Historian Susie J. Pak Discusses Gentlemen Bankers
St. John’s University Historian Looks at the Life of J.P. Morgan
The Vanderbilt Museum will host Dr. Susie J. Pak, Associate Professor of History at St. John’s University, on Thursday, June 30, for an evening lecture on J.P. Morgan and the world of investment banking in the early the 20th century.
Pak’s lecture will draw heavily from her years of archival research and from her acclaimed 2013 book Gentlemen Bankers: The World of J.P. Morgan (Harvard University Press). In Gentlemen Bankers, Pak offers readers a fascinating picture of how, through a network of local and international relationships, the Morgan family rose to special prominence in the financial sphere. She draws on never-before-published letters and testimonies to tell the riveting story of how economic and political interests intersected with personal rivalries and friendships among the Wall Street aristocracy of the Gilded Age.
“Gentlemen Bankers is a window into a world that, for one fleeting moment, dominated American finance. By concentrating on the non-financial aspects of that world Pak greatly enriches our understanding of the entire era.” – John Steele Gordon, Wall Street Journal
The lecture will take place at 7:00 pm in the Museum’s Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium. Tickets are available online on the Vanderbilt website.
Susie J. Pak is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at St. John’s University where she teaches American history. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Cornell University. She has been the recipient of the Harvard Business School Alfred D. Chandler Jr Traveling Fellowship in Business History and Institutional Economic History and the Einstein Fellowship of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives.
Children’s Workshop: Terrarium Habitat
Museum educators will offer Terrarium Habitat, a workshop for children in grades 2-4, on Wednesday, June 29. Fee: $30 / $27 for members. Explore the collections and create a polymer clay animal and a terrarium from a repurposed plastic bottle.
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Beth Laxer-Limmer, Associate Director of Education, said, “we are continuing our horticulture series for children with this workshop on terrariums. We’ll explore the wildlife dioramas, learn about ecosystems, including the plants that animals depend on, and create a living habitat in a repurposed plastic bottle.”
Alex Torres and His Latin Orchestra Return for 15th Summer
The internationally renowned Alex Torres and His Latin Orchestra will return to the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum on Friday, July 15, for their 15th annual performance.
A perennial favorite, the orchestra performs annually to sold-out audiences at the Vanderbilt, playing their original blend of Afro-Caribbean rhythms – including salsa, merengue, cha-cha, bomba, plena and Latin jazz. This critically acclaimed 11-piece ensemble, which tours throughout North and South America, has performed in hundreds of festivals and leading performing-arts centers throughout the world.
The Vanderbilt Estate grounds open at 6:00 pm. The performance, for listening and dancing, will be from 7:00 to 10:00 in the Celebration Tent. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic dinner and enjoy the evening under the stars as the music and dancing start.
Tickets: $65. A table of 10: $650.
The orchestra, which has released 12 critically acclaimed CDs, has shared the stage and billings with such major acts as Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Andy Montañez, Los Hermanos Moreno, Arturo Sandoval, Ray Barretto, Jane Burnette & The Spirits of Havana, King Changó, Arrested Development, Branford Marsalis, and the Count Basie and Woody Herman orchestras. Visit www.alextorres.com
Summer STEAM Workshops for Children Grades K-6
Vanderbilt Museum educators are offering astronomy, science, and history workshops for children. Junior Explorers is for grades K-4 and Junior Astronomer is for grades 3-6. Sessions for both age groups will be offered July 11-15 and Aug 15-19, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Fee: $200 non-members | $180 members. Space is limited and spots fill quickly. Advance registration is required. Facemasks are required indoors.
Junior Explorer, grades K-4
Explore the world at the Vanderbilt Museum in a week of creative science and history workshops. We will sail the seas, dive the deepest oceans, soar among the tallest trees, and make unique art inspired by nature and the collections. Registration is open for children entering kindergarten through 4th grade.
(Please note: July and August sessions of each workshop feature the same activities. Therefore, we recommend against registering a child for the same workshop twice.)
Junior Astronomer, grades 3-6
This exciting program for young astronomers features multiple astronomy topics including the solar system, using a telescope, and identifying constellations seen from Long Island backyards. The focus on hands-on learning includes STEAM activities and crafts supplemented by immersive live and pre-recorded full-dome presentations in the Planetarium theater. Registration is open for children entering grades 3-6.
For more information and to register, please contact dawn@vanderbilltmuseum.org.
Local Museums Offer June ‘Adventure Camp’
The Heckscher, Vanderbilt, and Whaling museums and the Huntington Historical Society have created Huntington Adventure Camp. This all-week event (June 27-July1) is for children ages 7-12. Four days of creativity plus a reception.
Kick off your summer with this special week of art, history, science, and FUN! Join us each day at a different Museum to make friends, learn new things, and create amazing projects! On Friday, July 1, from 9 to 11:30 am, all participants and educators from each institution will meet at the Heckscher Museum to create a collaborative project! At 11:30 am, family, friends, and caretakers are invited to the Museum for a special free reception to celebrate the accomplishments of our Huntington Adventure Camp!
Monday, June 27: Huntington Historical Society
Tuesday, June 28: Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium
Wednesday, June 29: Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum & Education Center
Thursday, June 30: Heckscher Museum of Art
Friday, July 1, 9 – 11:30 am: Adventure Reception & Celebration at Heckscher Museum
Tickets: $220 Non-Members, $200 Members*
*Membership at any of the partners qualifies for the member price
Enjoy ‘Sunset Yoga Flow’ On Vanderbilt Lawn
Pop Up Prana Yoga offers its second Sunset Yoga Flow of the season on Friday, June 17, on the Vanderbilt Museum Great Lawn overlooking Northport Bay.
Check-in begins at 6:30 PM for the 7:00 pm session.
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Open to practitioners of all levels. All props and mats will be provided upon request. Rain dates will be determined as the event approaches. Note: tickets are non-refundable.
Jenn Eagen of Pop Up Prana Yoga, said, “This is an open-level yoga practice. If you are new to yoga, feel free to join us. If you are an advanced yogi and seek growth, no worries. You will have an opportunity to shine and improvise your own variations throughout the session.”
Shakespeare Festival: ‘Much Ado About Nothing’
Troilus and Cressida – July 1-24 (excluding July 15 and 22)
The Comedy of Errors – July 29-Aug14
Henry V – Aug 26-Sept 18
Performances: Every Wed and Fri at 8:00 pm, Sunday at 7:00 pm. Tickets: Adults $20; children 12 and under (member child 18 and under) $15; senior (age 62-plus) $15.
Evan Donnellan, director of CHP, said, “We are so excited to return to the Vanderbilt Courtyard for their annual Summer Shakespeare Festival. With a wide mix of comedy and tragedy, the festival has something for everyone. Join us under the stars for nights of timeless magic as these classical stories come to life before your very eyes.”
Christopher Tennant Related Searches: Inaugural Art Exhibition Opens
The Museum’s inaugural contemporary art exhibition, Related Searches, is the first solo museum show by New York artist Christopher Tennant.
Tennant’s artwork—a mix of avian and aquatic dioramas and vitrines, handmade lamps, and collected specimens—reimagines natural history as an extension of commodity culture and the decorative arts. His brilliantly illuminated cases combine antique taxidermy with discarded consumer products to provide a stark visual representation of the beauty and terror of an ecology altered by human industry and the algorithmic marketplace.
Related Searches is the first exhibition in the Vanderbilt Museum’s newly launched contemporary art program and runs through June 30.
The museum occupies the former Gold Coast summer estate of William K. Vanderbilt II, Gilded Age scion, global explorer, and pioneer of American motorsport. Located on the shores of Northport Bay on the north shore of Long Island, it is renowned for its extensive marine and natural history collections, Spanish revival architecture, and picturesque parklands.
Walk & Talk Tours: Architectural Details, Famous Ironwork
Come for an intriguing walking tour of the Vanderbilt Estate with knowledgeable Museum educators. Learn about the history of the Eagle’s Nest estate; Warren & Wetmore’s design and exterior architectural details of the 24-room Spanish Revival mansion; and the striking ironwork of Samuel Yellin, considered the greatest iron artisan of the early 20th century.
These Walk and Talk Tours, created by the Vanderbilt Education Department will be offered at 11 am and 12:30 pm on June 30; July 6, 20, 23, and 27; August 3, 10, 20, 24, and 31.
Tickets, which include general admission, are available for purchase only at the door: Adults $16, seniors/students $15, children under 12 $13, and members free.
Beth Laxer-Limmer, associate director of education, said, “The grounds are beautiful at this time of year and the walking tour is a perfect way to be introduced to the history of the estate and collections. There is an abundance of beauty in the eclectic architecture and the unique details that reflect William Vanderbilt’s interests.”
William K. Vanderbilt II (1878-1944) spent summers at his Eagle’s Nest estate and mansion on Northport Bay between 1910 and 1944. He and his wife, Rosamond, hosted intimate gatherings and entertained well-known guests, such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Pierre Cartier, Conde Nast, Charles Lindbergh, and the Tiffanys. Eagle’s Nest is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Engraved Vanderbilt Bricks Mark Milestones, Memories
Celebrate your family, a loved one, a special anniversary, or other milestones and memories with us by sponsoring a commemorative brick with a custom engraving. Your donation will help us to bring outstanding science, history, and art education to more than 25,000 students annually.
Your message will be displayed permanently in one of the brick walkways around the Vanderbilt Mansion and Terrace, or on the grounds of the beautiful waterfront Estate. For more information, call Sue Madllinger at 631-854-5558, or email: sue@vanderbiltmuseum.org
