Events for: 2013-2014

Mill hands, field hands, and the intertwined worlds of factory and plantation in antebellum America. Ralph Waldo Emerson famously quipped, “Cotton thread holds the Union together.” This talk will explore the meaning of these connections for the men and women laboring both in New England mills and on Southern slave plantations. Seth Rockman is a specialist in Revolutionary and Early Republic United States history and is currently an Associate Professor of History at Brown University.

Explore the timelessness of cinema through the eyes of the movie projectionist, that "magician" in the projection booth who spliced, threaded (and sometimes shredded!) celluloid film. As digital cinema takes over the industry, the death of celluloid & 21st century technology has made projectionists defunct, as well as many of the theaters they worked in. See two remarkable documentary shorts that pay homage to The Projectionist and learn more about how the shift to digital is impacting audiences, filmmakers, and theater owners through a panel discussion with special guest speakers. Kris Roselli’s “The Projectionist: A Passion for Film” – (2012) & Kendall Messick’s “The Projectionist” –  2007) . Co-presented by the Lowell Film Collaborative and Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union.

Lowell’s explosive growth as a center of textile manufacturing brought with it a boom in legal business.  From its founding up until the present day, judges, lawyers and litigants from Lowell have had a profound effect on the jurisprudence and legal culture of Massachusetts.  Register of Deeds and Lowell historian Richard P. Howe Jr. will discuss the famous and the infamous cases and personalities that contributed to Lowell’s legal legacy.

Strategies for Securing the Natural Resource We Cannot Live Without. In a warming world with a growing population, our happiness and our safety depend on our ability to keep our water clean, full of life and widely accessible to all people. This talk will explore the exigency of these objectives and strategies for achieving them. Anthony N. Iarrapino is a Senior Attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation Clean Water and Health Program in Vermont. Anthony has also advanced the cause of clean water in his native state of Massachusetts, most notably by securing penalties and cleanup commitments as part of a landmark settlement of a Clean Water Act enforcement case against the Boston Water and Sewer Commission.

Susan E. Gallagher, Associate Professor, Political Science Department, UMass Lowell and member of the Thoreau Society Board of Directors, will provide a tour of Mapping Thoreau Country: Tracking Henry David Thoreau’s Travels in Massachusetts (MTC), a digital initiative that uses historical maps to document Thoreau’s extensive excursions throughout the state.  By surveying Thoreau’s visits to Lowell and many other historic locations, MTC is designed to illuminate his underappreciated contributions to travel writing and cartography, as well as his role as a founding figure in the environmental movement.  While providing an overview of Thoreau’s reflections on the Massachusetts landscape, Gallagher’s talk will highlight ongoing efforts to preserve Thoreau Country in the face of climate change. For more information visit the Mapping Thoreau Country website.

A Boston native, Stephen A. Kurkjian spent 37 years as an editor and reporter for The Boston Globe before retiring in 2007. During his career, he shared in three Pulitzer Prizes and won more than 20 regional and other national awards. Kurkjian was a founding member of The Globe’s investigative Spotlight Team, and its editor for 1979-1986. In 1986, he was named chief of The Globe's Washington Bureau and for six years oversaw the work of the paper's 10 reporters in Washington. In addition, while at the bureau he covered the Supreme Court, the Justice Department and the Bush White House during the first war in Iraq. His 2005 article of the theft of 13 pieces of artwork from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is regarded as the most complete account of the still-unsolved crime. In his retirement, he is working on a book on the art theft as well as working on investigative articles and freelancing for The Boston Globe.

The end of the 1960s and early 1970s witnessed not only a cultural revolution, but a sartorial revolution, as global challenges to social and political authority expressed themselves in new ideas about clothing. In rejecting the values of prevailing “straight” society, the emerging hippie culture abandoned futuristic Mod styles in favor of an eclectic and highly-personalized look that combined vintage clothing with fashions informed by contemporary Pop art, nature, fantasy, and ethnographic art. Hippie fashion was fun and expressive. This new “do-it-yourself” attitude in fashion was taken up by a wave of young designers (many of them fresh out of art schools) and hip boutiques in London, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The exciting new fashions that emerged offered a direct challenge to the hegemony of Paris haute couture, and between 1967 and 1973, many trends actually “trickled up” from street styles to influence more traditional ready-to wear and haute couture designers. Lauren Whitley is a MFA Curator in the David and Roberta Logie Department of Textile and Fashion Arts.

Patrick Charles Keely (1816-1896) designed and built an estimated 700 churches and ecclesiastical buildings in the eastern and western United States and Canada from the 1840s when he emigrated from County Tipperary, Ireland, to Brooklyn, New York, until he died there in 1896. In 1884, he was awarded the Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious award for American Catholics. Yet, today, few authorities in the fields of American and European art and architecture and nineteenth-century studies even know his name. Nor is anything known of his architectural education, only that he was trained as a carpenter and builder by his father, a draughtsman and builder. Edward Furey, artist, educator, and founder of the Keely Society, will explain his dedication to documenting the life, art, and architecture of Patrick Keely and the origins of the Society.  From Keely’s beginnings in Brooklyn to the challenges the Society faces today, a story unfolds that affords unique insights not only into Keely’s own artistry and his dealings with some of the nation’s leading artists and artisans but also into his day to day experiences with his workers and suppliers, insights that give us an accurate picture of the man himself.

Nicco Mele, entrepreneur and consultant to Fortune 1000 companies, is one of America's leading forecasters of business, politics, and culture in our fast-moving digital age. Nicco's first book, The End of Big: How the Internet Makes David the New Goliath, was published by St. Martin's Press on April 23, 2013. In it, he explores the consequences of living in a socially-connected society, drawing upon his years of experience as an innovator in politics and technology. Born to Foreign Service parents, Nicco spent his early years in Asia and Africa before graduating from the College of William and Mary in Virginia with a bachelor's degree in government. He then worked for several high-profile advocacy organizations where he pioneered the use of social media as a galvanizing force for fundraising. As webmaster for Governor Howard Dean's 2004 presidential bid, Nicco and the campaign team popularized the use of technology and social media that revolutionized political fundraising and reshaped American politics. Subsequently, he co-founded EchoDitto, a leading internet strategy and consulting firm, whose non-profit and corporate clients have included Sierra Club, UN World Food Programme, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, AARP, and Medco. Nicco is also on the faculty at the Harvard Kennedy School where he teaches graduate-level classes on the internet and politics. The Lunchtime Lectures are co-sponsored by the Moses Greeley Parker Lectures and UMass Lowell Center for Arts and Ideas, with support from Prof. Bill Mass of the UMass Lowell Center for Industrial Competitiveness. Free and open to the public, the program begins at 11:45 a.m. with a light buffet lunch. Reservations are required (seating is limited). To reserve a seat, contact artsandideas@uml.edu OR CALL 978-934-3107

Award winning author and lecturer Michael Tougias shares the lessons learned about goal attainment and decision-making under pressure from researching his five national best-sellers, Ten Hours until Dawn, the Finest Hours, Overboard!, Fatal Forecast, A Storm Too Soon as well as from interviewing dozens of people who have overcome tremendous obstacles. (His latest book will be made into a major motion picture by Disney.) This inspirational and interactive presentation first illustrates the survival stories Tougias has researched and then discusses the lessons learned. Dramatic photos of survivors being rescued help bring the presentation to life. Come learn about amazing survival stories and leave with some skills and techniques that will help you achieve your goals.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is the current mayor of Boston, Massachusetts.. A native of Boston, Menino served on the city council for several years before becoming mayor. On March 28, 2013 Mayor Menino announced that he is not running for re-election. On July 13, 2009, Menino became the longest-serving mayor in Boston history. According to Menino’s official biography, “Among his main priorities, are: providing every child with a quality education; creating affordable housing; lowering the crime rate; revitalizing Boston's neighborhoods; and promoting a healthy lifestyle for all city residents.” Menino was president of the United States Conference of Mayors from 2002 to 2003. The Lunchtime Lectures are co-sponsored by the Moses Greeley Parker Lectures and UMass Lowell Center for Arts and Ideas, with support from Prof. Bill Mass of the UMass Lowell Center for Industrial Competitiveness. Free and open to the public, the program begins at 11:45 a.m. with a light buffet lunch. Reservations are required (seating is limited). To reserve a seat, contact artsandideas@uml.edu OR CALL 978-934-3107

Today’s students are entering adult responsibilities and citizenship with the lowest level of historical literacy ever measured in this country. When "No Child Left Behind" doubled down on preparation and testing for reading and math it marginalized history and civics education. As writer Wendell Berry puts it – “when a community loses its memory, its members no longer know one another and can hardly avoid harming one another.” Our schools teach less and less history. Studying history is the key to critical thinking and the formation of informed perspective. But it is also the key to something that may be more important – civic attachment. History – local history in particular – is essential for instilling a sense of place, past and community and even awe and aspiration. The good news is that community-based historical organizations and libraries are increasingly doing the work that used be done in church, school, home and popular culture. This program celebrates the revitalization of local culture and the institutions and ideas that support it.

Since the 1990’s, Stephen’s performances have captured the attention of the press. It is not just the stunning resemblance to Walt Whitman himself, but the portrayal of the character and the essence that he brings within arm’s reach to the audience that makes the poet come to life. Through poetry and readings of actual letters, we experience Whitman's movement from selfishness and selflessness and his growth into a mature artist who is at peace about "himself, God and death."

Lowell native Jim Sampas is the founder of Reimagine Studios. Among his numerous film and recording projects are several that relate to the life and work of Jack Kerouac. They include the audio CD set of Doctor Sax and the Great World Snake, and the widely acclaimed documentary One Fast Move or I’m Gone which highlights Kerouac’s experience at California’s Big Sur and the novel of the same name. Jim was also a part of the production team for the soon to be released movie Big Sur, also based on the Kerouac novel. Another current project is his tribute, Kerouac—Joy, Kicks, Darkness. Jim’s work has gained him the citation by the Los Angeles Times as “The thinking man’s producer who has a reputation for sticking out of the pack.”

Join independent curator and textiles, fashion, and design history researcher Susan Ward, for an exploration of the history of Marimekko in the United States, and its influence on Mid-Century modernism in America. Susan might also share a few favorite vintage pieces from her collection.

On the outside, John Parrish is a highly successful doctor, having risen to the top of his field as department head at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. nside; however, he was so tortured by the memories of his tour of duty as a marine battlefield doctor in Vietnam that he was unable to live a normal life. The author delivers an unflinching narrative chronicling his four-decade battle with the unseen enemy in his own mind as he struggled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Stuart Altman, the Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy in Brandeis’ Heller School for Social Policy and Management, has been appointed by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to chair the agency charged with monitoring the reform of Massachusetts health care delivery and payment systems in order to reduce costs and improve quality. Altman will chair the board of the Health Policy Commission, which sets the broad policy direction for the Commonwealth based on data and information collected by the Center for Health Information and Analysis. Altman also is a member of the Institute of Medicine and a member of the board of Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. The Lunchtime Lectures are co-sponsored by the Moses Greeley Parker Lectures and UMass Lowell Center for Arts and Ideas, with support from Prof. Bill Mass of the UMass Lowell Center for Industrial Competitiveness. Free and open to the public, the program begins at 11:45 a.m. with a light buffet lunch. Reservations are required (seating is limited). To reserve a seat, contact artsandideas@uml.edu OR CALL 978-934-3107

The wreck of the Nottingham Galley, December 11, 1710, is one of the most important episodes in our local maritime history for a number of reasons. No shipwreck castaways were ever less prepared for the subfreezing temperature they were forced to endure for twenty-four days. They had no food and were compelled to lie for weeks at a time huddled together on solid rock. Find out what happened to these grim survivors.

Author Elinor Lipman will talk with characteristic good humor about the journey from writer-hopeful (starting at Lowell High School) to award-winning novelist, and other brushes with the imps of fate. Elinor Lipman was inducted into the Lowell High Distinguished Alumni in 2005 and profiled in this year’s Salute to Women by the Lowell Sun. In 2001 she earned the New England Book Award. Lipman’s 1990 novel Then She Found Me was made into a movie in 2007 starring Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Helen Hunt.

Dan Foley and Joel Harris are The Airborne Comedians. An act that began 20 years ago as a snowball juggling contest in a Laundromat, now escalated to riding six and seven foot high unicycles and flaming lawn chair juggling.