in Mt. Pleasant and returned to his roots in Providence in the late 1980’s after teaching grades 4-6 in the US Dependent Schools in Germany, Verona, and Vicenza, Italy for thirty years.  “I was so pleased to see that Angelo was a PPS docent when I started at PPS because I remembered him from my years as a docent at the John Brown House.  He was a wealth of knowledge and truly enjoyed guiding the students.  He will be sorely missed by our staff, his fellow docents, and by the schoolchildren,” said Kathleen McAreavey, PPS Education Coordinator.
 
Angelo was recognized for his longstanding service to PPS at the 2006 Volunteer BBQ and was subsequently profiled in the Winter 2007 Preserving Providence newsletter.
 
Calling hours will be Wednesday, April 2, from 4:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. at Woodlawn Funeral Home, 600 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston.  The funeral will take place on Thursday, April 3, at 8:45 A.M. from Woodlawn Funeral Home with a 10:00 A.M. funeral mass at Holy Ghost Church, 472 Atwells Avenue, Providence.   

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REGISTRATION OPEN FOR 2008 REALTOR TRAINING – “HISTORIC INTERIORS”
 
2008 training will take place on Thursday, October 23 and Friday, October 24 with the theme “Historic Interiors”.  Registration opened February 1.  Space is limited, so sign up soon!  
  
The course is certified for 10 hours of CE credit by the RI Division of Business Regulation Real Estate Division, and is endorsed by the Greater Providence Board of Realtors.
To register for the 2008 seminar, please contact Education Coordinator, Kathleen McAreavey at kmcareavey@ppsri.org.  
 
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SPRING DATES FOR CHILDREN’S HERITAGE EDUCATION TOURS READY TO BE BOOKED
 
Tours are BOOKING NOW!  Teachers may book a tour by downloading the “Tour Request Form” at www.ppsri.org or by contacting Education Coordinator, Kathleen McAreavey at 401-831-7440, ext. 103 or kmcareavey@ppsri.org.
*College Hill Tour, 1636-1775 - Roger Williams and The Settlement Of Colonial Providence
*Downtown Tour, C. 1800-Present - The Rise of The West Side
*Avi Tour – Something Upstairs, 1800 - A Literary Journey to The Past
*H.P. Lovecraft As Preservationist, 1920’s Benefit Street **New Tour!**
*Avi Tour – The Man Who Was Poe, Mid-1800’s Providence **New Tour!**
*The Crest Of College Hill, A Late 19th Century Victorian Journey **New Tour!**  
 
Spring Tour Dates:
Monday – Friday, March 31 – June 13, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
 
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ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF MARKER BUILDINGS AVAILABLE ONLINE
 
The “Gowdey Files” were started in the 1950s by longtime volunteer Mary Gowdey when PPS was in its infancy. Starting with Benefit Street, Mrs. Gowdey took photos of all of the houses and researched them in Providence city directories, deed books, maps, etc.  PPS adds to this information as new historic property markers are awarded by PPS.  These histories are also duplicated at the Rhode Island Historical Society Library and the Providence City Archive. They are now available online for the public at the PPS website by going to http://gowdey.ppsri.org <http://gowdey.ppsri.org/> .
 
-------------------------------------------------
*UPCOMING EVENTS*
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THERE IS STILL TIME TO SIGN-UP!
 
PPS BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP EVENT - Balancing Sustainability & Preservation: Protecting Environmental & Historic Resources
 
Join Providence Preservation Society’s business members on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 for a panel discussion about Environmental Issues and Historic Preservation at Save the Bay (100 Save the Bay Drive). The panelists include:
 
* Trudy Coxe, Executive Director, The Preservation Society of Newport County
* John Sinnott, Senior Development Director – Providence, Struever Bros. Eccles and Rouse
* Martha Werenfels, Principal, Durkee Brown Viveiros and Werenfels Architects
 
Registration for the event begins at 7:30 A.M. and the panel will begin promptly at 8 A.M. A light breakfast will be served. This event is FREE to PPS Business members and $50 for non-business members. Registration information is available on www.ppsri.org
 
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Making a Special Place at the Head of the Bay: Placemaking Workshop
 
Please join Head of the Bay Gateway and Friends of India Point Park for an interactive workshop led by the Project for Public Spaces to imagine a future for the last expanse of shoreline open to the public in Providence, at the head of Narragansett Bay.  Join planners, stakeholders, and citizens concerned about the fate of the former Shooters nightclub for a presentation of what makes waterfront public spaces work in other cities, a placemaking exercise, and a brainstorming session to create a vision that makes the most of India Point’s unique geography and panoramic views and ensures public access to our most distinctive natural and historic asset.
 
Monday, April 7, 2008, 3:00 – 7:00 p.m., Radisson Hotel Providence Harbor (foot of Gano St.)
 
Free and open to the public. Pre-registration required. Space limited to 100.   Please call 831-5995 x712 with your name & phone number.  
 
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PRESERVATION PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: The 23rd Annual RI Statewide Historic Preservation Conference presented by RIHPHC
 
Saturday, April 12 in Providence's South Side and West End
 
The year 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the Rhode Island Historic Preservation Act and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. The 23rd Annual Rhode Island Statewide Historic Preservation Conference will use the anniversary as a starting point to explore the past, present, and future of historic preservation in Rhode Island.
 
In 1968, the Rhode Island General Assembly enacted legislation that expanded on the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act. The RI Historical Preservation Commission was established to direct a statewide preservation program that identifies historic properties, reviews state and federal projects, and administers funds. Heritage Programs were added in 1994.
 
Join the Annual Conference in Providence to recall past preservation achievements, or focus on current critical issues, from environmental sustainability to economic development, affordable housing to heritage tourism. Choose a historic resource--schools and mills, neighborhoods and villages, farms and waterfronts, even Modern architecture--and pick up the latest strategies to guide future practice.
 
Tour historic neighborhoods around the Armory, Atwells, Broadway, Elmwood, and West Elmwood, where homeowners, non-profits, and developers have completed waves of revitalization and restoration projects. Visit mill rehabs along the Woonasquatucket River, and sample the city's most exciting artspaces. Travel through time to sites of "preservation's greatest hits"--the Arcade, Masonic Temple, Benefit Street--and of its lost battles--Eagle Square, the Gorham Plant, Wriston Quad.
 
On the West Side and throughout Rhode Island, historic preservation is a dynamic process. Join the RI Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, PPS staff, and preservationists from throughout the state on April 12 to explore the past, present, and future of historic preservation in Rhode Island.
 
For registration information go to www.rihphc.state.ri.us <http://www.rihphc.state.ri.us/>
 
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29TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF HISTORIC HOUSES
 
PPS will host its 29th Annual Festival of Historic Houses on Friday and Saturday, June 6 and 7, 2008.  The Festival is PPS’s signature fundraising and educational event showcasing well-preserved buildings in Providence’s varied neighborhoods. This two-day event will feature a spectacular array of houses in Providence’s Fox Point, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods.
 
This year’s Festival will offer a Friday night Patrons’ Reception from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. and a tour of properties on Saturday including some of the most interesting and unique houses in Providence.  Houses will be open for touring on Saturday from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
 
Ticket sales will begin in mid-April! Stay tuned for more information.
 
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PPS 2008 EVENTS CALENDAR
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Please save the dates for the following preservation & PPS events:
 
April 2, 2008
Business Membership Event - Balancing Sustainability & Preservation: Protecting Environmental & Historic Resources


April 4, 2008
Opening Reception, Traveling Exhibit at Holden Street Gallery
 
April 5, 2008
Gallery Hours, Traveling Exhibit at Holden Street Gallery
 
April 11, 2008
Gallery Hours, Traveling Exhibit at Holden Street Gallery
 
April 12, 2008
Gallery Hours, Traveling Exhibit at Holden Street Gallery
 
April 12, 2008
PRESERVATION PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: The 23rd Annual RI Statewide Historic Preservation Conference
 
June 6 and 7, 2008
Festival of Historic Houses
 
-------------------------------------------------
*VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES*
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DONATION REQUEST: Flat Bed Scanner
 
PPS is in need of a flat bed, color image scanner to scan photographs, slides, and documents. Must be compatible with Windows Vista OS and Adobe Photoshop CS3 and have capability to scan slides. If you have one that you would be willing to donate, please email info@ppsri.org with the specifications. Thank you!
 
-------------------------------------------------
 
Become a Childrens’ Heritage Education Docent!
 
The Providence Preservation Society is looking for individuals interested in leading walking tours for elementary and middle school students; grades 4-8. Each year docents lead over 3,500 students on walking tours of Providence. PPS's award-winning program uses the city's architecture as a textbook from which students learn the history of Providence. No previous experience is necessary; just an interest in history and/or architecture and the desire to work with school children. Upon completing a week-long training provided by PPS, docents are asked to make a one-year commitment to the program. For more information please contact Kathleen McAreavey, Education Coordinator at the Providence Preservation Society by e-mail: kmcareavey@ppsri.org, or telephone: 401- 831- 7440, ext. 103.  
 
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COMMUNITY NOTES
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COMMERCIAL RENTAL SPACE AVAILABLE IN SHAKESPEARE’S HEAD
 
The Shakespeare’s Head Association, owner of 21 Meeting Street where PPS offices are located, is looking for a tenant for its garden level office space. The space is available immediately, is approximately 400 square feet with lots of natural light and a row of windows overlooking the tranquil Shakespeare’s Head Garden. The space comes with two parking spaces. Great location on the crest of College Hill only blocks from downtown Providence.
 
Interested parties should contact Kristi Agniel at 401-749-5008
 
------------------------------------------------
 
RISD HISTORIC PRESERVATION CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
Historic Preservation: An Introduction
PRES-3905 Jeff Emidy
 
Whether you own an old home or property, are a member of a preservation society, or somehow deal with the built environment (e.g., architect, builder, carpenter, planner, or real estate professional), you know that well-preserved buildings not only appeal to our aesthetic sensibility but imbue our communities with a layer of history. To help students better understand preservation history, principles and practice, this course examines the preservation movement in the US, the recognition and designation of historic sites and properties, tools for protecting properties, and the economics of historic preservation. Through slide lecture and discussion, as well as web-based research and reading and writing assignments, participants develop a firm foundation in preservation studies.
 
Thursdays, April 10 - May 22
6:30-9:30pm
Tuition: $265
 
Jeffrey D. Emidy: BA, History, University of New Hampshire; MS, Historic Preservation, University of Vermont. Emidy is the Project Review Coordinator at the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. His work experience as an architectural historian has centered on the identification of historic resources and the written and photographic documentation of their characteristics and history.
 
To register go to www.risd.edu or call 401-454-6209.
 
------------------------------------------------

Old House Soul- A tribute to the work of long-time PPS supporter, Steve Tyson
Saturday, April 26, 7pm
Warwick Museum of Art
3259 Post Road Apponaug Village
 
Don Manley and Michel Schtakleff will present a seven minute video clip of their documentary entitled “Old House Soul”. They are researching the local history of architectural preservation with a focus on preservation architect Steve Tyson. Steve Tyson and his firm, Architectural Preservation Group, have been fixtures of the community for decades. After screening the trailer Don and Michel welcome the audience’s input related to historic architectural preservation. Audience commentary may be included in the film.
 
$5 Suggested Admission, Additional Donations Accepted. All Proceeds to Benefit the Old House Soul Film Project.
Seating limited & reservations required: Call George Shuster or Stephanie
Van Patten to reserve your place, 737-1278.

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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: In Search of a Better World on exhibit at Providence Public Library
 
April 10 - May 23
A national traveling exhibition celebrating one of America’s most beloved personalities is coming to Providence and you’re invited to visit. Check out www.provlib.org for more info.  
 
Scheduled Events <http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp?id=63456> :
 
*Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World Exhibit ~ Opening Reception <http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp?id=68399>
Sunday, April 13
 
*Gordon S. Wood: "The Invention of Benjamin Franklin" <http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp?id=71151>
Monday, April 14
 
*Imaginative "Inventions" Workshop <http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp?id=71159>
Saturday, April 19
 
*Philip Dray: Meet the Author: Stealing God's Thunder: Benjamin Franklin's Lightening Rod and the Invention of America <http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp?id=71162>
Sunday, April 20
 
*Cecilia Brauer, Glass Armonica performer and speaker <http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp?id=71200>
Sunday, April 27
 
*Ellen R. Cohn - "Historian as Detective: Solving the Mysteries in Franklin's Papers" <http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp?id=71194>
Sunday, April 27
 
*Robert Allison - "Benjamin Franklin: How to Create a Better World" <http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp?id=71201>
Sunday, May 4
 
*Martha Elena Rojas - "Imprinting the New United States: Benjamin Franklin's Seals and Medals" <http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp?id=71203>
Monday, May 12
 
*Family Kite Making Day <http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp?id=71211>
Sunday, May 18, 2008
 
*Book Discussion/Signing - The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin, by Gordon Wood <http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp?id=71204>
Monday, May 19

Treasures of the Hidden Chest: Lecture on African Texts

Treasures of the Hidden Chest

Wednesday, April 2, 5:30 p.m.
The Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
Manning Hall Gallery,
Main Green, Brown University

Dr. Konrad Tuchscherer, Associate Professor of African History and Director of Africana Studies at St. John’s University, New York, will explore Africa’s many rich traditions of writing and graphic symbolism and the historical circumstances in which these scripts originated and spread. Africa’s contributions to the world include ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Saharan rock art and the ingenious modern syllabaries and alphabets of the Vai and Bassa of West Africa. We will also join Tuchscherer on a journey to the Bamum Kingdom of Cameroon, following him on an adventure that begins with the discovery of a hidden chest left behind by a famous royal scribe and concludes with ongoing work to preserve endangered archives and unlock the literary past of the Bamum.

Lecture takes place in Manning Hall Gallery.  Reception immediately fo llowing the lecture.

Sponsored by the Friends of the HMA, the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, and The Friends of the Library of Brown University

Accomplished Architect and Critic to Discuss Career in Presentation at Roger Williams

BRISTOL, R.I., March 2008 – From Seattle’s best and worst architecture to the home designs of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Witold Rybczynski has covered it as architecture critic for Slate, the online news and culture magazine.

Mr. Rybczynski, noted architect and professor, will visit Roger Williams University on Tuesday, March 25, as part of the Mary Tefft White Cultural Center lecture series to discuss his career and service in the architecture industry.

A resident of Philadelphia, Mr. Rybczynski serves as the Martin & Margy Meyerson professor of urbanism and professor of real estate at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to having written more than 200 articles and papers on housing, architecture and technology—many of which are aimed toward non-technical readers—he has published nine books including “The Look of Architecture” (2001) and “Home: A Short History of an Idea” (1986).

Mr. Rybczynski, who was born in Scotland but raised in Canada, earned his bachelor and master of architecture degrees from McGill University in Montreal.

His presentation will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Mary Tefft White Cultural Center in the Main Library on the Bristol Campus at One Old Ferry Road. The event is free and open to the public as space allows, and members of the media are encouraged to attend.

The lecture is the third in a four-part series titled “Leadership and Service: Making a Difference.” Made possible through a generous gift by alumna Mary Tefft (Happy) White (’76), the series invites prominent individuals in law enforcement, homeland security, architecture and philanthropy to share their roles in leadership and service. For more information, contact the Office of Public Affairs at (401) 254-3178.

Native American Beading Workshop

Native American

Beading Workshop

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

10:00 a.m. to noon

300 Tower Street, Bristol

In this two-hour workshop, you will learn a style of beadwork used by Native people across the Northeast and much of America. You can start a beaded pouch, barrette, or something to sew onto a purse or jacket. Elizabeth Hoover is a graduate student at Brown University and is of Mohawk/Mi'kmaq descent. She has been beading, mostly pow-wow dance outfits, for the past 16 years.

$20.00 per person

Pre-registration is required by April 8, and space is limited.

Call 401-253-8388 to reserve your spot today.

Transportation is available from Brown University to Bristol. The shuttle will leave at 9 a.m. and return by 2 p.m. Please state your transportation needs when you register.

 

Historic New England presents Program in New England Studies

Historic New England presents Program in New England Studies
 
Boston – February 15, 2008 - Historic New England presents the Program in New England Studies, an intensive learning experience with lectures by specialists supplemented by workshops and behind-the-scenes tours.  Participants study the buildings and collections of Historic New England and other museums and private houses in the region.  The program runs June 16 - 21.

Program in New England Studies examines New England history and material culture from the seventeenth century through the Colonial Revival.  This weeklong experience delves into architecture, including building design and technology, and the wide-ranging lifestyles illustrated by Historic New England properties and other historic sites on the itinerary.  The program is based in Boston, and the group travels to sites in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Essex County, Massachusetts; and Woodstock, Connecticut. Also scheduled is a visit to Historic New England’s Codman Estate in Lincoln, Massachusetts, with Senior Curator Richard Nylander.  This in-depth tour looks at the layers created by the accumulated possessions of several generations of one family.

Retired Vice President of the Research Division at Colonial Williamsburg Cary Carson presents the keynote, How Colonial New England became Britain’s Pottery Barn.  Other presenters include Historic New England’s Curator Nancy Carlisle, and Curator of Library and Archives Lorna Condon.

 In addition to Historic New England staff, presenters include Richard M. Candee professor emeritus, American and New England Studies, Boston University; Abbott Lowell Cummings, architectural historian; J. Ritchie Garrison, director, Winterthur Program in Early American Material Culture, University of Delaware; James L. Garvin, state architectural historian, New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources; Brock Jobe, professor of American Decorative Arts, Winterthur Program in Early American Culture; Dean Lahikainen, Carolyn and Peter Lynch curator of American Decorative Arts, Peabody Essex Museum; Kevin D. Murphy, professor and executive officer, PhD. Program in Art History, CUNY Graduate Program; Robert Mussey, principal and furniture conservator at Robert Mussey Associates; Jane Nylander, Historic New England president emerita; James O’Gorman, professor emeritus, History of American Art, Wellesley College; Gerald Ward, Katherine Lane Weems senior curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Museum of Fine Arts; and Philip Zea, president, Historic Deerfield, Inc.

The $1,350 fee includes all lectures, admissions, guided tours, transportation to and from special visits and excursions, daily breakfast, lunch, and evening receptions.  The program is designed to appeal to owners of historic houses, collectors, museum professionals, graduate students, and those who enjoy New England history.  The program is limited to 25 participants.

Scholarships are available to mid-career museum professionals and to graduate students in the field of architecture, decorative arts, material culture, museum studies or public history.   For more information on the program visit www.HistoricNewEngland.org or contact Historic New England Exhibitions Manager Ken Turino at 617-227-3957, ext. 246.