The 1740s and 1750s were the dark night of the New England soul, as men and women groped toward a restructured religious order. Conflict transformed inclusive parishes into exclusive networks of combative spiritual seekers. Then as now, evangelicalism emboldened ordinary people to question traditional authorities. Their challenge shattered whole communities.
This sweeping history of popular religion in eighteenth-century New England examines the experiences of ordinary people living through extraordinary times. Drawing on an unprecedented quantity of letters, diaries, and testimonies, Douglas Winiarski recovers the pervasive and vigorous lay piety of the early eighteenth century. George Whitefield’s preaching tour of 1740 called into question the fundamental assumptions of this thriving religious culture. Incited by Whitefield and fascinated by miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit–visions, bodily fits, and sudden conversions–countless New Englanders broke ranks with family, neighbors, and ministers who dismissed their religious experiences as delusive enthusiasm. These new converts, the progenitors of today’s evangelical movement, bitterly assaulted the Congregational establishment.
Douglas L. Winiarski is associate professor of religious studies at the University of Richmond.
Join Us for a
Private Tour of
Shakespeare Unauthorized
at the Boston Public Library
March 2, 2017
700 Boylston Street
McKim Exhibition Hall
Two tours are available exclusively for Back Bay Association members at 10:00 am and 11 am.
Space is extremely limited, so please RSVP below today.
Exclusive Artist Lecture: Thursday, March 2 at 6:00 PM
Lecture will be in French with English (consecutive translation)
Opening Reception and La Francophonie Kickoff: Thursday, March 2 at 7:00 PM
The opening reception will be preceded by an exclusive artist lecture at 6:00 PM during which Bernar Venet will share his fascinating experiences and give an informal lecture focusing on his interactions within the contemporary art world. He will discuss how these experiences led to his vast collection of works by the great artists of his generation and to the establishment of the Venet Foundation in Le Muy, France to ensure that his work lives on after him. Purchase your tickets to this special lecture ahead of time as spaces are limited.
About this Exhibition
Bernar Venet has spent decades exploring painting, poetry, film, performance and sculpture, for which he is best known and admired around the world. This very intimate exhibit features a selection of previously unpublished photographs brought together for the first time in the United States. These images of icons of art in the 1960s’ (Warhol, Rauschenberg, Indiana…), taken by Venet almost all by chance, are truly unique as a valuable mix of historical evidence and friendly instantaneous moments.
Venet began to take these portraits in the 1960s, first in Nice, then in Paris, and, after 1966, in New York where he has been based for the past fifty years. They rekindle the sense of adventure around an art movement that was created in solitude and friendship. Throughout the years, Bernar Venet has collected works by these artists who he knew and with whom he socialized, many of whom were his friends. These photos taken on a whim are another way to extend the collection and the community of friends that they embody.
About Bernar Venet
Born in 1941 in the south of France, Venet’s attraction to art became evident at an early age. In 1966, he established himself in New York where, over the course of the next five decades, he explored painting, poetry, film, and performance, and was attracted to pure science as a subject for art. During the 1960s, Venet developed his Tar paintings, Cardboard Reliefs, and his iconic Pile of Coal, the first sculpture without a specific shape. Venet had his first retrospective at the New York Cultural Center in 1971. Contributions to major art events such as Kassel Documenta VI, and the Biennales of Paris, Venice and São Paulo, followed. 1979 marked a turning point in Venet’s career: he began a series of wood reliefs – Arcs, Angles, Straight Lines – and created the first of his Indeterminate Lines. That same year, he was awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In 1994, Jacques Chirac invited Venet to present his Indeterminate Line sculptures on the Champ de Mars, which developed into a world tour. To date, the number of Venet’s exhibitions amounts to no less than 250. In 2008, Sotheby’s invited Venet to present 25 large-scale sculptures on the grounds of Isleworth, near Orlando, their first venture to exhibit and support a single sculptor on this scale. In 2011, he became the 4th contemporary artist to be offered the world-renowned Château de Versailles for a solo exhibition, leading the French Postal Service to issue a commemorative stamp of his 22-meter vertical Arcs framing the iconic statue of Louis XIV at the entrance.
Monographs in multiple languages have been published on the artist’s oeuvre, with texts by noted art historians Barbara Rose, Donald Kuspit, Carter Ratcliff, Thomas McEvilley, Catherine Millet, Jan van der Marck and Achille Bonito Oliva, (and) among others. His work can be found in more than 70 museums worldwide, including the MoMA, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Centre Pompidou, and MOCA in Los Angeles. Venet has also received commissions for sculptures permanently installed in Auckland, Austin, Bergen, Berlin, Denver, Paris, Neu-Ulm, Nice, Norfolk, Seoul, Shenzhen, Tokyo, and Toulouse.
Venet has been the recipient of several distinguishing honors, including France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur. Most recently, he received the 2013 Julio González International Prize, and the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sculpture Center (ISC). Inaugurated in July 2014, the Venet Foundation aims to preserve the site in Le Muy, France, conserve the collection, and ensure that Bernar Venet’s work lives on after him.
GALLERY HOURS
Monday, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tuesday through Thursday, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Friday and Saturday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Erika Bailey, American Repertory Theater Institute Head of Voice and Speech, offers tips and tutorials for effective public speaking.
Presented as part of All the City’s a Stage: A Season of Shakespeare at the Boston Public Library, commemorating the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death.
Learn why your fashion education begins at the School of Fashion Design!
Email fashion@sfdboston.org for more info and to RSVP.
Summer classes begin June 5, 2017
Days, evenings, and weekend classes
The Man in the Cowboy Hat, a documentary film about Carlos Arredondo, will premiere at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square on Saturday, March 25 at 2 pm, followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A.
Carlos first appeared in the news in 2004 when he learned that his oldest son, Alex, had died fighting in Iraq. The film follows Carlos for the next ten years as he evolves from a grief stricken father to an influential peace activist to the Boston Marathon bombing hero. His story of public involvement and private struggle raises important questions about the impact of war on families, patriotism and the American Dream.
The premiere event is free and open to the public.
Learn more about the film and the premiere screening at themaninthecowboyhat.com
Brahmin Capitalism, Noam Maggor’s history of the Gilded Age explores how the moneyed elite in Boston―the quintessential East Coast establishment―leveraged their wealth to forge transcontinental networks of commodities, labor, and transportation. With the decline of cotton-based textile manufacturing in New England and the abolition of slavery, these gentleman bankers traveled far and wide in search of new business opportunities and found them in the mines, railroads, and industries of the Great West.
Mr. Maggor is currently a Postdoctoral Associate and visiting lecturer in the department of history at Cornell University. He was previously a Charles Warren Center Fellow at Harvard University, Thomas Arthur Arnold Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Historical Studies at Tel Aviv University and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at Vanderbilt University.
Join Fleming’s Boston for a special cocktail dinner featuring four extraordinary cocktails from A Wicked Fleming’s Dinner. This one-night-only event includes a perfectly prepared four course menu, expertly curated by Sous Chef Poi Ali. Tables are limited, so please reserve yours today.
First Course
Passed Hor D’oeuvres
Savory Apple Flatbread & Seared Ahi Tuna Crostini
Witches Death- Prosecco over Cotton Candy with a Pop Rock Rim
Second Course
Passion Fruit Shrimp
Seared Jumbo Shrimp served with a Passion Fruit Agrodolce Sauce
Land of AHHHS- Malibu Rum Mango Puree lemon juice with a sugared rim
Third Course
Filet and Scallop
Filet over Crispy Potato Pancake garnished Asparagus and a Gorgonzola Cream Sauce paired with Pan Seared Sea Scallops and a Red Pepper Lime Drizzle
Flying Monkey Sangria, Dreaming Tree Merlot Blood Orange Vodka Fruit Juice
Dessert
White Chocolate Mousse
Choice of Good or Evil White Chocolate Mousse
Emerald City- Lemoncello Liqueur
Ready to verify your Mayflower connection?
Interested in confirming a patriot ancestor?
Consider joining a lineage society! Meet with representatives from a number of national and local hereditary societies (including the Daughters of the American Revolution, Society of the Cincinnati, the Mayflower Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Society of Colonial Wars, and others) to learn more about the organization, the application process, and requirements.
This is a free, drop-in activity open to the public with a brief presentation at 11:00 am (and repeated at 2:00 pm). Registration is encouraged.
For more information or to register, please click here.
Daou Wine Dinner
Special Guest: George Daou, Owner/ Winemaker
Join Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar for a special wine dinner featuring three extraordinary wines from Daou Vineyards. This one-night-only event includes a perfectly prepared four course menu, expertly curated by Chef Partner Poi Ali. Tables are limited, so please reserve yours today.
First Course
Assorted Passed Hors d’Oeuvres
prosciutto-wrapped high country asparagus and bacon-wrapped scallops
DAOU, Chardonnay Paso Robles, 2015
Second Course
Carpaccio Salad
beef tenderloin, arugula, parmesan crouton, sun-dried tomato, onion, creamy caper vinaigrette
PESSIMIST by DAOU, Red Blend Paso Robles, 2016
Third Course
Iron-Crusted CAB Ribeye with Grilled Shrimp
horseradish mashed potatoes, daou reserve cabernet reduction
DAOU, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Paso Robles, 2015
Fourth Course
Rustic Berry Tart
blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, rustic pie crust
Coffee or Tea
CALL 617-292-0808 TO RESERVE
