2011 Programs
Grace Nicholson: Pasadena's Merchant Princess
May 31
Grace Nicholson (1877-1948). Courtesy of the Archives, Pasadena Museum of History (call # People-N)
We begin our 2011 season with independent scholar Kathleen Peck, who will describe the life and entrepreneurial career of Grace Nicholson. Following her arrival in California early in the twentieth century, Nicholson began what proved to be a decades-long, successful enterprise as a dealer in Native American, Asian, and other works of art. Ms. Peck will comment on Nicholson's longstanding business partnership with Carroll S. Hartman and discuss the construction of the unique Chinese temple building that would become her legacy to Pasadena, the city where she played a vitally important role for almost half a century. The program will take place at a beautiful 1922 Spanish style home in Altadena.
All That Jazz: Conversations with William Kraft
June 21
Altadena's William Kraft is an internationally renowned composer, conductor, timpanist/percussionist, and teacher. Given that Kraft is considered a Los Angeles classical musician thanks to his long association with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, it may come as something of a surprise that jazz, not classical, was Kraft's first musical focus. Join us for an evening of reminiscences with this extraordinary musician about Los Angeles' early jazz scene, the sweeping changes that took place in post-WWII jazz, and how Kraft has assimilated this intrinsically American musical genre into his own compositions. The program will take place at a stunning English Tudor Revival home in Altadena.
The Eucalyptus in California: Changing the Landscape, Creating the Garden
October 4
As part of the research for her book, Images of the Pacific Rim: Australia and California, 1850-1935, art historian Erika Esau tracked the fascinating story of the arrival of the eucalyptus-an Australian native-in California. The tree became the center of an investment boom in the early 1900s as a source of wood, only to crash when gum-tree wood was deemed unsuitable for building. But its ornamental possibilities were taken up in the 1920s, as Spanish Style houses included gardens that emphasized the tree's sinuousness; its ubiquity along the state's highways led people to believe it was a native tree. Soon the silhouette of the eucalyptus-along with the palm tree-became emblematic of modern California. The program will take place in a picturesque garden in Arcadia.
Craftsmanship: An Evening with Ann and Andre Chaves
November 8
Join us for an elegant evening as we follow the Chaves' to their new home on the old Ambassador campus. Ann will take us to her needlework studio on the second floor, where she collects antique arts and crafts textiles and designs contemporary embroidery pieces under the name Inglenook Textiles. Ann's historic collection was the subject of the Museum's 2008 exhibition The Art and Craft of Textile Design, 1860-1920. Andre will guide us through his private studio where he is the lone designer and producer of limited edition letterpress books, booklets, ephemera, and posters under the name Clinker Press. The program will take place at a breathtaking 1908 Tudor style mansion.
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