The Springfield Museums’ monthly tour and lecture schedule continues in November 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, call 413-263-6800, ext. 488. This month’s lectures are:
- November 3– How to Recall Trauma and Tragedy: The Memorial de la Resistance in Troyes, France, Dr. Simon P. Sibelman discusses France’s attempt to create a fitting tribute to honor the underground resistance in World War II. Sibelman is Prof. Emeritus of French, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; Prof. Emeritus of French and Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies, Appalachian State University.
- November 10– William Merritt Chase: An Old-Fashioned American Modernist. Gloria Russell, art historian, lecturer, retired art critic, writer, teacher, talks about the modern elements of William Merritt’s work and their subtle, graceful balance between tradition and recent French Impressionism.
- November 17– WWI Nurse Edith Cavell’s Fate: Decision or Destiny. Terri Arthur, RN, BS, MS, author, British nurse, gives an overview about how Cavell was a key link in the underground effort to rescue Allied soldiers, and how her execution ultimately helped to bring the US into World War I.
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). November’s “Conversation” will take place on November 10 with Adele-Gladstone-Gilbert at the George Walter Vincent Smith Museum (there is no lecture on November 24 due to Thanksgiving).
On Friday, November 4 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. 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. At the November 4th event, Ed Faits, President of the Arunah Hill Natural Science Center, will give a short talk titled “Cruising the Universe: Through Our Solar System and Beyond.”
Monthly Walking Tours are presented on second Saturdays in collaboration with the Armoury-Quadrangle Civic Association (AQCA). Walking tours are free for Springfield Museums and AQCA members, $5 nonmembers, and start at the Museums’ Welcome Center. On November 12th, Steve Shultis, Springfield Historical Commission, will lead a tour titled the “Bas Relief in Downtown Springfield.”