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Ventfort Hall: Showcasing 18th Century, Victorian and Jazz Age Fashions

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LENOX, Mass. — Diane Shewchuk, Curator at the Albany Institute of History & Art, will provide at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum and via Zoom a glimpse into what is involved in the creation of exhibitions featuring historic clothing.  
 
She will make her presentation called "Showcasing 18th Century, Victorian & Jazz Age Fashions" on Sept. 14 at 4:00 pm at Ventfort Hall's concluding 2021 Tuesday Talk.
 
In this behind-the-scenes presentation, Shewchuk will discuss how dresses made of fragile silks and beaded chiffons are carefully put on mannequins. She will also talk about creating the proper silhouette and show you secrets of the dress trade by looking inside dresses from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries with an emphasis on Victorian dresses made by Charles Frederick Worth.
 
In her exhibition, "Well Dressed in Victorian Albany," Shewchuk shared fifty examples from the Albany Institute's extensive collection of 19th century clothing. Examples of late 18th and early 19th century garments were included in her exhibition "The Schuyler Sisters and Their Circle." On August 28, the museum will have showcased other dresses from the collection in the exhibition "Fashionable Frocks: The Look of the 1920s." Shewchuk's presentation at Ventfort Hall will shine a spotlight of some of the amazing garments that were included in these three exhibitions.
 
Shewchuk has more than thirty years of experience working in the museum and historic house field in New York State with both collections-based and public programming. She has held the positions of Curator at Clermont State Historic Site, Historic Site Manager at John Jay Homestead State Historic Site, Curator and then Director at the Columbia County Historical Society before joining the Albany Institute of History & Art. She has curated numerous exhibitions on a variety of themes.    
 
The admission for the Shewchuk talk is $20 per person either in attendance at Ventfort Hall or via Zoom.  To order on Zoom visit https://ventfort09142021.eventbrite.com To attend at Ventfort Hall reservations are strongly recommended. Call us at (413) 637-3106. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.  The Summer 2021 series of Tuesday Talks is sponsored by Ventfort Hall board member Lucille Landa and William Landa.
 
 
 

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Ventfort Hall: Making New England Movies

LENOX, Mass. — Jay Craven, American film director, screenwriter, and former film professor at Marlboro College, will present his talk "New England Movies: How and Why" on Sunday, March 1 at Ventfort Hall at 3:30 pm. 
 
Craven will tell the story of his adventures and experiences, developing a sustained filmmaking career in the unlikely settings of Vermont and Massachusetts. A tea will follow his presentation.
 
He will describe working with a wide range of actors, including Rip Torn, Tantoo Cardinal, Kris Kristofferson, Martin Sheen, Ernie Hudson, and Michael J. Fox.  He'll share the satisfactions and challenges that come from immersion into place-based narrative filmmaking. 
 
According to a press release:
 
Craven's work grew out of years of working as a teacher and arts activist whose mission has been the advancement of community and culture in the region.  For four decades he has written, produced, and directed character-driven films deeply rooted in Vermont and New England, including five "Vermont Westerns" based on the works of award-winning Northeast Kingdom writer, Howard Frank Mosher. His latest film, Lost Nation, digs into the parallel Revolutionary War era stories of Ethan Allen and the pioneering Black Guilford poet, Lucy Terry Prince.  His other films have adapted stories by Jack London, Guy du Maupassant, George Bernard Shaw, Craig Nova and, currently, Henrik Ibsen and Dashiell Hammett. Craven also made the regional Emmy-winning comedy series, Windy Acres, for public television and seven documentaries.
 
Craven's films have played festivals and special screenings including Sundance, South by Southwest, The American Film Institute, Lincoln Center, Cinematheque Francaise, the Constitutional Court of Johannesburg, and Cinemateca Nacional de Venezuela. Awards include the Vermont Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Producer's Guild of America's NOVA Award, and the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces program. His film Where the Rivers Flow North was a named finalist for Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival.
 
Tickets are $45. Members receive $5 off with their discount code. Ticket pricing includes access to the mansion throughout the day of this event from 10 am to 4 pm. Reservations are strongly encouraged as seats are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations visit https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or call (413) 637-3206. All tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker St. in Lenox.
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