September-October

BOSTON ATHENÆUMSEPTEMBER_ OCTOBER 2019

REQUIRED READING reimagining a colonial library

EXHIBITION OPENS September 17

NEW EXHIBITION IN OUR NORMA JEAN CALDERWOOD GALLERY OFFERS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO EXAMINE

BOOKS FROM THE KING’S CHAPEL LIBRARY COLLECTION, A SURVIVING TREASURE OF 17TH-CENTURY BOSTON. A Explore the fine crafts of bookbinding and furniture-making, and consider the meaning of “Essential Knowledge.” REQUIRED READING tells the story of some colonial Bostonians’ intellectual and spiritual quests and invites visitors to reflect on their own “must-read” lists. It features a full-scale replica of the massive, ark-like bookcase designed in 1883 to house the historic collection. The replica, supported in part by the Chipstone Foundation, is an achievement in contemporary fine woodworking. It is modified in an innovative way, enabling visitors to immerse themselves in the rich contexts of the cabinet, its books, and their legacy.

“The books’ arrival in New England as ‘necessary and useful’ texts for teaching and learning, their importance to religious leaders in Boston, and their impressive state of preservation—through the tumult of a city rocked by revolution—are dramatic and little-known,” says John Buchtel, Curator of Rare Books and Head of Special Collections. “More than three centuries later, their appeal is not simply as a time capsule or as examples of the craft of bookbinding, but also as a profound prompt, giving us the opportunity to imagine the readings we’d select as essential in our own lives.”

Linking the historic collection to the present day, community partners including the Chinese Historical Society of New England, Hebrew College, the Museum of African American History, and UMass Boston provide a plurality of perspectives by sharing their own “required reading” lists. SEVERAL OF THE RARE AND NOTABLE ITEMS ON DISPLAY:

An atlas of the known world (1693) MEMBER HOURS Sir Walter Raleigh’s History of the World (1666) Mon–Thu 9 am–8 pm Fri–Sat 9 am–5 pm A mathematics textbook covering everything from practical geometry to logarithms (1690) VISITOR HOURS A nine-language Bible, the “London Polyglot” Tue 12–8 pm (1657) Wed–Sat 10 am–4 pm

A Biblical concordance compiled by Massachusetts minister Samuel Newman (1658) The Gordon Newspaper Room opens at 8:30 am on weekdays.

CONTACT TOP RIGHT | Engraving of Queen Mary II by Jacobus Houbraken, 1744. A copy of this portrait decorates the original King’s Chapel Library bookcase, visible to www.bostonathenaeum.org members on the third floor. 617.227.0270 ABOVE | The London Polyglot Bible (1657) is a masterwork, with Bible verses printed side by side in nine languages, including Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, and Arabic. RIGHT | Unicorns are among the creatures depicted in an illustration of Noah’s Ark from Matthew Poole’s Synopsis Criticorum (1694). 1 ATHENӔUM by the numbers

JUNE 2019

ORDERED/ACQUIRED 244 Items

PRESIDENT’S NOTE ASSISTED 232 Reference Inquiries

CATALOGED DEAR MEMBERS: 215 New Circulating Items 26 Already-Held Circulating Items I am pleased to announce that Amy E. Ryan, an accomplished library leader with more 16 New Special Collections Materials than 35 years of management experience, has agreed to serve as Interim Director of the 58 Already-Held Special Collections Materials Athenæum, effective August 15th. CIRCULATED 938 Books, including: The Standing Committee of the Board of Trustees has chosen to bring Amy on in order to 83 Children’s Library Books operate more efficiently and effectively. The search for a new director is on track, and in the meantime we will have an extremely experienced and talented person at the helm. ATTENDANCE 2,362 Members Amy’s brief biography can be found below. Along with Standing Committee member 81 Members’ Guests & 136 Visitors Duke Collier (who heads up our search committee for a permanent director) and I, Amy will keep you informed on the search and other important matters in the weeks to come. PROGRAMS 10 Events 12 Public Tours As always, we welcome your thoughts. 4 Private Tours

John S. Reed President, Board of Trustees ANNUAL FUND $949,485 in unrestricted funds raised to date

THANK YOU

OUR MISSION | The mission of the Boston Athenæum is to engage all who seek knowledge by making accessible our library’s collections and spaces, thereby inspiring reflection, discourse, creative expression, and joy.

WE ARE thankful

Thank you to all who help support the Athenæum with donations to the Annual Fund. Your unrestricted gifts are instrumental in realizing all facets of our programs and services. Libraries are not money-making enterprises. Through community members’ philanthropic support, we provide stellar programming, expand and conserve the collections, and maintain our unique building, a National Historic Landmark. Our goal is to sustain 10½ Beacon as an inviting, enriching, singular, and joyful place, now and into the future.

If you haven’t yet supported the Athenæum with an Annual Fund gift, we encourage your participation at any level before the fiscal year closes WELCOME TO OUR interim director on September 30. Contact Dawna G. Burrus, Director of Annual Giving, 617-720-7629, or [email protected]. Or donate online at bostonathenaeum.org/support/make-gift. On July 24, John S. Reed, President of the Board of Trustees, announced the appointment of Amy E. Ryan as Interim Director.

Amy is a seasoned library leader, having held director roles at the Boston Public Library and the Hennepin County (Minnesota) Public Library, as well as leadership positions for 28 years with the Minneapolis Public Library.

She serves as an Advisor in Residence at Simmons University Graduate School of Library and Information Science and a member of the MIT Libraries Visiting Committee, and has chaired the Board of Directors of the Digital Public Library of America. A Proprietor of the Boston Athenæum, she is also a member of the Nichols House Governing Board and serves on the Beacon Hill Village Council.

bostonathenaeum.org ATHENӔUM by the numbers

JUNE 2019

ORDERED/ACQUIRED 244 Items

ASSISTED 232 Reference Inquiries EXPANSION expansion UPDATE CATALOGED 14 BEACON 215 New Circulating Items STREET 26 Already-Held Circulating Items e are making progress on the library’s physical expansion into the building next door, via a long-term lease of 19,400 feet at 14 Beacon 16 New Special Collections Materials Street. The project is being managed by our Project Steering 58 Already-Held Special Collections Materials Committee, comprised of members of the Board of Trustees, members Wof the senior staff, and our owner’s project representative, Smith+St. John, a real estate CIRCULATED advisory and development management firm. 938 Books, including: Demolition within 14 Beacon Street has been underway for months. Wooden partitions 83 Children’s Library Books and cabinetry on the fifth and sixth floors were removed by an architectural preserva- tionist from North Bennet Street School. The owner of the building (Faros Properties) ATTENDANCE hopes to reassemble these partitions for office use elsewhere in the building. 2,362 Members 81 Members’ Guests & 136 Visitors A new multi-purpose meeting room is taking shape in 14 Beacon. The room closest to Beacon Street will become an attractive meeting space for members and staff alike— and, fittingly, it was once a bookstore. PROGRAMS 10 Events Throughout the demolition phase, measures were taken to protect the collections 12 Public Tours housed in the area the staff refers to as the “outback,” directly below the future meeting 4 Private Tours room. All collections items were removed safely by the curatorial team as a precautionary measure. Demolition continued through the summer, including removal of stubborn terracotta. ANNUAL FUND $949,485 in unrestricted funds raised to date The building’s windows are currently being restored or replaced, first on the side facing the Granary Burying Ground and then on the Beacon Street side.

THANK YOU In July, we achieved an important milestone: the completion of Design Development documents. Independent cost estimators then began an analysis to create a comprehen- TOP | Demolition of the sixth floor took place over the summer. This area will be home to library sive project budget. As this newsletter goes to press, that work is in progress. technical services, including cataloging, digitization, and conservation. MIDDLE | Wooden partitions being dismantled by preservation carpenter Chris Dowd. BOTTOM | The future meeting space

LEFT | Audience members asked insightful questions at the CENTER | On Juneteenth, following Elizabeth Cobbs’s book RIGHT | Book-buyers lined up to have their copies of New What’s It Worth? panel, which featured arts leaders Suzanne talk for The Tubman Command, audience members explored Yorker writer Susan Orlean’s The Library Book personalized. Blier (Harvard), Akili Tommasino (MFA), and Stephen Lash special collections materials, including our Lincoln-signed (Christie’s USA), in conversation with Murray Whyte of copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. the Boston Globe.

Long Room Scrapbook

A glance back at some of the many engaging and enjoyable programs of recent months.

LEFT | Athenæum Proprietor and best-selling historian CENTER | Debora Plunkett, a 30+ year National Security RIGHT | In June, our Pride at the Intersections panel Nathaniel Philbrick filled the festive house to tell us about Agency veteran now at Harvard Kennedy School, shared brought together LGBTQ leaders (left to right) Casey Dooley, In the Hurricane’s Eye in December. insights at a November panel on cybersecurity. Catherine Bell, and Kate Sosin in conversation with Cristela Guerra of WBUR. SEPTEMBER~ OCTOBER Athenæum events Registration is requested for all events. Register at bostonathenaeum.org or by calling 617-720-7612.

First: Sandra Day O’Connor BOOK TALK | with journalist, historian, and best-selling author, Evan Thomas Thursday, September 26, 6 pm M R Members $15

Sandra Day O’Connor repeatedly shattered glass ceilings with a blend of grace, wisdom, humor, An Evening with Droodles understatement, and cowgirl toughness. BOOK TALK | with writer and Boston Thomas, a former Athenæum Docent Fritz Holznagel Time and Newsweek Thursday, September 12, 6 pm editor and author of P Members free and Visitors $15 multiple New York Times bestsellers, Before the inspired nonsense of Monty explores the life REQUIRED Python, there were Droodles. These and legacy of the clever drawings telegraphed absurd first-ever woman to serve as a scenes like “Ship arriving too late to Supreme Court Justice. READING save a drowning witch” (used on a Frank Zappa album cover). Join us as we laugh reimagining a colonial library at some of the best-loved Droodles, hear about Roger Price, the brilliant and meet us there! DAY TRIP: Homer at the Beach On view September 17, 2019-March 14, 2020 unpredictable comedian who invented them (as well as Mad Libs, a perennial Our fall exhibition brings a contempo- LEADERSHIP PREVIEW | crowd-pleaser), and share our own rary lens to a great treasure: the King’s Monday, September 16, 5:30 pm creative captions. Chapel Library Collection, a set of 221 M R Free, Invitation only, RSVP books that crossed the Atlantic in 1698 by September 9 ...... on HMS Deptford, a fifty-gun man-of- Missionaries of Impressionism: war, to serve as a compact colonial EXHIBITION OPENING | The American Collectors library of necessary works. Tuesday, September 17, 5:30 pm of Renoir P R Members and Visitors Free LECTURE | with independent writer Showcasing special collections items and art historian Avis Berman such as Sir Walter Raleigh’s History of GALLERY TALK | with John Buchtel, Thursday, September 19, 6 pm the World (1666) and a nine-language Head of Special Collections and Curator P R Members $15 and Visitors $20 Bible (the “London Polyglot,” 1657), of Rare Books Required Reading features a Wednesday, October 23 at 10 am Commemorating the 100th anniversary contemporary artist’s replica of the P Members $2 and Visitors $5 with of the death of the great French massive, ark-like bookcase designed in admission ($10) Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste 1883 to house the historic collection. Renoir, we will look at the artist’s legacy A range of community partners share GALLERY TALK | with Dan Axmacher, from the perspective of the pioneering their own “required reading” lists, Rare Materials Catalog Librarian Americans who embraced and supported Friday, September 27, 10:15 am M Members $60 expanding and investigating “essential Thursday, October 3 at 4:15 pm his work well before French collectors or knowledge.” Come to be informed, P Members free and Visitors free with officials did. Join us at the Cape Ann Museum for a guided tour of Homer at the Beach: A Marine Painter’s surprised and intrigued, as well as to admission ($10) Journey, 1869-1880, with Boston Athenæum Proprietor and exhibition co-curator Bill Cross, reflect on your own indispensable books...... followed by lunch. Afterward we’ll tour Historic New England’s Beauport, the Sleeper- GALLERY TALK | with Docents A Dream Between Two Rivers: McCann House. EXHIBITION-RELATED EVENTS Wednesday, September 25 at 10:15 am Stories of Liminality Join John Buchtel, Curator of Rare Saturday, October 12 at 12:15 pm Books and Head of Special Collections, Tuesday, October 15 at 6:45 pm BOOK TALK | with writer, poet, and for special opening events. Attendees Wednesday, October 30 at 10:15 am teacher KL Pereira are invited to tour the gallery at 5:30 pm P Members free and Visitors free with Wednesday, September 25, 12 pm before a 30-minute presentation at 6 pm. admission ($10) P Members free and Visitors free with admission ($10)

Pereira’s writing weaves elements of MEMBER’S CHOICE Stories from the Shadows: Reflections of a Street Doctor fairy tales, folklore, and myth into the lives of women, children, and BOOK TALK | with founder of Boston Health Care for the immigrants. In the tradition of Angela Homeless Dr. Jim O’Connell Carter, Karen Russell, and Jorge Luis Tuesday, September 10, 6:30 pm M Members Free Borges, her prose underscores the ...... tenacity of those who are most Leadership Giving Reception “Boston’s doctor to the homeless” has spent 35 years providing vulnerable, who Wednesday, October 2, 5:30 pm medical care, hot coffee, and, most of all, hope to people on live on edges M R Free, Invitation only; RSVP by our city streets. Join “Dr. Jim” as he discusses his book of between neat September 25 essays—penned at the Boston Athenæum—about his many and clear patient experiences. definitions of In recognition of their support, Annual ...... who they are Fund Patrons (those who have donated MEMBER’S CHOICE and who they $1,000 and above this fiscal year) and Uncovering Male Love in the Shelley-Byron Circle want to be. select leaders in philanthropy are invited LECTURE | with activist and scholar John Lauritsen to this annual reception. Patron-level Tuesday, October 15, 6:30 pm M Members Free donors will receive a formal invitation. Interested in joining this group and John Lauritsen’s research explores the abundance of learning about the benefits of leadership expressions of male love among the English Romantic& giving? Contact Dawna Burrus, poets, and the efforts by family and biographers to purge Director of Annual Giving, at evidence of this homoeroticism through the destruction of [email protected] or by manuscripts and suppression of masterpieces. phone at 617-720-7629. M Members only ...... Please P Open to the public To initiate a Member’s Choice event, contact Director of Education Hannah join us. Weisman at [email protected] or 617-720-7617. R Reception to follow} bostonathenaeum.org

Athenæum events AT A GLANCE

Copyright Law SEPTEMBER 15 Tuesday | MEMBER’S CHOICE | John Lauritsen, Uncovering 10 Tuesday | MEMBER’S CHOICE | Dr. Jim O’Connell, Stories Male Love in the Shelley-Byron Circle, 6:30-7:30 pm. Registration LECTURE | with Boston University from the Shadows: Reflections of a Street Doctor, 6:30-7:30 pm. requested. Members Free M Librarian Dr. K. Matthew Dames Registration requested. Members Free M Thursday, October 10, 6 pm 16 Wednesday | FILM SCREENING | Jennifer Weston, P R Members $10 Visitors $15 12 Thursday | BOOK TALK | Fritz Holznagel, An Evening with Âs Nutayuneân (We Still Live Here), 5:30-8 pm. Registration . . Droodles, 6-7 pm. Registration requested. Members free and requested. Members $15 and Visitors $20 P R Through his Visitors $15 P research on 17 Thursday | MEMBER MEET AND GREET | 5:30-7:30 pm. copyright law, 16 Monday | LEADERSHIP EXHIBITION PREVIEW | RSVP by Thursday, October 10. Members Free M R policy, and history, Required Reading: Reimagining a Colonial Library 5:30-7:30 pm. 22 Tuesday | PROGRAMMING ADVISORY MEETING | Dr. K. Matthew This event is by invitation only. RSVP by Monday, September 9. 8:30-10 am. Registration requested. Members and Visitors Free P Dames has Members Free M R revolutionized 17 Tuesday | EXHIBITION OPENING | John Buchtel, Required 23 Wednesday | BOSTON MUSIC SHOWCASE AND WINE academic libraries, Reading: Reimagining a Colonial Library, 5:30-7:30 pm. Members NIGHT | 6-7:30 pm. Registration requested. Members $20 and innovating and Visitors Free P Visitors $30 P R copyright policies that have been 19 Thursday | LECTURE | Avis Berman, Missionaries of 24 Thursday | BOOK TALK | Karen Abbott, The Ghosts of Eden adopted by more than 20 American Impressionism: The American Collectors of Renoir, 6-7 pm. Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the universities. Join us for an evening with Registration requested. Members $15 and Visitors $20 P R Murder that Shocked Jazz-Age America, 6-7 pm. Registration this innovative thinker and leader in the requested. Members $15 and Visitor $20 P R library world. 25 Wednesday | BOOK TALK | KL Pereira, A Dream Between Two Rivers: Stories of Liminality, 12-1 pm. Registration requested. 26 Saturday | Sostheng Kituyi, Spooky Stories for Kids, 10:30- Members free and Visitors free with admission ($10) P 11:30 am. Registration requested. Members $5 and Visitors $7 P

DAY TRIP: Homer at the Beach 26 Thursday | BOOK TALK | Evan Thomas, First: Sandra Day 29 Tuesday | LECTURE | Desiree Taylor, The Life and Saga of meet us there! O’Connor, 6-7 pm. Registration requested. Members $15 M R Harriet Jacobs, 12-1 pm. Registration requested. Members free and Visitors free with admission ($10) P 27 Friday | MEET US THERE! DAY TRIP | Homer at the Beach, Meet at Cape Ann Museum, 10:15 am-4 pm. Registration requested. 30 Wednesday | LECTURE | Katia Lysy, Images and Shadows, Members $60 M 6-7 pm. Registration requested. Members Free and Visitors $15 P

OCTOBER 31 Thursday | BOOK TALK | James B. Conroy, Jefferson’s White 2 Wednesday | LEADERSHIP GIVING RECEPTION | House: Monticello on the Potomac, 12-1 pm. Registration 5:30-7:30 pm. This event is by invitation only. RSVP by Wednesday, requested. Members free and Visitors free with admission ($10) P September 25. Members Free M R M Members only

10 Thursday | LECTURE | Dr. K. Matthew Dames, Copyright P Open to the public Please join us. Law, 6-7 pm. Registration requested. Members $10 and Visitors $15 R Reception to follow P R } P By providing this perforated event card in the newsletter, we’re able to reduce print and mailing costs.

The Ghosts of Eden Park Images and Shadows BOOK TALK | with best-selling author LECTURE | with journalist and Karen Abbott literary translator Katia Lysy Friday, September 27, 10:15 am Members $60 Thursday, October 24, 6 pm Wednesday, October 30, 6 pm P R Members $15 Visitors $20 P Members free and Visitors $15 Join us at the Cape Ann Museum for a guided tour of Homer at the Beach: A Marine Painter’s Journey, 1869-1880, with Boston Athenæum Proprietor and exhibition co-curator Bill Cross, Before Al Capone became a household Biographer and historian Iris Origo followed by lunch. Afterward we’ll tour Historic New England’s Beauport, the Sleeper- name, a German immigrant named dazzled readers and critics with her McCann House. George Remus quit practicing law and prose, ranging from depictions of the ...... started trafficking whiskey. Within two Irish countryside to her heroic attempt to Member Meet and Greet years he was a multi-millionaire. save 28 refugee children from German Âs Nutayuneân Thursday, October 17, 5:30 pm Combining research with novelistic flair, soldiers during World War II. Her (We Still Live Here) M R Free; RSVP by October 10 Abbott uncovers the story of a rags-to- granddaughter, Katia Lysy, will discuss FILM SCREENING & CONVERSATION riches entrepreneur and a forgotten her legacy and the journey of bringing with writer and director of the All members are welcome to this heroine, the excesses and absurdities these elegant works to American Wôpanâak Language Reclamation informal autumn gathering! Enjoy of the Jazz Age, and the infinite human audiences. Project Jennifer Weston wine and cheese, meet others in our capacity to deceive...... Wednesday, October 16, 5:30 pm energetic, intellectually curious ...... Jefferson’s White House: P R Members $15 and Visitors $20 community, and greet new members. The Life and Saga of Harriet Monticello on the Potomac You will be invited to explore un- Jacobs Âs Nutayuneân is the story of the known corners of our historic building BOOK TALK | with award-winning revitalization of the Wampanoag with fun activities and docent-led LECTURE | with researcher and author James B. Conroy language, the first time a language with tours. As with most events, members storyteller Desiree Taylor Thursday, October 31, 12 pm no native speakers has been revived in are welcome to bring guests; please list Tuesday, October 29, 12 pm P Members free and Visitors free with P this country after many generations. their names at the time of registration. Members free and Visitors free with admission ($10) Wampanoag ancestors ensured the admission ($10) survival of the Pilgrims, and lived to As the first president to occupy the regret it. Nevertheless, with resilience Harriet Jacobs is best known for an 1861 White House for an entire term, Thomas Boston Music and courage they have kept their identity bravo! autobiography chronicling the realities Jefferson shaped the president’s Showcase and Wine Night alive and remain on ancestral lands. of her enslavement, including the sexual residence more than any of its other This event is presented in honor of PERFORMANCE | with local abuse she survived. However, twenti- occupants. Although many books have the UNESCO International Year of musicians and wine-pairing eth-century scholars dismissed the story immortalized Jefferson’s Monticello, Indigenous Languages. Wednesday, October 23, 6 pm as a fictional account written by a none has been devoted to his more P R Members $20 and Visitors $30 white abolitionist, and today the public famous and consequential home from knows little about Jacobs. Join us for a 1801 to 1809. Join us for an account Join us for the Athenæum’s second presentation that reveals the history of of life in Jefferson’s White House. annual music showcase! A lively night this remarkable person. that is likely to sell out, this event will feature three sets of music by some of WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Programming Advisory Meeting Boston’s most exciting up and coming Tuesday, October 22, 8:30 am young artists. Each performance will be What topics, themes, and big ideas would you like to explore through programs expertly paired with delightful wine and in the future? Join us and share your thoughts. Contact the Events department at bostonathenaeum.org nibbles. 617-720-7600 or [email protected] with questions or to register for this thrice-yearly discussion. FOUND treasures

COLLECTIONS BLUE PEACOCK

Mary Lewis Ayer, Ruth Cameron. Oil on canvas, ca. 1910. Gift of the estate of Ruth Cameron, 1992.

Joanna Quiner, Robert Rantoul. Plaster, ca. 1841. Gift of the artist, 1842.

Hand-marbled paper by Robert Wu Purchase, Killam Fund, 2019. This is one of 56 different marbled Eadweard Muybridge, Antigua [Guatemala], Cathedral. graphics by Wu, a Taiwanese-Canadian Photograph (albumen print), between 1875–1877. bookbinder, added recently to our collections. Athenæum purchase, 1878. events for children, tweens & teens

LITTLE ONES TEENS Baby Play Time | ages 0-18 months Registration required Fourth Wednesdays at 9:30 am for all teen programs. September 25, October 23 Young Readers Nursery Rhyme Time | ages 0-18 months Book Group | ages 9-13 Fridays at 10:30 am Fourth Wednesdays at 6 pm September 25: Spanish Story Time | ages 0-5 Inside Out and Back Again Select Wednesdays at 4:00 pm by Thanhha Lai September 18, October23 October 23: The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle Visitor Story Time | ages 0-5 by Leslie Connor SPECIAL EVENT P Fridays at 11:30 am Spooky Stories for Kids Teen Readers’ Book Group | ages 14-18 Family Story Time | ages 0-5 Third Wednesdays at 6 pm Saturdays at 10:30 am September 18: Nature October 16: Power Saturday, October 26, 10:30 am P Members $5 and Visitors $7 | ages 3-7 Note: fee is for all participants ages 5 and up Stories, Songs, and Activities | ages 1-3 Teen Writing Group | ages 12-18 Thursdays at 10:30 am Fourth Saturdays at 3 pm Get in the spirit with silly, spooky stories, treats, and September 28, October 26 crafts. Athenæum Security Officer and storyteller Preschool Story Time | ages 2-4 Sostheng “Daddy Shark” Kituyi and Children’s and Tuesdays at 10:30 am Friday DIY | ages 8-18 Young Adult Services Librarian Dani Crickman share First Fridays at 3:30 pm their flair for the dramatic in a creepy, comical, Sensory Story Time | ages 3-7 September 6: School Supplies interactive program that will send shivers up your Fourth Thursdays at 4:00 pm October 4: Halloween Decorations spine and make you laugh out loud. September 26, October 24 Featuring musical Comics Club | ages 9-13 accompaniment by Lego®, Chess, and Puzzle Club | ages 5-8 Second Thursdays at 6pm Athenæum staff. Every other Saturday at 2:30 pm September 12, October 10 September 7, 21, October 5, 19 SECOND SATURDAY PROGRAMS Independent Readers’ Book Group | ages 6-8 Story Time | ages 0-5 Second Wednesdays at 5 pm Second Saturdays at 10:30 am September 11: The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale September 14, October 12 October 9: A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold P Free

TO REGISTER FOR KIDS’ EVENTS EMAIL Crafts Second Saturdays at 2:30 pm [email protected] September 14, October 12 P Free FOUND treasures OUR VIBRANT community

TOP: In late July, a small contingent from the Athenæum took a day trip to Providence, visiting two cultural institutions along historic Benefit Street. At the Providence Athenæum, they enjoyed a Poe-inspired Raven Tour. Then, at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, the group took in an exhibition of Gorham Silver. Staffers were available for conversations at both places. (Look for occasional day trips in our events listings.)

...... MIDDLE: In July, nine educators gathered for a workshop, sponsored in part by Taylor Mudge through the Mudge Fellowship Program, to explore the use of primary sources. The “intellectual and emotional cornucopia” left participants “beyond thrilled,” according to evaluation comments. Many told us they appreciated the value of using photographs and other materials for student development and to spark an interest in lifelong learning. Each educator received a one-year membership; we hope to see them in Vershbow soon!

...... BOTTOM: Jessamyn Wolf, a Poetry MFA student at UMass Boston, visited Vershbow in July to look at The Blue Poetry Book (1891) and other works as inspiration for her thesis. She is creating an illustrated poetry collection, exploring the relationship between visual art and verse. Summer is a busy season for inquiries like hers, when academic researchers find time outside of their school-year schedules to come visit. (The striking publisher’s binding of The Blue Poetry Book depicts Orpheus charming animals with his lyre.)

......

RACHEL WENTWORTH STAFF ATHENÆ UM news highlight GRANTS AND ANNUAL FUND ASSOCIATE

WE WISH DEPARTING COLLEAGUES WELL: Cindy Bistoury | Security Officer Elizabeth McCullough | Security Officer Olimpia Carias | Communications and Patron Services Intern Adam Derington | Education Intern Rachel Lanza | Events Assistant I came to Boston in 2017 to study Library Science at Simmons. Now, I’m using my Michelle Slater | Digital Programs Intern Master’s degree to help connect great work at the Athenæum with the funders who want to support it. By identifying and applying for grants, we can reduce the burden on other sources FIAT LUX Members may have noticed the new lamps, including pendants “ of revenue. One of my favorite parts of the job is working with our curatorial team to secure over the tables on the fifth floor. These are similar to a type of funding for exciting projects such as the Required Reading exhibition. I can’t wait to see vintage lamp (shown by Director of Facilities Chris Silva) that what else we can make possible with grant funding! hung in the building in the past. Proprietor James Buttrick generously supported this lighting initiative to help increase light levels and create better lighting controls. We expect long-term OUR NEWEST DISCUSSION GROUP savings from more energy-efficient fixtures, as well as a better TIPPED IN welcomes members who are employees of libraries,” BOOK DISPLAYS reading environment for members and improved stewardship of museums, and other arts organizations to share their experiences, NEW ON TWO BOOK DISPLAYS our collections and landmark building. tips, and best practices for navigating careers in the cultural sector. featured the Eiffel Tower, Jennie Upcoming topics for discussion include fundraising, volunteer Randolph Churchill, Poetry & Song, management, conferences, and professional organizations. Dr. Joseph Warren, Obsessions, Nature Photography, National Picnic Join us on second Tuesdays at 6:00 pm! For more information, Day, and Helen Keller Deaf-Blind contact Eva Grizzard at [email protected] or check the Awareness Week. Discussion Groups page in the Library section of the website. WHILE YOU WAIT DISPLAYS NEWSLETTER NEWS asked, London or Paris? And pitted This is the first issue of our newsletter in a larger format. It’s less cars versus trains. expensive to print and mail, and provides more space for news. Comments? Please contact Maria Daniels, Director of Commun- SPECIAL DISPLAYS ications and Patron Services, at [email protected], memorialized Susannah Hunnewell, 617-720-7690, or in person on 2G. I.M Pei, and Herman Wouk. The 221 books of the King’s Chapel Library Collection arrived in Boston 1698 and were deposited at the Athenæum in 1823. Required Reading list? What’s on your Boston, MA 02108 10½ Beacon Street BOSTON ATHEN Æ UM

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