The Springfield Museums have announced their monthly tour and lecture schedule for November. The month’s offerings will feature a special two-lecture series titled “Downton at the Museums,” featuring historical insight into the popular PBS series.
On Sunday, November 9, architectural historian Curt DiCamillo will present a talk titled “Lords, Ladies & Mummies: The Story of Highclere Castle, the Real Downton Abbey,” highlighting the castle’s fascinating history from unexpected connections to the popular television series to King Tut’s Tomb.
The following Sunday, November 16, author Carol Wallace will discuss her book To Marry an English Lord, which she co-authored with Gail MacColl. The book has been cited by Julian Fellowes as an inspiration for Downton Abbey. The cost to attend each lecture is $2 for members and $4 for nonmembers, in addition to museum admission. Tickets are available at the Museums’ Welcome Center or online at springfieldmuseums.org (advance purchase recommended).
The popular Thursday Museums à la Carte lectures are held weekly at 12:15 p.m. in the Michele & Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, and are sponsored by Big Y World Class Market. Admission is $4 ($2 for members); visitors are invited to bring lunch (cookies and coffee are provided). This month’s lectures include:
- Nov. 6 – Painting Salons: A brief history and new installation at the GWVS Art Museum. Julia Courtney, Curator, Springfield Art Museums, discusses highlights of the American Paintings collection in the GWVS Art Museum and the recent re-installation.
- Nov. 13 – Illusions, Tricks and Deceptions in Art. Gloria Russell, art historian & critic, provides background on realism in 19th century American art and the illusionistic paintings in the D’Amour Museum of Fine Art.
- Nov. 20- Native American Fantasy: An Exploration of Art and Music. Jack P. Brin, Professor Emeritus, WNEU, tells the story of the artists and composers who were strongly influenced by Native American culture in the 19th century.
For more information about “Downton at the Museums” or Museums à la Carte, call 413.263.6800, ext. 488.
Also scheduled in November are informal half-hour “mini-tours” every Sunday at 1 PM by volunteer docent educators. The tours highlight a different element of the unique collections of one of the four museums, and are free with Museum admission (check at the Welcome Center springfieldmuseums.org for an updated schedule). Topics for November are:
- Nov. 2 – Japan Arms and Armor; Richard O’Brien, GWV Smith Art Museum
- Nov. 9 – Neo-impressionism: Maximilien Luce, Hippolyte Pettijohn, Theo van Rysselberghe;
- Robin Stolk, D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts
- Nov. 6 – Dutch Treat: Dutch and Flemish Paintings, From Surreal to Sublime; Adele Gladstone-Gilbert, DMFA
- Nov. 23 – Row,Row,Row Your Boat: the Past and Future of Recreational Boating on the Connecticut River; Peter Benjamin, Wood Museum of Springfield History
Monthly Walking Tours are presented on second Saturdays in collaboration with the Armoury-Quadrangle Civic Association (AQCA), and feature enlightening strolls through the downtown area. The tour on November 8 will be led by John Morse, President and Publisher of Merriam Webster. Walking tours are free for Springfield Museums and AQCA members, $5 nonmembers, and start at the Museums’ Welcome Center.
Photo credit: Curt DiCamillo