Boston Flora

Tag: Keith Morgan

  • Thursday, May 19, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Landscape Designers of the Cornish Art Colony

    Join landscape and architectural historian Keith Morgan to learn about the celebrated and visionary landscape designers of the Cornish Art Colony in Cornish, NH. The lecture will take place at the Museum of Old Newbury, 98 High Street in Newburyport on Thursday, May 19 at 6:30 pm.

    The Cornish Art Colony began in the late 19th century under the influence of renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The area’s bucolic setting and artists’ camaraderie attracted painters, sculptors, designers, and writers to spend their summers working and socializing in and around Cornish. Morgan’s talk will highlight prominent landscape designers of the this art colony, including Charles Platt and Ellen Biddle Shipman.

    A scholar of nineteenth and twentieth century American and European architecture, Morgan is interested in the relationships between architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture, and he has taught at Boston University since 1980. He has served as the director of the Preservation Studies Program and of the American and New England Studies Program and as the chairman of the Art History Department on two occasions. He is a former national president of the Society of Architectural Historians. His recent publications include Shaping an American Landscape: The Art and Architecture of Charles A. Platt, Boston Architecture, 1975-1990, which he coauthored with Professor Naomi Miller, and a new introduction for the republication of Charles Eliot, Landscape Architect.

    Reception at 6:30pm Program at 7:00pm
    Museum Members: $5 Non-Members: $15
    Please RSVP to info@newburyhistory.org or 978-462-2681

  • Friends of the Public Garden Docent Tours

    More than a dozen people, including members of The Garden Club of the Back Bay, have recently taken a very special interest in the Public Garden and have been studying this iconic greenspace for hours on end. What they are learning about America’s first public botanical garden is not for a class or research for a book. This studious bunch is the inaugural group of volunteer docents of the Friends of the Public Garden that will be serving as guides for a new tour program. Incoming GCBB Vice President Sherley Smith and Beacon Hill resident Sidney Kenyon have been key organizers for this special endeavor.

    Walking a route that encompasses the northern half of the Garden, tour participants will gain a deeper understanding of the Garden’s special place in the history of Boston and the country. Hour-long tours will include interesting facts and anecdotes about history, horticulture, and sculpture. Casual visitors of the area are likely to find a new appreciation of its significance and neighbors who use it frequently are likely to discover at least a thing or two that might surprise them.

    Docents have spent many volunteer hours learning about the Garden and working to craft their tours. In February, their training began with a Friends-sponsored lecture, Searching for the Histories of the Boston Public Garden by Boston University Professor Keith Morgan, held at Suffolk University. Friends President Emeritus Henry Lee gave a talk at the Friends office that traced the Garden’s history as well as the founding of the organization and highlights from its 45 year work in caring for the Garden in partnership with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. Additional information sessions included trees and plantings by Friends Project Manager Bob Mulcahy; the history of the Swan Boats by fourth generation owner Lyn Paget; and the Garden’s sculpture including the Friends sculpture care program by Friends Collections Care Manager Sarah Hutt.

    FOPG members $5, nonmembers $15. Register online at http://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/programs-projects/tours-2/ Tours run through September, and you are advised to bring a hat, sunscreen, and dress for the weather.  Photo below by Caroline Phillips-Licari.

    (Photo: Caroline Phillips-Licari)

  • Thursday, March 12, 6:00 pm – Perspectives on Place

    The Friends of Fairsted present their spring lecture, Perspectives on Place, on Thursday, March 12 with a reception beginning at 6 pm and lecture at 7 pm at Wheelock College, 43 Hawes Street in Brookline.  Gary Hilderbrand, Principal, Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture, will be the featured speaker. What you see: the tangible, reduced, edited, straightforward reality we build. What you don’t see: what came before, what’s beneath the surface, what’s behind the shapes or patterns, below the horizon, past the view, beyond our capacity to see. Gary Hilderbrand will discuss his firm’s work in the context of their monograph, Visible | Invisible. Moderated by Keith Morgan.  Free but reservations are requested. Seating is limited. Reserve with Friends of Fairsted by emailing friendsoffairsted@gmail.com.

  • Thursday, December 11, 6:00 pm – Dwelling in Landscape

    Thursday, December 11, 6:00 pm – Dwelling in Landscape

    The New England Landscape Design and History Association (NELDHA) is pleased to announce that it is a co-sponsor of The Friends of Fairsted lecture on December 11, 2014, featuring Daniel Bluestone, Director of the Boston University Preservation Studies Program. His lecture, Dwelling in Landscape, will cover changing practices in residential landscape design. The lecture, at Wheelock College on Hawes Street in Brookline, Massachusetts, begins at 7:00 PM and is preceded by a Reception at 6:00 pm. The lecture is free and open to the public, but a reservation is required. Please RSVP to friendsoffairsted@gmail.com. Seating is limited.

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  • Tuesdays, July 15 – July 29, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – Great American Gardens Series at the MFA

    Tuesday mornings July 15-29 (see below for information on individual weeks,) take a break from the summer heat to hear the fascinating stories behind these monumental and luscious gardens, from their inceptions to recent renovations. Experience one of America’s first botanical gardens, Boston’s green oasis, the Public Garden; the magnificent mansion gardens of Newport, Rhode Island; and the gardens of Thomas Jefferson’s iconic Monticello. All sessions will be held in the Remis Auditorium of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston from 10:30 – noon.

    Three-session course tickets ($60, $75) are not available online. To order tickets by phone, call 1-800-440-6975; to order in person, visit any MFA ticket desk. The first price is for members, seniors, and students; the second is full price.

    On July 15, Keith Morgan, director of Architectural Studies and professor of American and European Architecture at Boston University will discuss The Boston Public Garden: The Atypical Landscape. How many of us know the true story behind this Boston icon? From its origins as a private botanical garden built on filled marshland to the public horticultural and educational gem of the mid-Victorian era, see how the Public Garden has become a site for celebration and forgotten controversy.

    On July 22, Jeffrey Curtis, Director of Gardens and Grounds at Newport Mansions will present Gardens of the Newport Mansions. Hear the inside story of the miraculous gardens of Newport, Rhode Island’s mansions. The Preservation Society of Newport County has worked tirelessly since the 1940s to preserve Newport’s sumptuous mansions and grounds. Take a visual walk through gardens including Miss Wetmore’s Secret Garden at Chateau-sur-Mer, Rosecliff, and the Sunken Gardens at The Elms.

    Lastly, on July 29, the Museum welcomes Jane Amidon, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research, and Professor and Director of the Urban Landscape Program at Northeastern University, who will speak on Jefferson’s Monticello: A Garden of Science and Art. Our third US president was also the founding father of quintessential American landscape practices. Examine the enduring legacy and fruitful lessons of his civic horticulture through the gardens of his estate in Virginia at Monticello, home to two centuries of innovation in botanical, agrarian, and aesthetic techniques.

  • Thursdays, July 11 – July 25, 10:30 am – 12:30 am – Gardens Around the World

    Gain insight into the unique design styles and objects that add to the pleasure of Boston, English, and Chinese gardens with this Museum of Fine Arts Boston three-session course, Thursday mornings July 11–25, 10:30 am–12:30 pm.

    On July 11, Keith Morgan, director, Architectural Studies and professor, American and European Architecture, Boston University, will speak on Frederick Law Olmsted’s Public Landscape. Hear the fascinating story of how a saltwater marsh was transformed into a park of winding walking paths and gentle streams that comprises today’s iconic Emerald Necklace. Following the talk, enjoy a one-hour guided walking tour of the Back Bay Fens adjacent to the Museum, and learn about the area’s landscape elements and community gardens. A scholar of nineteenth and twentieth century American and European architecture, Professor Morgan is interested in the relationships between architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture. Professor Morgan has taught at Boston University since 1980. He has served as the director of the Preservation Studies Program and of the American and New England Studies Program and as the chairman of the Art History Department on two occasions. He is a former national president of the Society of Architectural Historians. His recent publications include Shaping a New American Landscape: The Art and Architecture of Charles A. Platt, Boston Architecture, 1975-1990, which he coauthored with Professor Naomi Miller, and a new introduction for the republication of Charles Eliot, Landscape Architect. He is the editor and one of the principal authors for Buildings of Massachusetts: Metropolitan Boston, and serves as the architecture editor for The Encyclopedia of New England. He has received research grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Buildings of the United States project, several committees for the restoration of historic landmarks and is a trustee of the Hancock Shaker Village.

    On July 18, Curt DiCamillo, fellow, Royal Society of Arts and President of The DiCamillo Companion Ltd. will discuss The English Garden: Perfection on Earth. Whether stately and formal or natural and romantic, English gardens have been called Britain’s single most important contribution to world culture. Learn about the history of these gardens and why their influence remains with us to this day.  A guided tour of the MFA’s exceptional collection of garden paintings and country-house objects follows the lecture. Curt DiCamillo is an American architectural historian. Between 2004 and 2012, he was the Executive Director of the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA (he is currently Executive Director Emeritus). Previously, he worked for 13 years for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Since May 2012, Mr. DiCamillo, in his role as president of The DiCamillo Companion, Ltd., has focused full-time on lecturing, writing, and leading tours about the architectural and artistic heritage of Britain and its influence around the world.

    Finally, on July 25, Nancy Berliner, Wu Tung Curator of Chinese Art, will present The Chinese Home and Garden. The Chinese home, its architecture, gardens, and contents are created to reflect the values and ideals of its residents. Dig into the world of Chinese gardening to learn how these landscapes combine artistic elements and nature in perfect harmony. Following the discussion, visit Chinese galleries that touch on house and garden themes, including “Beyond the Screen,” a gallery that evokes the home and gardens of a 16th- and 17th-century Chinese household. She is the author of The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City.

    Three-Session Course Tickets
    $90 MFA members, seniors, and students; $108 nonmembers
    Order at 1-800-440-6975 or in person at any MFA ticketing desk

    Individual Session Tickets
    $35 MFA members, seniors, and students; $42 nonmembers
    Online: http://www.mfa.org/programs/series/gardens-around-world
    By phone: call the MFA Ticket line at 1-800-440-6975
    In person: at any MFA ticketing desk

    Ticketing desk hours: Mon, Tue, Sat, and Sun, 10 am–4:15 pm; and Wed–Fri, 10 am–9:15 pm.  Capacity is limited.

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  • Thursday, October 25, 6:00 pm – The Brookline Troika: Olmsted, Richardson, and the Planning of the Model Suburb

    Join The Arnold Arboretum for a glimpse into Brookline’s past — the shaping of its public parks and parkways, private estates, and planned housing developments, as influenced by the Olmsted Office. On Thursday, October 25, beginning at 6 pm, architectural historian Keith Morgan, one of three co-authors of the newly published Community by Design: The Role of the Frederick Law Olmsted Office in the Suburbanization of Brookline, Massachusetts, 1880–1936, will present a selection of the firm’s approximately 150 Brookline commissions that were created over the course of a half century. He will discuss the networks of individuals, institutions, and municipal authorities that worked with the firm on the boulevards, subdivisions, institutional grounds, and private estates that define the character and qualities of Brookline, with particular attention given to the planning theories of Olmsted, Jr. Reception to follow. The event will take place in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum.
    Free, but registration requested at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.  Co-sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the Friends of Fairsted, and the Library of American Landscape History.

  • Wednesday, October 28, 6:00 pm – Neighbors & Networks: The Olmsted Firm and the Development of Brookline, 1880 – 1936

    Professor Keith Morgan of Boston University will present an illustrated lecture on The Olmsted Firm and the Development of Brookline, 1880 – 1936, at the Wheelock College Auditorium, 43 Hawes Street in Brookline, on Wednesday, October 28.  A reception at 6:00 pm will be followed by the lecture at 7:00 pm.  Seating is limited.  Please rsvp to friendsoffairsted@gmail.com, or telephone 617-566-1689 x 235.  Cohosted by the Friends of Fairsted; Brookline Greenspace Alliance; Brookline Historical Society; Emerald Necklace Conservancy; Fenway Alliance; High Street Hill Association; Historic New England; Mount Auburn Cemetery; Muddy River Restoration Project Maintenance and Management Oversight Committee; NPS, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site; Society of Architectural Historians, New England Chapter; and the Friends of Stonehurst.

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