The Springfield Museums’ monthly tour and lecture schedule continues in March with the popular Museums à la Carte lectures, which take place on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. in the Michele and Donald 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:
March 2 – Paintings Hung in Parlors: May Alcott and other Nineteenth Century Women. Author Jeannine Atkins traces May Alcott’s journey from art student to instructor, as well as the work of her student, sculptor Daniel Chester French, and her friend, Mary Cassatt.
March 9 – The Life and Times of Eleanor Roosevelt. Former Palmer Town Councilor Donald Blais, Jr. looks back on the life and legacy of former First Lady.
March 16 – Artists Abroad: From American to Expatriate. ArtScapades chronicles the lives of Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, and James McNeill Whistler.
March 23 – Passion @ 2100 Degrees Fahrenheit. Sculptor Andrew DeVries discusses the process behind creating bronze sculptures and the ancient art of the lost wax method.
March 30 – Mythology, the Mediterranean and Metaphor in the Visual and Performing Arts. Kevin Rhodes, music director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, describes how artists in two different mediums – paint and music – have portrayed characters, places and situations of mythology.
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). March’s “Conversations” will take place at 1:30 p.m. on March 9 with Pat McCarthy and on March 23 with Betty Romer.
On Friday, March 3 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 March 3 is by curator of physical science Richard Sanderson, who will present Eclipse Expeditions and the Great Solar Eclipse of 2017. 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.