The UNOFFICIAL blog of Providence's Oldest Cultural Institution

Tony Horwitz

2009-05-22T17:00:00.000-04:00

Fri 5/22, 5-7pm, SALON - Pulitzer-winning author Tony Horwitz on his book A Voyage Long and Strange: on the Trail of Vikings, Conquistadors, Lost Colonists, and Other Adventurers in Early America. One of the New York Times' 50 Notable Books of Nonfiction for 2008, A Voyage Long and Strange is Horwitz's account of the years Americans know little about, namely what happened here between 1492 and the arrival of the Pilgrims (which some Americans think happened in 1492). Not content to read his way through the history, he sets out on his own odyssey - which includes canoeing the Mississippi, taking the heat in a Canadian sweat lodge, and donning 60 pounds of armor as a conquistador reenactor in Florida - to retrace the steps of the early explorers. Join us for a conversation about adventure travel then and now. Books available for sale and signing, thanks to Borders! Free and open to the public! (Sponsor: Antiques & Interiors, antiquesandinteriors.biz)

Loren Spears

2009-05-15T17:00:00.000-04:00

Fri, 5/15, 5-7pm: SALON – Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum Executive Director Loren Spears on Eastern Native Arts. The Tomaquag Museum is Rhode Island's only museum entirely dedicated to telling the story of the state's original inhabitants, and the only museum operated by Native people over the last 52 years. Join us for a Native perspective on the collection of art, its history, meaning, and use. Images as well as actual pieces from the collections will be featured, as well as works from Native artists today. More on the museum: tomaquagmuseum.com. For Athenaeum members and their guests. Salon is presented in collaboration with The Rhode Island Foundation's Expansion Arts Program.

The Providence String Quartet

2009-05-14T19:00:00.000-04:00

Thurs 5/14, 7pm: The Providence String Quartet plays Benjamin Britten's String Quartet No. 2. Great admirers of one another's music, Dmitry Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten stand as two giants of 20th century music. In February, PSQ played Shostakovich; their 2009 Athenaeum series ends with Britten's Second Quartet, written in 1945 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the death of the great English composer, Henry Purcell. This three movement work concludes with a immense baroque chaconne as a direct tribute. Tickets must be purchased before the day of the show! PSQ is notorious for selling out at the Athenaeum, so don't delay, call today! Tickets are $30 for members and $35 for non-members. Call 401-421-6970 or stop by the library to purchase.

New Members' Reception

2009-05-11T17:30:00.001-04:00

Mon 5/11, 5:30-7pm: New Members' Reception. Join us for a tour of the building, a look at our special collections, and a chance to meet other members plus staff and board members. For new Athenaeum members and their guests.

Eleventh Annual Philbrick Poetry Project Award and Reading

2009-05-08T17:00:00.002-04:00

Fri 5/8, 7pm: Eleventh Annual Philbrick Poetry Project Award and Reading, with poet judge Marilyn Nelson and winner Jennifer E. Whitten. Poet judge Nelson has chosen Whitten's manuscript Auction as the 2009 Philbrick Poetry Award winner. Join us for the presentation of the award, and a reading by both poets. As part of the award, the Athenaeum has published Auction as a chapbook; copies will be on sale at the reading. The Athenaeum's Philbrick Poetry Project is named for long-time Athenaeum members Charles Philbrick, a noted poet, and his wife Deborah, a mentor to many poets, and fosters the art of poetry in RI and New England. Funded in part by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. Free and open to the public!

Tony Estrella

2009-05-01T17:00:00.000-04:00

Fri 5/1, 5-7pm, SALON - Series: Gamm Theatre Artistic Director Tony Estrella on The Scarlet Letter, Phyllis Nagy's adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's dark tale, on stage at the Gamm 5/7-6/7. Hawthorne's exploration of sin, hypocrisy, and society is vividly re-imagined in this sexually charged, psychologically complex tale of obsession and revenge. Branded an adultress in 17th-century Puritan Boston, Hester Prynne is sentenced to wear the scarlet letter A on her dress. Refusing to name her lover, the father of her daughter, Pearl, she turns the mark of shame into a badge of beauty. Then Hester's long-lost husband unexpectedly reappears, and will stop at nothing to uncover the truth. Narrated by the spirited Pearl, this stripped-bare stage version of the "greatest American novel" makes us consider its power anew. More info: gammtheatre.org. For Athenaeum members and their guests. (Sponsor: Antiques & Interiors, antiquesandinteriors.biz)

Rhode Island – Culture of Corruption?

2009-04-28T17:00:00.001-04:00

Tues 4/28, 6-7pm: WRNI presents Rhode Island – Culture of Corruption? the second installment of Policy and Pinot, a new conversation series on vital issues affecting our state. Join WRNI General Manager Joe O'Connor and WRNI political reporters Ian Donnis and Scott MacKay as they interview Robert Clark Corrente, U.S. Attorney for RI, and Mike Stanton, Providence Journal reporter and author of The Prince of Providence, about the role of corruption, past and present, in Rhode Island's political culture. This event is free and open to the public, but space is limited and RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED! To be part of the conversation, while also enjoying a glass of wine, please reserve with Rita Cidre, WRNI Membership Director, at rcidre@wrni.org or 401-351-0203

Andrew Losowsky

2009-04-24T17:00:00.002-04:00

Fri 4/24, 5-7pm, SALON - Series: The Once and Future Library, part 7: Why Books Matter. The digi-vangelists are ready to burn down the libraries and put everything online - or so the story goes. In fact, digital has an extremely complex relationship with the physical world, and a book is a lot more than just words on a page. Andrew Losowsky, Providence based author of The Doorbells of Florence, media expert, and journalist (The Guardian,The Wall Street Journal, The Times of London), will explain how technology has changed the purpose of books, reveal how to keep print relevant, and talk about the future of storytelling. Technophobes and technophiles alike will find plenty to talk about!

For Athenaeum members and their guests.
(Series Sponsor: Dan Siegel, M&S Rare Books)

Matthew Goodman

2009-04-20T18:00:00.003-04:00

Mon 4/20/2009, 6pm: Co-presented in partnership with the Providence Public Library: Matthew Goodman on his The Sun and the Moon: the Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York, takes place at PPL’s Empire Branch, Empire Street in downtown Providence. Fans of the 1830s: don’t miss this account of an 1835 tabloid-inspired hoax about a telescope that showed fantastical life on the moon, including scandalously-behaving flora and fauna. In the ensuing furor everyone had an opinion, including Poe, who claimed plagery.

Timothy S. Philbrick and Anthony Ramos

2009-04-17T17:00:00.002-04:00

Fri 4/17/2009, 5-7pm: SALON – Artists Timothy S. Philbrick and Anthony Ramos on their upcoming Providence Art Club show, Native Sons. Lifelong friends, master furniture maker Philbrick and painter/video arist Ramos both grew up in RI and are finally showing their work together. It’s an RI first for Ramos, who lives in the south of France and has shown in Boston, Barcelona, Florence, and Paris among other locales. Philbrick’s furniture has been featured in many museum shows and permanent collections; his pieces are known for their sense of proportion, luxurious design, exquisite craftsmanship, and unique understanding of the materials (for more: timothyphilbrick.com). Ramos’s works engage and interpret the cultural, political, and social complexities of a global world. Providence Art Club show runs 4/19-5/8.

For Athenaeum members and their guests.
(Sponsor: Studio Hop, 810 Hope Street, 621-2262)

Margaret B. Stillwell Prize 2009

2009-04-16T18:00:00.002-04:00

Margaret B. Stillwell Prize 2009
*FOR UNDERGRADUATES*

MONETARY PRIZES
First $750 / Second $500 / Third $250,
as well as gift certificates will be awarded.

In order to stimulate the interest of students in books and printing, and in all the bibliographical concerns which motivate its members, the John Russell Bartlett Society has established this annual prize competition, open to undergraduates at any Rhode Island college or university. In so doing, the Society honors the memory of Margaret Bingham Stillwell, Brown University Class of 1909, the University's first woman Professor of Bibliography and a renowned scholar of early printing, with the intent of encouraging students to share her lifelong pleasure in reading and book collecting.

A contestant's collection may be in any field. It may emphasize some particular interest within a field, or exemplify certain bibliographical features such as edition, issue, and other conditions of manufacture and sale; illustration, type, calligraphy, binding, etc. All types of books, including paperbacks, may be included, as long as their place in the collection can be justified (the inclusion of textbooks is nevertheless discouraged, except in rare cases).

Any undergraduate of a Rhode Island college or university who wishes to compete is invited to obtain an entry form and a brochure containing rules and guidelines for the competition from the Chair of the Stillwell Prize (name and address below).

Entry forms for 2009 must be submitted by April 3, 2009 and addressed to "Stillwell Prize, Box A / John Hay Library, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912"; or as an e-mail attachment, by arrangement with the Chair. The final competition and judging will take place at 6:00 p.m. on April 16 at the Providence Athenaeum, 251 Benefit Street at the corner of College Street, as part of an evening event sponsored by the John Russell Bartlett Society.

RULES FOR THE 2009 STILLWELL COMPETITION

Before entering, contestants are strongly encouraged to contact the Stillwell Prize chair, Richard Noble, at the John Hay Library, Brown University (Richard_Noble@Brown.EDU; 401-863-1187).

The competition is open to all undergraduates attending Rhode Island colleges and universities.

Written entries (essay and bibliography) must be submitted by April 3, 2009

Aaron Jungels

2009-04-10T17:00:00.003-04:00

Friday 4/10/2009, 5-7pm: SALON - Choreographer and multi-media artist Aaron Jungels of Everett Dance Theatre on his new, Silas the Teenager, on stage at the Carriage House Stage April 17-19 and 24-26. Inspired by his 16-year-old nephew Silas, who has autism, Jungels utilizes vivid imagery and evocative physicality in depicting the pleasures and challenges of interacting with Silas. Interweaving video projection, dialogue, choreography, and kinetic-sculptural stage props, Jungels reflects upon the way Silas perceives the world. A live score by Alec K. Redfearn and five musicians accompanies the performances. Jungels researched the latest studies on the autistic mind; new theories about how people with autism perceive and process information about the world, as well as their reports "from the inside," guided the development of his work. Jungels received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Capital's Multi-Arts Production Fund and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts to produce Silas the Teenager.

Free and open to the public! Sponsor: Antiques & Interiors

Jeremy Dibbell

2009-04-03T17:00:00.003-04:00

Fri 4/3, 5-7pm, SALON - Series: The Once and Future Library, part 6: Massachusetts Historical Society librarian Jeremy Dibbell on The Libraries of Early America project. Using the online book-cataloging site LibraryThing.com, scholars and volunteers from around the country are creating digital catalogs of personal and institutional libraries from the colonial and early national periods, including those of America's first three presidents, Benjamin Franklin, Lady Jean Skipwith, and the Providence Athenaeum's own Founders' Collection. These digital catalogs allow users to efficiently compare libraries (what books did John Adams and Benjamin Franklin have in common?), and search collections that may not exist today in physical form or are spread across multiple institutions and private collections. Users can enter their personal libraries into LibraryThing and see what books they have in common with early American readers.

For more on Libraries of Early America, including links to the various collections now in place or in progress: www.librarything.com/groups/PLEA.

For our Founders' Collection: www.librarything.com/profile/ProvidenceAthenaeum.

For Athenaeum members and their guests. Series Sponsor: Dan Siegel, M&S Rare Books, msrarebooks.com

Karen Leona Anderson

2009-03-27T17:00:00.001-04:00

Fri 3/272009, 5-7pm: SALON – Poet Karen Leona Anderson on the interactions of poetry and science. Anderson's interest in the interactions of these two disciplines informs her new collection of poems, Punish Honey, and has led her to look for these interactions in the work of other poets - such as Emily Dickinson, for example - as well. Join us for a conversation about her discoveries - scientific, poetical, and the combination thereof - and then don't miss her reading from Punish Honey the following evening (Sat 3/27) at 6pm at the beloved Ada Books, 717 Westminster Street in Providence! For Athenaeum members and their guests. (Sponsor: Elad Inc, Industrial Consulting)

Listen Local Composers' Forum

2009-03-26T18:00:00.000-04:00

Thurs 3/26, 6-7:30pm: Listen Local Composers' Forum, moderated by Open Source's Christopher Lydon, with composers including Mitchell Clark, Marilyn Currier, Garrison Hull, Mike Kelley, Forrest Larson, and Jessie Montgomery; presented with Community MusicWorks and the Providence Public Library. The event takes place at the Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street in Providence. Join us for a conversation with composers featured in last season's Community MusicWorks Listen Local project.

Free and open to the public, but reservations are REQUIRED due to limited seating. Please email Lisa Miller at lmiller@provlib.org (preferred), or leave her a message at 401-455-8057.

Picture courtesy of John Chiafalo.

Oasis International

2009-03-20T17:00:00.001-04:00

Fri 3/20, 5-7pm: SALON – Oasis International. Oasis International serves African immigrants to Providence's West End, Elmwood, Southwest Providence, and Washington Park neighborhoods, focusing on health and wellness, consumer education, and programs for youth. Through funding from the National Constitution Center for their "Living News" program, Oasis is developing theatrical productions that present the young people they serve - American-born children of African immigrants - with constitutional issues in the media that have a direct impact on their everyday lives, and help them understand that in a democracy, their voices matter. Join us for a conversation with Oasis Executive Director Mary Smith and other participants on Africans becoming Americans, from one generation to the next. For Athenaeum members and their guests. Salon is presented in collaboration with The Rhode Island Foundation's Expansion Arts Program.

Giles Morris and Ben Jones

2009-03-13T17:00:00.002-04:00

Fri 3/13, 5-7pm, SALON - Series: The Once and Future Library, part 5: From Charles Dickens to Giles Morris: A Self-Published Serial Novel in the Digital Age. Giles Morris is a journalist, former political speech writer, community organizer on Chicago's south side, and teacher. Faced with the daunting task of publishing his first novel, he decided to publish directly on the web, partly in hopes of generating a book deal. He called on friends at Providence-based Left Brain, including founder Ben Jones, to design and produce the online-publishing project. Using an open source content management system, Joomla, Left Brain created a site usable by a non-technically-expert author. With the ease of publishing made possible by content management systems - given the exigencies of the publishing industry today, where even proven writers face increasing hurdles - does the web provide a formula for more autonomy for writers? As writers adapt, can publishers keep up? And whither the library in all this? Join Morris and Jones to hear about their adventures and ponder these questions and more! Special thanks to Left Brain for making this event possible. For Athenaeum members and their guests. (Series Sponsor: Dan Siegel, M&S Rare Books, msrarebooks.com)

Wild Dreams: the Best of Italian Americana

2009-03-06T17:00:00.000-05:00

Fri 3/6, 5-7pm, SALON - Readings from the newly published anthology, Wild Dreams: the Best of Italian Americana, with editor-in-chief Carol Bonomo (Ahearn) Albright and contributors Ann Hood, Mary Caponegro, Peter Covino, Christine Palamidessi Moore, and Christina Bevilacqua. For over 30 years the journal Italian Americana has showcased writers who have chronicled Italian-American literary culture and helped to define an Italian-American imagination. Wild Dreams offers the best of those pages - fiction, memoir, poetry, and interview - ranging widely in style and sentiment, tracing the arc of an immigrant culture's coming of age in America. Join us for a conversation with several contributors about how they deal with the complicated questions of identity in their art. Copies of Wild Dreams available for sale at 20% discount! Free and open to the public! (Sponsor: Elad Inc, Industrial Consulting)

Francisco Noya

2009-02-27T17:00:00.000-05:00

Fri 2/27, 5-7pm: SALON – RI Philharmonic's Resident Conductor Francisco Noya on Music, Life, and the Pursuit of Extreme Pleasure. Need we say more? For Athenaeum members and their guests. (Sponsor: Jillian Siqueland of Residential Properties, 401-274-6740)

Evening of High Spirits

2008-12-03T19:00:00.007-05:00

Wednesday, December 3, 7 - 9pm

An Evening of High Spirits to Benefit
The Providence Athenaeum!

Warmly welcome upcoming winter holidays with Dickens, lively music, seasonal treats, and a Port tasting, too! Actor Robb Dimmick conjures the world of Dickens with readings from A Christmas Carol, fiddlers extraordinaire Cathy Clasper-Torch and Mike Fischman play spirited accompaniment, Blackstone Caterers serve celebratory appetizers, and Campus Fine Wines pours a variety of Port wines to toast the merriment.
Thank-you to our event sponsor Hegeman & Co. Fine Jewelry

Valerie Tutson

2008-11-28T17:00:00.007-05:00

Fri 11/28/2008, 5-7pm:

SALON - Storyteller Valerie Tutson on Once and Future Storytelling. In Senegal they say, "When an old person dies, a library is buried." Tutson explores storytelling, the work of Rhode Island Black Storytellers and its annual FUNDA FEST in January, and the relevance of this ancient oral art form in today's image-driven technical age; as she slyly puts it, storytelling is not a spectator sport! Co-presented with the RI Foundation. For Athenaeum members and their guests.

Karl Jacoby

2008-11-21T17:00:00.000-05:00

Fri 11/21/2008, 5-7pm:

SALON - Karl Jacoby on the History of the Frontier and the Frontiers of History. Brown History Professor Jacoby's new book Shadows at Dawn: A Borderlands Massacre and the Violence of History details an 1871 massacre of Tucson-area Apaches by Anglos, Mexicans, and native tribes. In a nod to our last year's series on 1838 and this year's on the future of the library, his talk will trace 1830s policies and philosophies that led to increasing conflicts and violent resolutions as the frontier expanded lawlessly westward in the decades that followed, and he'll reflect on the changing role of the 21st century author in an increasingly on-line world. Do questions of ownership, citizenship, and nativism raised by 19th century geographical expansion connect to the idea of the borderless global world seemingly promised by today's electronic expansion of information? Books for sale and signing thanks to Borders! For Athenaeum members and their guests. (Sponsor: Studio Hop, 810 Hope Street, 401-621-2262)

James Wood

2008-11-18T19:00:00.000-05:00

Tues 11/18, 7pm:
Series: The Once and Future Library, part 3: The New Yorker's literary critic James Wood on Reading and Writing on Reading. A world of libraries presupposes a world of readers; what is the future of that world? Wood gives a brief history of the notion of the common reader, describing how critics and writers have tried over centuries to engage a large, public readership; defends the idea of the common reader against attacks from both populism and faux-populist elitism; and distinguishes between current academic writing and his brand of literary journalism. Wood's new How Fiction Works available for sale and signing thanks to Borders. Free and open to the public! (Series Sponsor: Dan Siegel, M&S Rare Books)

Proustfest

2008-11-16T16:00:00.002-05:00

Sunday, November 16, 2008, 4 to 6pm at the Music Mansion, 88 Meeting Street in Providence

Proustfest: Music and Wine from the World of Marcel Proust!
Proceeds to benefit the Providence Athenaeum

Featuring:
The Aurea Ensemble performing works by Ravel, Faure, Franck and other composers Proust knew and loved, plus reading passages from his writing
A Champagne and sparkling wine tasting with Campus Fine Wines
Fabulous French hors d'oeuvres by Blackstone Caterers

Anka Muhlstein

2008-11-14T17:00:00.000-05:00

Fri 11/14, 5-7pm:

SALON - Proustfest! Celebrating the 95th anniversary of the publication of Proust's Swann's Way, first in his series In Search of Lost Time. Part 1: Literary historian Anka Muhlstein on Proust and His Publishers. Full publication (7 books in 15 volumes) of Proust's epic took 15 years; he did not live to see completion. Publication was interrupted by WWI and complicated by constant textual reworkings plus the author's illness, failing eyesight, and impossible schedule - he slept all day, worked at night. At his death, with 6 volumes to go and no reliable manuscript available, things looked dire. But miracles happen - the novel got published in full and the publisher did not go mad. Free and open to the public! (Sponsor: Kas DeCarvalho Business Law, kaslawllc.com)

The Legendary Pub Quiz!

2008-11-07T19:30:00.000-05:00

Fri 11/7, 7:30pm: The Legendary Pub Quiz! Call 421-6970 to reserve a spot. $5 for Athenaeum members; $10 for non-members.

Paul Polak

2008-11-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

Fri 11/7, 5-7pm:
SALON - Paul Polak on his book Out of Poverty. For 25 years Polak has helped poor farmers develop practical ways to increase their income, moving 17 million people out of poverty. In 2006 his organization received $14 million from the Gates Foundation. How does he succeed when mainstream poverty programs consistently fail? More: paulpolak.com. Books for sale and signing thanks to Borders!

For Athenaeum members and their guests. (Sponsor: Kas DeCarvalho Business Law, kaslawllc.com)

Read about Paul Polak's business theories in the NYTimes from Nov 1: http://www.nytimes.com/

Rick Ring

2008-11-06T19:00:00.000-05:00

Thurs 11/6, 7pm:

Series: The Once and Future Library, part 2: "To Promote the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge": The Formation of the Providence Public Library as an Ark of the Arts and Sciences in Providence. Rick Ring, Special Collections Librarian of the Providence Public Library, revisits the creation of the PPL from its first glimmers in the 1870s by a group of cultural institutions, to the construction of the Italian Renaissance revival-style building in 1900.

Free and open to the public! (Series Sponsor: Dan Siegel, M&S Rare Books, msrarebooks.com)

Rick Ring and Phoebe Simpson

2008-10-31T17:00:00.001-04:00

Fri, 10/31, 5-7pm:

SALON - Series: The Once and Future Library, part 1: Reading Providence. Rick Ring, Special Collections Librarian of the Providence Public Library, and Phoebe Simpson, Printed Collection Librarian at the RI Historical Society Library, explore the changing landscape of the major private book collections and the city's libraries (including the Providence Athenaeum [1838]; its ancestor, the Providence Library Company [1753]; and the library of the RI Historical Society [1824]) from the mid-17th century to the 1878 formation of the Providence Public Library, our first free public library. Join us for a conversation about how the growth of the city was reflected in the growth of its library community and vice versa.

For Athenaeum members and their guests.
(Series Sponsor: Dan Siegel, M&S Rare Books, msrarebooks.com)

Children's Room

2008-10-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

Senator Lincoln Chafee and Ted Widmer

2008-10-14T19:00:00.003-04:00

Tues, 10/14/2008, 7pm:

Election Day Approaches: What's Next? In an increasingly global world fraught with conflicts past, present, and promised, what is the future for US foreign policy? As the 2008 presidential campaign (aka The Hundred Years' War) closes, what is America's place in the world? What should it be? Come converse with two contrarian witnesses to history, former Senator Lincoln Chafee (now distinguished visiting fellow at Brown's Watson Institute), a liberal conservative, and Ted Widmer, former foreign policy speechwriter for Bill Clinton, now Director of the John Carter Brown Library, a conservative liberal. Copies of Senator Chafee's Against the Tide: How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless President and Ted Widmer's Ark of the Liberties: America and the World will be available for sale and signing, thanks to Borders!

Free and open to the public.
(Sponsor: Yankee Travel, yankeetravel.com)

Jesse Holstein

2008-10-10T17:00:00.002-04:00

Fri, 10/10/2008, 5-7pm:

SALON - Providence String Quartet violinist Jesse Holstein on Dmitry Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten, featured composers in PSQ’s spring series at the Athenaeum. Great admirers of one another’s music, Shostakovich and Britten stand as two giants of 20th century music. Britten’s 2nd quartet, written in 1945 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of composer Henry Purcell’s death, concludes with an immense baroque chaconne as a direct tribute. Shostakovich dedicated his powerful 8th quartet, “In memory of victims of fascism and war.” In the Dresden summer of 1960, writing the score for a film on WWII, Shostakovich, emotionally overcome by his subject matter and the city’s bombed-out condition, composed his pseudo-autobiographical quartet in a mere three days. Spring series dates: 2/19 (Shostakovich), 5/14 (Britten); buy your tickets at the Salon! For Athenaeum members and their guests. (Sponsor: The Curatorium, thecuratorium.com)

Busted

2008-10-07T13:00:00.003-04:00

Janet Carlson

2008-10-03T17:00:00.009-04:00

Fri, 10/3/2008, 5-7pm:

SALON - Janet Carlson on her new memoir, Quick, Before the Music Stops: How Ballroom Dancing Saved My Life.

A competitive ballroom dancer in her twenties, Carlson quit to raise a family and pursue a high-powered editing career. Twenty years later she "had it all" but was lost at heart. Then her husband gave her a gift of ballroom lessons, and in one spin around the floor she found her footing again. Her return to the ballroom let her end an unhappy marriage, put her heart back into work, find time for her children, and rediscover a sense of balance and grace. Join us for a conversation about the dance of life. Books available for sale and signing thanks to Borders!
For Athenaeum members and their guests. (Sponsor: Jillian Siqueland of Residential Properties, 401-274-6740)

Nancy Austin and Caroline Woolard

2008-09-26T17:00:00.002-04:00

Fri, 9/26/2008, 5-7pm:

SALON - Historian Nancy Austin and artist Caroline Woolard update us on Albert J. Jones, forgotten founder of the RISD Museum of Art (RI's very first), in a preview of their 9/27 installation/performance about Jones (part of Cryptic Providence, an art/program series at North Burial Ground), and explain why RI almost didn't get the Museum (opening its new Chace Center on 9/27).

As a prequel to the Athenaeum's new program series, The Once and Future Library, Austin discusses the primacy of print over visual culture in 19th century Providence. Jones came of age in a city abrim with books and periodicals, joined the Athenaeum, and left for Europe with a notable personal library. Print culture lured future RISD founder Helen Rowe (Metcalf) to Providence, where with her brothers she opened a bookstore, established a global periodicals market, and wrote and published a widely circulated newspaper. Join us to talk about books, art, libraries, and museums, from the 19th century to now.

For Athenaeum members and their guests. (Sponsor: risdworks, risdworks.com)

Dr. Warren Simmons

2008-09-23T18:30:00.002-04:00

Tues, 9/23, 6:30-8:30pm:

The Athenaeum hosts The Covenant with Black America: Education, with Dr. Warren Simmons, Executive Director, Annenberg School for Education Reform, Brown University; moderated by Mary Sylvia Harrison, Vice President of Programs, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. How do the disparate educational opportunities within Providence’s diverse population affect the quality of life and prosperity in the city? Join us for a conversation on how to address the disparities between Black America and White America. The Covenant with Black America is a program series based on Tavis Smiley’s bestselling essay collection, The Covenant, outlining key life issues and providing lists of resources to help people improve their lives. It is funded by the RI Council for the Humanities, presented by Anne Edmonds Clanton; more info: 401-258-1910. Free and open to the public! (Sponsor: Benefit Street Antiques, 140 Wickenden Street, 401-751-9109)

Inside the Providence Athenaeum

2008-08-26T13:00:00.001-04:00

Outside the Providence Athenaeum

2008-08-26T12:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday, Providence Athenaeum! and All Hail, Athena!

2008-07-11T19:00:00.004-04:00

Friday, July 11th 2008 7pm

An Olympian celebration of the Athenaeum's 170th birthday at 251 Benefit Street, Providence Rhode Island!

Poet Brett Rutherford, along with other votaries, will present a lyrical introduction and tribute in poetry and music to our patron goddess, Athena, as we prepare to install our new bust of her in the library. Come help us welcome the goddess of wisdom to her spiritual and intellectual home!

Nectar and ambrosia - or earthly equivalents - will be served.

The event is free and open to the public, befitting these words spoken by Francis Wayland at the dedication of the Athenaeum on July 11, 1838:

"Let us all cheerfully unite, fellow-citizens, in every reasonable effort to elevate the standard of social and intellectual character among us… Let us abandon, forever, and forget that they ever existed, all local and petty distinctions. Let us not labor for the east side or for the west side, but for the city of Providence ."

He then added the following:

"In every useful and public-spirited object , let every hand beat time, all our hearts be in unison; and if money be needed to accomplish it, let our wealth flow out like water."

Which is just to say that gifts of tribute, while not expected, will neither be refused!

Procession

Poetry by Brett Rutherford

Text of "ATHENA AND MEDUSA"

The Aurea Ensemble presents From the Bard to the Beats

2008-03-28T17:00:00.009-04:00

The Aurea Ensemble presents From the Bard to the Beats, an evening of poetry, improvisation, and chamber music connecting the inspirational threads of David Amram, celebrated American composer, jazz musician, writer, educator, and first composer-in-residence for the NY Philharmonic. Amram, closely identified with Kerouac and the Beat poets of the ‘50s and ‘60s, was also honored recently at Lincoln Center for his early musical collaborations with Joseph Papp’s first Shakespearean productions at NYC’s Public Theatre. Author of 3 books, at 77 he is one of the most highly sought-after American composers. From April 14 – 20 a week-long celebration of Amram’s work will take place during his Fitts Residency at Brown, with Aurea as participants. Join Aurea members Consuelo Sherba, Nigel Gore, and Chris Turner for this sneak preview of the events, plus a look into the working process of Aurea and their inimitable, intuitive, and inventive combining of words and music.

For Athenaeum members and their guests.
Sponsor: Antiques & Interiors

Consuelo Sherba and Chris Turner

A Wee Dram of Scotland

2008-01-25T19:00:00.008-05:00

A Birthday Celebration of Robert Burns. Brighten the long winter with an evening of light, warmth, music, poetry, spirits, camaraderie, and a rare glimpse at some rare editions of Burns. Join us for readings by actors Thomas McDonald Oakes and Alyn Carlson, Scottish folk music by Cathy Clasper-Torch and Mike Fischman, a tasting and discussion of single malt Scotches thanks to Campus Fine Wines, and a display of the finest items from the Athenaeum's rarely exhibited Burns Collection, consisting of over 450 volumes of Burns's works from the 18th and 19th centuries, assembled by Athenaeum member Charles Bradley during his 19th century lifetime and donated by his widow in 1924. Thanks to Sally Strachan for envisioning this program and bringing it to life!

Cathy Clasper-Torch and Mike Fischman

Alyn Carlson

Thomas McDonald Oakes

The True Martin Van Buren Song

2007-12-05T21:10:00.001-05:00

Martin Van Buren Scandalized in Song

2007-12-05T21:05:00.002-05:00

Martin Van Buren vs. Rudy Giuliani

2007-12-05T21:00:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday, Martin Van Buren - The Final Round

2007-12-05T19:00:00.004-05:00

Last year we set out to quietly honor The Red Fox of Kinderhook, who was president when the Athenaeum opened in 1838--and the rest is history. Given the wild emotions that we now know MVB to provoke, we decline to elaborate on the plans for this year's observance, though we can promise that MVB biographer Ted Widmer will be on hand and we do have a small but impressive display of MVB ephemera kindly donated to the Athenaeum over the past year. Free and open to the public, though perhaps not for the faint of heart.

Phil Edmonds and Otis Read

2007-12-02T17:00:00.003-05:00

Onesimo Almeida

2007-11-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

Friday, 11/16, 5-7pm: SALON - Writer Onesimo Almeida reads from his work. Born in the Azores, Almeida is a long-time Providence resident and Professor of Portuguese Studies at Brown. He writes essays, critical papers, and fiction on Portuguese and Azorean history as well as the Portuguese diaspora in the U.S. An academic and creative writer, he reads and lectures in both the U.S. and Portugal, continuously crossing what he calls “the Atlantic River,” yet is firmly rooted in the Portuguese and Azorean migrant community in New England. Join him for a conversation about the fluidity of the notions of home, migration, and identity. For Athenaeum members and their guests. (Sponsor: Antiques & Interiors, antiquesandinteriors.biz)