The Springfield Museums’ monthly tour and lecture schedule continues in January with the popular Museums à la Carte lectures, which take place on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. in the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. Admission is $4 ($2 for members of the Springfield Museums); visitors are invited to bring a bag lunch (cookies and coffee are provided). For more information about Museums à la Carte, call 413-263-6800, ext. 488. This month’s lectures are:
- January 5 – and Mrs. Prince: How an Extraordinary Eighteenth-Century Family Moved Out of Slavery and Into Legend. Professor Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina, Dean Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst, tells the story of former slaves who became property owners, original settlers of Vermont, raised a family of six and used the courts to assert their rights.
- January 12 – The Not-So-Good Life of the Colonial Goodwife. Teacher and author Velya Jancz-Urban offers insight into what life was really like for New England’s colonial women.
- January 19 – The Republican Heritage Book Series: Eastern States Exposition Centennial, On Being Italian, and A Not So Civil War, Volume II. Wayne E. Phaneuf, executive editor of The Republican; and Joseph Carvalho III, M.A., M.L.S., C.G.R.S. and certified archivist, retired president and executive director of the Springfield Museums, discuss the three new books in the local history series.
- January 26 – Restoring our Victorian Home: How We Got There, and How We Found, Researched, and Restored It. Jim Boone, retired High School Guidance Counselor, local historic preservationist, President Emeritus of Springfield Preservation Trust, details his experience restoring his home in Springfield’s McKnight neighborhood.
As an added feature, museum docents will be leading guided gallery discussions titled “Continuing Conversations” following lectures on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month (Museums members only). January’s “Conversations” will take place 1:30 PM at the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts on January 12 with docent Robin Stolk and January 26 with docent Diane Huot (check with Welcome Center for gallery locations).
On Friday, January 6 at 7:30 p.m., the Springfield Science Museum’s large rooftop telescope will once again be open for public sky gazing for the monthly “Stars Over Springfield” observatory program. These programs are organized by the Museum and the Springfield Stars Club, and take place on the first Friday of each month. The featured talk on January 6 is by former vice president of both the Amherst Area Amateur Astronomy Association and the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston Steve Herzberg who will present “One Star is Like Another?” Stars Over Springfield programs are best suited for families with children ages 8 and older, however younger children are also welcome. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children 17 and under. These programs are held rain or shine. If it is cloudy, a planetarium show will be presented in place of telescope viewing.