NEWPORT — The Preservation Society of Newport County will host fall programs covering subjects from architecture and art to mooncakes and outer space.
“A Closer Look at Richard Morris Hunt” will be presented by Leslie Jones, director of museum affairs and chief curator for The Preservation Society of Newport County, on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m. at Rosecliff and via Zoom.
Richard Morris Hunt has long been associated with extraordinary architecture that provided the grand backdrop for America’s Gilded Age. But Hunt also envisioned creating a national identity beyond physical structures and sought to influence America’s cultural identity. Jones’ talk relates to the current exhibition at Rosecliff, “Richard Morris Hunt: In a New Light,” which will be open for viewing before and after the lecture.
The Mid-Autumn Festival will be held Monday, Oct. 6, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Chinese Tea House and Marble House grounds. The family event celebrates a 3,000-year-old Chinese tradition that celebrates togetherness. Also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, the program includes a Lion Dance, a traditional tea ceremony, craftmaking and mooncakes.
A plein air watercolor painting class with award-winning artist Bill Lane will be held Thursday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Elms. The daylong workshop is offered in the landscape and gardens of The Elms and is for intermediate and above-level watercolorists. It will include a demonstration, discussion of scene selection, planning composition and determining values, and the session will conclude with an informal critique.
“Mars and the Gilded Age Imagination” will be presented by David Baron, award-winning journalist, broadcaster and author, on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m. at Rosecliff and via Zoom. The program will delve into Gilded Age America’s fascination with Mars. Sparked by an aristocratic Bostonian’s claims to have “proof” of an advanced civilization on the Red Planet, the belief became so widespread that it was discussed in the newspapers, on the Broadway stage and even from the pulpit.
For more information and ticketing, go to www.newportmansions.org/events.
