Pasadena Museum of History announces events Jan-April

Pasadena Museum of History

Calendar of Events: January through April, 2012


470 W. Walnut Street, Pasadena, CA 91103; Free Parking.

Information/Reservations: 626.577.1660, ext. 10, or at www.pasadenahistory.org.



STORYTELLING - SUNNY TALES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Wednesdays, January 11, February 8, March 14 & April 11, 2012, 10:30 am, at San Rafael Branch of the Pasadena Public Library, 1240 Nithsdale Rd., Pasadena 91105



On the second Wednesday of every month, PMH presents a monthly storytelling series in collaboration with the Pasadena Public Library, San Rafael branch, 1240 Nithsdale Rd., Pasadena, 91105. The Museum’s beloved storyteller Sunny Stevenson will enthrall her listeners with stories on topics and regions around the world suitable for all ages. Topics:

January 11 - photography

February 8 – Black history

March 14 - women

April 11 – ships and the Titanic

Tickets: Free



PACIFIC ELECTRIC RAILWAY – THEN & NOW

Tuesday, January 24, 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm for viewing exhibition galleries and wine/cheese reception)



It has been more than 50 years since the Pacific Electric Railway ceased operations in Southern California, yet many remnants of that once great system still exist today. Sections of the railway are still quite recognizable while others bear no resemblance to their former use. The new book Pacific Electric Railway – Then & Now by Steve Crise and Michael Patris revisits sections of the P. E. system utilizing both historic images from the Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society archives, and newly created images by photographer Crise. Join these gentlemen as they do a comparison study of the same exact sections of the railway as it looks today, and how it looked more than 60 years ago. Books will be available for purchase.

Tickets: Museum Members $10; Non-Members $15. Reservations: 626-577-1660, ext. 10.



TRAVELS WITH BABSIE

Tuesday, January 31, 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm for viewing exhibition galleries and wine/cheese reception)



In 1927, Eva Fenyes' daughter (Leonora Muse Curtin) and her granddaughter (Leonora Francis Curtin, also known as Babsie) drove from New York City to Santa Fe, New Mexico. This was only one of many automobile adventures that the two women shared. They faithfully recorded the details of these trips in post cards sent to Eva --- stories of rutted roads and changing flat tires, of society teas and rodeos, of luxury hotels in St. Louis and camping in the Southwest. Join PMH docent Sheryl Peters for a back-by-popular-demand Living History Performance as Leonora Curtin shares fond reminiscences of her travels with Babsie.

Tickets: Museum Members $10; Non-Members $15. Reservations: 626-577-1660, ext. 10.



Sharp Shooters! Photography Workshops with Focus

Saturday, February 4, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, at Pasadena City Hall

Workshop 1 - Working the Angles with James Staub, Photo Services Specialist, California Institute of Technology



Saturday, February 18, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at Curtin House, Pasadena Museum of History

Workshop 2 - The Basics of Composition with Ibarionex Perello, author of the bestselling book, Chasing the Light: Improving Your Photography with Available Light



Saturday, February 25, 3:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Colorado Street Bridge Workshop 3 - Phoneshots with Eliot Crowley, Santa Barbara-based commercial photographer



Learn specialized photography tips and techniques in this series of hands-on workshops designed to address specific interests. Working with your own camera or smart phone, you will follow our experts and learn to maximize effect in various situations. Each workshop will take place on location and is limited to 12 participants of all skill levels; no children under 14. In case of inclement weather, please visit www.pasadenahistory.org for rescheduled date/s

Tickets: Museum Members $25/session, $60/series; Non-members $30/session, $75/series. Reservations (required four days in advance of each session): 626-577-1660, ext. 10.



BABY’S DAY OUT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Thursday, February 9, 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm for viewing exhibition galleries and wine/cheese reception)



Babies in museums? Toddlers at the hardware store? Nursery school outings to the horse race track? Yes! These are just a few of the exciting places very young children can explore in Southern California. But don’t forget merry-go-rounds, train rides and the beach! Author JoBea Holt encourages parents to take their babies and toddlers to the usual and the unusual places - all of which will bring smiles to the children's faces and relief from the everyday routines. A variety of outings will be presented including a detailed look at a trip to the tide pools. Books will be available for purchase; the author will be available to sign copies following the lecture. Tickets: Museum Members $10; Non-Members $15. Reservations: 626-577-1660, ext. 10.



Celebrating Black History Month: MAKING FUELS FROM SUNLIGHT AND WATER

Thursday, February 16, 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm for viewing exhibition galleries and wine/cheese reception)



In celebration of Black History Month, PMH presents a lecture about history-in-the-making by Dr. Sossina Haile, the Carl F. Braun Professor of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at Caltech. Sunlight has the potential to meet the world’s needs for sustainable energy, and Dr Haile is exploring the use of reactive metal oxides and the sun’s heat to drive the conversion of carbon dioxide and water into fuels. Dr. Haile's thermochemical technology has delivered record-shattering fuel-production rates and unprecedented stability; it has "really set a benchmark for the solar-fuel community," she says and will play a major role in a sustainable energy future for the world.

Tickets: Museum Members $10; Non-Members $15. Reservations: 626-577-1660, ext. 10.



PASADENA’S PROGRESSIVE ARCHITECTURE

Tuesday, February 21, 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm for viewing exhibition galleries and wine/cheese reception)



A native of Pasadena, Architect Doug Ewing has been inspired by the richness of the architectural history and styles in this city, including great examples of Mission, Italian Renaissance, Spanish Eclectic, Prairie, Bungalow, Craftsman, International, and the Case Study houses of the 1950’s and 1960’s. All of these references have influenced his prospective on design and led him to create his own vision, which he refers to as Pasadena Progressive, expressing a simpler, more contemporary, and therefore less costly version of architecture. This program will focus on about forty examples of his work that express the Pasadena Progressive style. A home tour will follow later in the year. Wine and cheese reception included. Tickets: Museum Members $10; Non-Members $15. Reservations: 626-577-1660, ext. 10.



ROSES, ROCKETS & THE PASADENA YOU’VE NEVER SEEN OR HEARD BEFORE: Conference of California Historical Societies 2012 Symposium

Thursday, February 23 through Saturday, February 25



In conjunction with the Conference of California Historical Societies, PMH presents a symposium on our hometown, including tours of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Craftsman architecture, and the PMH Archives. Lectures will range in topic from the history of the Rose Bowl to featured objects from the collections of local historical societies.

Tickets: For a complete schedule of activities and registration information, visit www.californiahistorian.com or call 909-480-3964.



ARTNIGHT

Friday, March 9, 6:00 to 10:00pm



Looking for a perfect evening full of culture, music, food & fun? PMH, along with fourteen other cultural organizations in Pasadena, will open our doors to celebrate ArtNight Pasadena. At the Museum visitors will enjoy opening night of the exhibition Contemporary Masters, Artistic Eden III, the third bi-annual juried collaboration between PMH and the Pasadena Art Gallery Association featuring paintings by nationally-recognized artists inspired by the life and scenery of the Greater San Gabriel Valley.



Also back by popular demand, we’ll be offering the dangerously good food of the Komodo Food Truck in the PMH parking lot. Free parking at Avery Dennison next to the Museum. For more information on ArtNight visit: www.artnightpasadena.org

Tickets: Free admission and shuttles between venues





MOUNT LOWE RAILWAY – THEN & NOW

Tuesday, March 20, 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm for viewing exhibition galleries and wine/cheese reception)



Mount Lowe Railway - Then and Now is the third and final book about Mount Lowe from author Michael Patris for Arcadia Publishing. Co-authored with photographer Steve Crise, this work takes a look back via comparative photography at what was once “Earth’s Grandest Mountain Ride.” Today thousands hike the dusty, strenuous Sam Merrill Trail into the Angeles National Forest every year, but many do not know or appreciate what a significant tourist destination the area was and how the remains tie into that operation. Michael Patris guest curated the Mount Lowe exhibition for Pasadena Museum of History in 2009. Books will be available for purchase.

Tickets: Museum Members $10; Non-Members $15. Reservations: 626-577-1660, ext. 10.



CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN, PASADENA, AND THE WRITING OF THE YELLOW WALLPAPER

Tuesday, April 10, 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm for viewing exhibition galleries and wine/cheese reception)



Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper in Pasadena in early June 1890. What role did her life in Pasadena play in the writing of her most famous short story? Can we see in the work some of the complications of her life in Pasadena —the place where her marriage to artist Walter Stetson finally ended, and where he found solace in her best friend, Grace Channing (later to be his second wife). Or does the story emerge from aspects of her earlier life in Providence, Rhode Island? If so, what is the part Pasadena played in the story’s writing and publication? Join Wild Unrest author Helen Horowitz for this discussion, appropriately at PMH, the site of the Channing home, and across the street from the location of the Gilman/Stetson house. Also watch for History Lit’s theatrical adaptation of The Yellow Wallpaper in May at PMH. Books will be available for purchase.

Tickets: Museum Members $10; Non-Members $15. Reservations: 626-577-1660, ext. 10.



adDRESSING TITANIC: APPEARANCE & IDENTITY IN 1912
Thursday, April 12, 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm for viewing exhibition galleries and wine/cheese reception)



Kevin Jones, curator of the FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, will recognize the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic (April 15, 1912) in an illustrated lecture exploring the fashion of the Titanic’s passengers and crew. The 2,200 people sailing aboard the 1912 inaugural voyage of Titanic represented twenty-nine countries worldwide, from the very poor to the very wealthy. Though they were all joined together for this one ill-fated voyage -- 1,500 froze, drowned, or were crushed to death when the ship hit an iceberg and sank -- each passenger’s social identity was distinctly revealed by his or her sartorial appearance. Join us for a look at this microcosm of Euro-American class consciousness circa 1912 as we “address” the Titanic’s travelers in First Class, Second Class, Steerage, and Crew.

Tickets: Textile Arts Members $5; Museum Members $10; Non-Members $15. Reservations: 626-577-1660, ext. 10.