An Evening with Charles Hammond Gibson

Description

According to the WGBH website:

"Charles Hammond Gibson, Jr. (1874-1954) was a Boston writer and bachelor bon vivant, best known for having preserved his family's Beacon Street home as a museum of Victorian style and taste. The Wounded Eros, a short documentary film by Todd Gernes, explores the aesthetic relationship between Gibson's literary production and the material culture contexts of his museum and library, set within the social history of turn-of-the-century gay Boston. Following the film, a dramatic reading, These Four Walls: A History of a Romantic Friendship, directed by Jacqueline Romeo and featuring John Anderson and Aleksander Feliks Wierzbicki, will extend the exploration of Gibson's life by depicting his enduring relationship with the eccentric self-styled "Count" Maurice de Mauny Talvande."

Face of Mount Auburn: Music

Description

Musicologist Steven Ledbetter talks about his research into Boston's music life between 1875 and 1925, focusing on individuals who are now buried in Boston's historic Mount Auburn Cemetery. His presentation includes some recorded performances of works by composers buried at Mount Auburn.

A downloadable mp3 version of this lecture is also available.

Ownership of Cultural Property

Description

Boston Public Library president Bernard Margolis and Athenaeum librarian and program director Richard Wendorf discuss ownership of cultural property and the question of whether the Boston Athenaeum should have become the Boston Public Library. The presentation outlines the early history of the Athenaeum and the history of the debate over whether the institution should become a public library.

An mp3 version of the lecture is also available for download.