‘The human being and architecture’

     

The Institute of Classical Architecture and Art offers a free lecture Thursday night on, what a Freemason might call, the essentials of Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty in architecture.

(In Masonic theory, to link architectural integrity to the human form, it may be useful to recollect the Apprentice’s Perfect Points of Entrance and the Master’s—formerly the Fellow’s—Five Points of Fellowship, among other ritual elements in the lodge.)

From the publicity:

The ancient Vitruvian analogy between the human being and architecture was reconsidered in the Early Renaissance, most profoundly by Leon Battista Alberti. His writings emphasize the role of a human being as an ideal type, worthy of representation in the visual arts. According to Alberti, beauty in architecture is innate, which means that a person cannot help but respond in a positive way to a well proportioned building. Alberti even believed that if an army were to enter a city with the intention of destroying it, but the buildings were beautiful, the warriors would lay down their weapons and act in a peaceful manner. This utopian theory provides insight into architecture’s extraordinary role of maintaining civic life. In his theoretical writings, Alberti assisted architects by outlining the steps to be followed when designing a building.

This premier of a video course presented by Peter Kohane, Senior Lecturer of Architecture at UNSW Sydney, will review Alberti’s principles and discuss both their relation to the architecture of the Renaissance and how they can be applied to architectural debates today. The video premiere will be followed by live Q&A with Dr. Kohane.

What You Will Learn

• Alberti’s principles, including the steps involved in making a classical building.
• That an architect in the Renaissance strived to create forms which accord with the constitution of a human being.
• That a building by Alberti was intended to have a positive impact on a beholder, which involved acting in a civilized manner within the city.
• How to invoke Alberti’s ideas to clarify the nature of debates in the present about architecture and the city.

Register here.

     

‘Advancing the classical tradition in architecture’

     

Courtesy stonecarving.us

Pellettieri in a demonstration of the art.

This just in:

An operative stone mason will be the guest speaker at a lodge in Brooklyn soon.

Master Carver Chris Pellettieri will present “The Stone Mason Way” at Amos-Fort Greene Lodge 922 on Monday, February 3. This event, part of the lodge’s Community Lecture Series, will be open to Masons, their families and friends, and free of charge too. That’s 8 p.m. Dinner will be served afterward, and reservations are a must. Contact the lodge secretary here.

From the publicity:


Chris Pellettieri was trained as a stone mason at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine apprenticeship program in 1989, an experience that enabled him to understand the relationship between ornament and architecture from a design point of view. He is a Master Carver who continues the stone mason tradition today.

Pellettieri will give a lecture about his journey and the stonemason craft. His presentation will include a demonstration that Speculative Masons hear so much about, but rarely see. Join us and experience the connection of the Operative to Speculative traditions for yourself.

In 2009, Pellettieri was the winner of the Arthur Ross Award in Artisanship from the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. The ICAA and its chapters nationwide honor the achievements of those advancing the classical tradition in architecture and related fields. The Arthur Ross Awards were created to recognize and celebrate excellence in the classical tradition.

Amos-Fort Greene Lodge 922 meets in the Midwood Masonic Temple, located at 1348 East 64th Street in Brooklyn.
     

‘Discovering Greece and Rome in Gotham’

     
I really need to pay closer attention to the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. Located just a mile north of Masonic Hall, the ICAA offers great events, to wit:

Classical New York:

Discovering Greece and Rome

in Gotham

Thursday, September 27

6:30 to 8:30

20 West 44th Street, first floor

Register here

During the rise of New York from the capital of an upstart nation to a global metropolis, the visual language of Greek and Roman antiquity played a formative role in the development of the city’s art and architecture. Join Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis, Matthew McGowan, and Francis Morrone, three of the authors of the upcoming book Classical New York: Discovering Greece and Rome in Gotham (Fordham University Press), for an evening of interdisciplinary exploration of New York City’s classical roots.

Classical New York examines the influence of Greco-Roman thought and design from the Greek Revival of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries through the late-nineteenth-century American Renaissance and Beaux Arts period and into the twentieth century’s Art Deco. At every juncture, New Yorkers looked to the classical past for knowledge and inspiration in seeking out new ways to cultivate a civic identity, to design their buildings and monuments, and to structure their public and private spaces.

Following an introduction to classical reception and its importance in New York City, the three authors will speak on their papers from Classical New York:

Fordham University Press

• Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis’s “The Gould Memorial Library and Hall of Fame: Reinterpreting the Pantheon in the Bronx”

• Matthew McGowan’s “In Ancient and Permanent Language: Artful Dialogue in the Latin Inscriptions of New York City”

• Francis Morrone’s “The Custom House of 1833-42: A Greek Revival Building in Context.”

Copies of Classical New York: Discovering Greece and Rome in Gotham will be available for purchase following the event.

Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis is Assistant Professor and Acting Executive Officer of the M.A. Program in Liberal Studies (MALS) and director of the MALS track Archaeology of the Classical, Late Antique, and Islamic Worlds at the City University of New York. She majored in history, archaeology, and classics at Cornell University, where she graduated summa cum laude, and she earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in archaeology at Oxford University. She has taught at Oxford and Royal Holloway–University of London. Macaulay-Lewis is the editor or author of five books, including the 2017 work Housing the New Romans: Architectural Reception and Classical Style in the Modern World, and the author of over a dozen articles on ancient Roman and Islamic gardens and architecture.

Matthew McGowan is Associate Professor and Chair of Classics at Fordham University. He is interested in Roman poetry, ancient scholarship, and classical reception. He has published broadly on a variety of Greek and Latin topics and is the author of Ovid in Exile: Power and Poetic Redress in the Tristia and Epistulae ex Ponto (Brill, 2009). Alongside editing Classical New York, he is compiling a guide to the Greek and Latin inscriptions of New York City. He teaches a wide range of courses, from classical myth to Latin prose composition, and has instituted the spoken Latin table at the Rose Hill campus. He was President of the New York Classical Club (2009-15) and is now Vice President for Communications and Outreach for the Society for Classical Studies.

Francis Morrone is an architectural historian and the author of eleven books including Guide to New York City Urban Landscapes (W.W. Norton, 2013); The New York Public Library: The Architecture and Decoration of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (with Henry Hope Reed, W.W. Norton, 2011); and architectural guidebooks to Philadelphia and Brooklyn. As a historic preservation consultant he has written countless building histories and neighborhood surveys in New York and beyond. He worked as an art and architecture critic for the New York Sun. Collectively, his work represents one of the most comprehensive bodies of research on the built history of New York City.

The Gould Memorial Library and Hall of Fame. My alma mater’s previous library in the Bronx. Only a tiny piece of it was relocated to Washington Square, where the current library stands. Bobst Library looks...ah, different.

     

‘April, with aprons and without’

     
Today through Friday, April 28 – At Center Point, the headquarters of the Anthroposophical Society of New York City (138 West 15th Street), the art exhibit “Entry Point: Paintings,” featuring works by Martina Angela Müller and Tim Paholak, opens April 1 and will run through the 28th. From the publicity:

Martina Angela Müller is a visual artist practicing in a number of different fields. The main body of her work is abstract painting, but she also works in sculpture, environmental art, and installation. It has been seen in numerous galleries in New York and Massachusetts, and in private collections across four continents. She teaches at Alkion Center at Hawthorne Valley, and maintains a studio in Ghent, New York.

Tim Paholak: “I have painted with watercolors for many years and I explored and developed relationships with the primary and complementary colors and the many colors that lie in between. About six years ago I was introduced to oil painting and have primarily been working in this medium ever since. My focus has been the relationships between colors and what lies between them. I have developed an interest in using texture on the canvas to bring a textural component to these relationships. It seems to be an endless panorama that holds great wisdom, a journey from the soul to the canvas that goes from self-awareness to world awareness.”


Today through Saturday, April 22 – Art exhibit “A Fool’s Journey” at Booth Gallery, located at 325 West 38th Street in Manhattan. I have not seen Luke Hillestad’s art before, but I think this sounds interesting. From the publicity:

“A Fool’s Journey” is an explorative visual odyssey through the inner landscapes of human pathology and desire for meaning. The viewer is invited to wander, with the fresh eyes of The Fool, down an arcane path. Along the way, we encounter painted rituals, alchemical symbols, and a cast of archetypes bearing qualities of the old but not forgotten. An unpredictable wilderness is the backdrop for the paintings, where the power of the natural elements, the animal kingdom, and forest talismans imbue the narrative. Initiation, desire, and a struggle of will are among the themes explored in Hillestad’s large-scale works, painted with a harmonious Apelles palette.

Luke Hillestad has exhibited his works in Dubai, Paris, Munich, Barcelona, Los Angeles, and Miami. He paints from life, employing friends and loved ones as models, as well as using taxidermy animals, and found natural objects to create his mythologies. Hillestad is currently illustrating “Shakespeare’s Macbeth,” a limited edition collectors’ book collaboration.


Monday, April 3 through Friday, April 7 – The Rosicrucian Order will host “Increasing Your Capacity to Live, Love, and Learn” at the Rosicrucian Cultural Center (2303 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. in Manhattan) at 6:30 p.m. From the publicity:

Have you been trying without success to become a better “you?” If this is true, the Rosicrucian Order has many tips and tools that are capable of transforming every aspect of your being. Join us as we examine a different aspect of our lives each day, and work together to improve and enhance the way we “show up” in the world.

Facilitating the discussions will be long-time Rosicrucian Patricia Downes, OD/HRD Specialist, Relationship and Organizational Systems Coach and Certified Life Coach.


Wednesday, April 5 – “The Gift of Happiness,” Open House at the School of Practical Philosophy. Click here.


Wednesday, April 5 – New York Theosophical Society hosts weekly meetings for both members and non-members alike. Honestly, I’m not sure what my opinion of the Society is, but I don’t hesitate suggesting Magpie readers would enjoy checking it out. The topic for Wednesday will be “The Absolute.” Click here for the month’s schedule.


Wednesday, April 5 – Table Lodge with Andrew Hammer:

Wednesday, April 5 – One of the very few educational opportunities in “New Jersey Freemasonry” is the Book Club. Check it out:

Thursday, April 6 – New York City Chapter of Rose Croix (AASR) will host the annual Feast of the Paschal Lamb. Open to the public.

Friday, April 7 – Introductory Event: “Seeing: Self-Awareness and the Search for Inner Freedom” at Gurdjieff Foundation of New York. Quest Bookshop at 240 East 53rd Street.

Monday, April 10 through Friday, April 14 – The Rosicrucian Order will host “Bringing Your Whole Self to the Workplace” at the Rosicrucian Cultural Center (2303 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. in Manhattan) at 6:30 p.m. From the publicity:

Have you often wondered whether it is safe to be the real you at work? Or whether you can have autonomy and a sense of control in your work environment, or do you fear rejection or misunderstanding? In order to do this one must be aware of one’s values and beliefs and have a clear life purpose.

We will explore how and why bringing your whole self to work increases your capacity to reach your potential as well as improve the environment and energy of your workplace.

Facilitating the discussions will be long-time Rosicrucian Patricia Downes, OD/HRD Specialist, Relationship and Organizational Systems Coach and Certified Life Coach.


Thursday, April 13 – The Passing of Arthur. Click here.


Monday, April 17 through Friday, April 21 – The Rosicrucian Order will host “Tips for Giving Heartfelt Service During Turbulent Times” at the Rosicrucian Cultural Center (2303 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. in Manhattan) at 6:30 p.m. From the publicity:

We become easily distracted when life events do not turn out the way we would like them to. A crisis in our lives can change our predominant mood and energy in an instant, yet we want and need to continue to contribute, care, and serve even though our energy levels may be affected, and we just do not feel quite up to it. This is the time, more than ever, that we need to energize ourselves, regain our equilibrium, and fulfill a significant part of our life purpose–contributing to what Matthew Fox describes as “the great work.” Join us as we share tips and ideas for re-energizing ourselves and moving bravely forward.

Facilitating the discussions will be long-time Rosicrucian Patricia Downes, OD/HRD Specialist, Relationship and Organizational Systems Coach and Certified Life Coach.


Tuesday, April 18 – Institute of Classical Architecture & Art to host “George Hadfield: Architect of the Federal City,” with Dr. Julia King. 20 West 44th Street, Suite 310. Reception at 6:30/Lecture at seven. From the publicity:

Theatre of Marcellus by George Hadfield.

The ICAA is pleased to present a lecture with Dr. Julia King in which she will be discussing her recent book George Hadfield: Architect of the Federal City.

During his lifetime, the work of the neoclassical architect George Hadfield (1763-1826) was highly regarded, both in England and the United States. Since his death, however, Hadfield’s contributions to architecture have slowly faded from view, and few of his buildings survive. In order to reassess Hadfield’s career and work, this talk draws upon a wide selection of written and visual sources to reconstruct his life and legacy. Dr. King will examine projects including the Capitol, Arlington House, and Old City Hall.

Dr. Julia King holds her Ph.D. from Birkbeck College, University of London, as well as a Master’s in Publishing from Oxford Brookes University and a BA in the History of European Art from the Courtauld Institute, University of London. She was a Fellow of the United States Capitol Historical Society, as well as the Royal Society of Arts, and served as the Executive Director of the Mills Society from 1984-87. She has taught at East Tennessee State University, the University of Reading, and the Newport College of Art and Design, among other colleges. At present, Dr. King is a consultant historian and author of many works including, The Flowering of Art Nouveau Graphics, Equestrian Monuments, and George Hadfield: Architect of the Federal City.

Cost/Reservations: Free for ICAA members; $30 General Admission.


Friday, April 21 – Mariners Lodge 67’s Charity Gala:

Saturday, April 22 – In concert: Marcus Macauley, Piano; and Claude Gilbert, Cello.

The planned program includes Bach’s Suite No. 3 in C Major for unaccompanied cello, and selections from Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto on E Major, Op. 85.

Location: Anthroposophical Society’s Threefold Auditorium, 260 Hungry Hollow Road in Chestnut Ridge, New York.
Suggested donation: $20 / $10 students and seniors / $5 children
Information here.


Saturday, April 22 – North West Mounted Police Lodge 11’s Degree Team to confer the Master Mason Degree in Delaware.

Monday, April 24 through Friday, April 28 – The Rosicrucian Order will host “What Is Your Teachability Index?” at the Rosicrucian Cultural Center (2303 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. in Manhattan) at 6:30 p.m. From the publicity:

Are you willing to let go of what you think you already know? Are you able to learn with a child’s mind? Have you become an “expert” in a particular area, and thus are unwilling to examine new information and the opinions of others?

One writer says “experts are the slowest learners.” Another points out that “you cannot travel within and stand still without.”

Come and be part of this challenging discussion series as we examine long held beliefs and ideas about the world and its people.


Friday, April 28 – The annual re-enactment of the first inauguration of President George Washington, as performed by New York Freemasons. 11 a.m. at Federal Hall, where the 1789 ceremony actually took place. I assume the George Washington Inaugural Bible will be present (weather permitting).

Saturday, April 29 – Hudson River Lodge 309 will confer the Master Mason Degree, but this will be a degree unlike any other.

Sadly, the lodge is vacating its building, but the brethren will make it a celebration by raising Fellow Crafts to the Sublime Degree. New Windsor Masonic Hall (18 Snake Hill Road in New Windsor) at 10 a.m. RSVP here. Breakfast at 9 a.m. and lunch will be served.