History

2023 Nov 21

Exhibition Tour—Objects of Addiction: Opium, Empire, and the Chinese Art Trade

12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge

Join curator Sarah Laursen for a tour of the exhibition Objects of Addiction: Opium, Empire, and the Chinese Art Trade (September 15, 2023–January 14, 2024). The exhibition explores the entwined histories of the opium trade and the Chinese art market between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. Laursen will share how these two commodities—acquired through both legal and illicit means—have had a lasting impact on the global economy, public health, immigration law, education, and the arts.

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2023 Nov 18

Objects of Addiction: Collecting Chinese Art—Past, Present, and Future

2:00pm to 3:30pm

Location: 

Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge

Why do the Harvard Art Museums have a collection of Chinese art? In conjunction with the exhibition Objects of Addiction: Opium, Empire, and the Chinese Art Trade, curators and specialists will explore early collecting of Chinese art in Massachusetts, historical interpretations of cultural heritage, and how contemporary museum collecting practices have changed and will continue to change in the future.

...

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2023 Nov 16

Gallery Talk—Objects of Addiction: Opium, Empire, and the Chinese Art Trade

12:30pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge

Join curator Sarah Laursen for a closer look at artworks in the exhibition Objects of Addiction: Opium, Empire, and the Chinese Art Trade (September 15, 2023–January 14, 2024). The exhibition explores the entwined histories of the opium trade and the Chinese art market between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. Laursen will share how these two commodities—acquired through both legal and illicit means—have had a lasting impact on the global economy, public health, immigration law, education, and the arts.

...

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2023 Nov 15

Gallery Talk: A Tale of Two Vessels

12:30pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge

Join curatorial assistant Casey Monahan to explore how two 19th-century ceramic vessels tell different stories of the United States. One vessel is made by enslaved potter David Drake and shows us both the artist’s agency and the lack of it. The other vessel is a presentation vase created for the U.S. centennial; it includes narrative imagery intended to evoke a shared American identity after the Civil War.

...

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2023 Nov 12

Hip-Hop Experience Workshop: The Art of 16 Bars

1:00pm to 3:00pm

Location: 

Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge

To celebrate National Hip-Hop History Month in November and the 50th anniversary of this world-changing cultural and artistic movement, we are offering the Hip-Hop Experience Workshop, facilitated by artist and singer Jazzmyn RED.

This session will highlight elements of hip-hop and take a closer look at the art of being an MC. Jazzmyn will discuss MC writing techniques, instrumental visualization, and how to find your flow. Participants will write their own 16 bars (16 counts of 4) to perform for the group.

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2023 Nov 08

Objects of Addiction: The Legacy of the Opium Wars

6:00pm to 7:30pm

Location: 

Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge

In conjunction with the exhibition Objects of Addiction: Opium, Empire, and the Chinese Art Trade, Harvard faculty in Chinese history, business, politics, and law will take part in a roundtable discussion on the 19th-century Opium Wars and the legacy of the opium trade in U.S.–China relations.

Learn more and RSVP.

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2023 Nov 08

Materials Lab Workshop: Making a Journal

1:00pm to 4:00pm

Location: 

Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge

In this workshop, conservation technician Yi Bin Liang, from the museums’ Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, will teach you how to create your own journal with a link stitch binding, involving only needle and thread. This type of simple binding allows the book to lay flat when open, making it perfect for sketching or writing. It’s also a great way for beginners to learn fundamental bookbinding concepts and techniques.

The technique is derived from the Coptic multi-section binding technique used in Egypt as early as the second century CE. Using this method,...

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2023 Nov 05

Hip-Hop Experience Workshop: The Roots

1:00pm to 3:00pm

Location: 

Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge

To celebrate National Hip-Hop History Month in November and the 50th anniversary of this world-changing cultural and artistic movement, we are offering the Hip-Hop Experience Workshop, facilitated by artist and singer Jazzmyn RED.

This workshop session will focus on the roots of hip-hop, reflecting on early storytellers and how their influence on the genre evolved into elements of hip-hop culture we see today. We will discuss storytelling, sampling, and the socioeconomic conditions of the birthplace of hip-hop.

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2023 Nov 04

Materials Lab Workshop: A Brush with Nature—Chinese Painting (English)

1:00pm to 4:00pm

Location: 

Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge

Join us for a hands-on workshop on traditional Chinese brush painting with master brush painter Qingxiong Ma. Enjoy this opportunity to slow down, try your hand at re-creating elements of the natural world, and ponder your connection to the natural environment.

To inspire you before the workshop, visit the Asian art galleries on Level 2 to view the installations The Living Earth in Gallery 2740 and Human vs. Nature in Gallery 2600, both of which feature paintings focused on nature.

Cost: $15

...

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2023 Oct 19

Astronomy is for All of Us: Celebrating Women Astrophysicists and the History of Cosmic Discovery

5:00pm to 8:00pm

Location: 

Harvard College Observatory Plate Stacks, 47 Concord Ave., Cambridge

During Massachusetts STEM Week, join us for an evening celebrating remarkable women in astronomy from across the galaxy. Enjoy a dynamic lecture on exciting applications of astronomy, explore a captivating exhibition in the Great Refractor, engage in family-friendly STEM activities, and cap off the night with fall refreshments and stargazing.

  • Remarks from Professor Lisa Kewley, Director, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
  • Welcome remarks from Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, highlighting...
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2023 Oct 27

Special Exhibition Tour: At the Limits of the Book with Julia Miller

12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Houghton Library, Harvard Yard, Cambridge

Join exhibition curator and Houghton librarian Molly Schwartzburg for a special guided tour of At the Limits of the Book: Bindings from the Houghton Library Collections featuring the Fall 2023 Hofer lecturer, Julia Miller. This one-hour tour will include discussion of the themes of the exhibition, highlights from the materials on display, and ample time for participant questions.

Learn more and RSVP.

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2023 Oct 26

Fall 2023 Hofer Lecture | Writing the History of Bookbinding: The Suave Mechanicals Essay Series

5:30pm to 7:00pm

Location: 

Houghton Library, Harvard Yard, Cambridge

Houghton Library welcomes conservator Julia Miller, editor of the Suave Mechanicals history of bookbinding series, who will give this fall's Philip and Frances Hofer Lecture on the Art of the Book.

The lecture covers the inception of Suave Mechanicals, its goals and challenges, with a brief description of how the series is managed—the nuts and bolts of editing and publishing nine volumes of essays over twelve years (2013–2025). Miller describes the series' impact on research and writing on the history of bookbinding and the history of the book, as viewed through its broad...

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2023 Oct 11

Community Conversation - Reimagining Black Wall Street: Economic Stability, Mobility, and Prosperity

12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Harvard Graduate School of Design's Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging—Online

Join the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging for "Reimagining Black Wall Street: Economic Stability, Mobility, and Prosperity." In this Community Conversation, we will unpack how Black business districts came to be in the U.S. context and what contemporary requisites are essential for building a Black Wall Street today. We will discuss the necessary economic and legal opportunities to counter declining Black wealth and explore how to transition from short-term wealth accumulation to lasting intergenerational resilience.

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