Boston Flora

Tag: William Hosley

  • Monday, November 9, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – A Treasury of Massachusetts House Museums and Local History Organizations, Part I: What is a House Museum?

    A Massachusetts Historical Society online program with William Hosley of Terra Firma Northeast will take place Monday, November 9, from 5:30 – 6:30 Eastern time.

    Massachusetts has more house museums and historical organizations than most states twice our size. In recent years there’s been a national conversation about the sustainability of house museums. Our presenter argues that this widespread, mostly small class of museums vary tremendously. While many of our community-based historical organizations preserve and present their collections in historic houses, a house museum is something different. We will hear from three outstanding ones that are grappling with the usual challenges of audience engagement, preservation and interpretation.

    Please note, this is a free online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program. Register at www.masshist.org.

  • Tuesday, November 15, 6:00 pm – Making History/Making Place: Celebrating Local Learning and Discovery

    William Hosley, principal of Terra Firma Northeast, has been a curator, museum director, public speaker, project manager, writer, photographer, and cultural resource entrepreneur. With more than thirty years’ experience in museums and historic preservation, his affiliations have included Historic Deerfield, the Winterthur Museum, the Wadsworth Atheneum, and, most recently, Connecticut Landmarks and the New Haven Museum, where he served as executive director. Author of five books and many articles, his work has appeared in dozens of magazines and newspapers. His Tuesday, November 15 talk at the Gibson House Museum, 137 Beacon Street, will center on the role of small museums–such as the Gibson House–as “civic miracles” that serve as educators, preservationists, and stewards of “local stuff and stories.” A reception begins at 6 pm, and program begins at 6:30. $10 for Gibson House members, $15 for nonmembers. For more information and to make reservations call 617-267-6338.

  • Saturday, June 2, 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Historic Talk and Closing Reception for Art of the City

    Art of the City: Sculpture and Civic Embellishment in Victorian America, will be the focus of a lecture by William Hosley on Saturday, June 2, beginning at 2 pm at the Old Schwab Mill, 17 Mill Lane in Arlington.  The American city is a creation of the Victorian industrial age.  To Americans of the 19th century, industrialization called for social amenities aimed at leveling up.  Cultural institutions, statuary, rural cemeteries, public parks, and social services were beacons of aspiration and the glue that held industrial society together.  Following the lecture, there will be a closing reception for Inspired by Place.  Enjoy food and drink and a chance to meet photographers Rose Austin, Claire Ghiloni, and Fred Moses.  There will also be guided tours of the Mill, including frame-turning demonstrations on original 19th century lathes, from 11 am – 4:30 pm.  Donations are requested.