Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society

Lecture: Red Jacket, Role of Six Nations in War of 1812

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Dr. Alan S. Taylor, a renowned and award-winning author and historian, will be at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society&#8216-s history museum this Saturday, November 13, 2010, at 1:30 p.m., for a talk entitled &#8220Red Jacket and the Role of the Six Nations in the War of 1812.&#8221 Local interest is mounting for the 2012 bicentennial of the War of 1812. In addition, the museum currently has an exhibit exploring Red Jacket in the context of John Mix Stanley’s monumental painting &#8220The Trial of Red Jacket.&#8221


Taylor is the author of six American history books, and has won the Pulitzer, Beveridge, and Bancroft prizes for his scholarly writing. His newest release is titled The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies (Random House). The book is available at the museum gift shop, and the author will be available to sign copies of it after the lecture.

Taylor is currently serving as a visiting professor, holding the prestigious Douglas Southall Freeman Chair in History at the University of Richmond, Virginia- he has been a professor of American History at University of California at Davis since 1994.

The lecture program is in support of the History Museum’s current exhibit, &#8220Fact, Fiction and Spectacle: The Trial of Red Jacket,&#8221 which uses as its starting point the huge canvas by John Mix Stanley. Attendees to the lecture are encourage to view the exhibit, which is in the Museum’s lower floor gallery, when they are here for the lecture.

Buffalo and Erie Co. Historical Announces Awards

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The Board of Managers and Regents of the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society has announced that it has selected Wayne D. Wisbaum, and brothers Christopher T. and Finley R. Greene, as recipients of its annual Red Jacket award. Wisbaum is an an attorney and devoted public servant, as is Christopher Greene. The late Finley Greene was a fundraising professional who aided many non-profit causes and organizations over the course of his decades-long career. The board will present the awards at a dinner and ceremony at the Historical Society on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.

The Red Jacket Award is given annually in recognition of quiet, continued, unbroken devotion to civic progress. Created 53 years ago, in 1957, by the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, the award is based upon a medal presented in 1792 by President George Washington to the renowned Seneca orator and leader Red Jacket.

&#8220The selection of these three men to receive this award carries special significance, as we are living in a time when civic progress is needed more than ever. They and their work stand for the powerful effects that individuals can have in their communities, without drawing attention to themselves or asking for anything in return,&#8221 said Joan Bukowski, president of the board of managers of the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society. &#8220It is a great privilege to honor these three Buffalonians.&#8221

During the ceremony, the board will bestow two additional awards. Charles LaChiusa will receive the Owen B. Augspurger award, which recognizes local historians devoted to the preservation of Erie County’s heritage. And the Grant Amherst Business Association will receive the Daniel B. Niederlander award for outstanding programming by a Western New York historical organization.

The Historical Society currently has on exhibit the original Peace Medal that was given to Red Jacket by George Washington, in its new and ongoing exhibit, &#8220Fact, Fiction & Spectacle: The Trial of Red Jacket.&#8221

The 2010 Red Jacket Awards dinner will be held at the Historical Society at 25 Nottingham Court at Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo. Tickets are $150 per person or $275 per couple. Table packages and corporate sponsorship opportunities are available. For reservations and more information, call the Historical Society development office at 716-873-9644, ext. 318.

Exhibit: The Trail of Red Jacket

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The Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society has announced the opening of &#8220Fact, Fiction & Spectacle: The Trial of Red Jacket.&#8221 This major exhibit centers on the colossal painting, &#8220The Trial of Red Jacket,&#8221 by John Mix Stanley, from the museum’s collection. The show opens to the public on October 8, 2010, and runs through August 7, 2011.

The exhibit will tell the stories behind the canvas through the exploration of four major themes. These themes will include the artist, John Mix Stanley (1814-1872)- the social dynamic of life on the Buffalo Creek Reservation- Native American clothing, jewelry and accessories- and the question of why Red Jacket so captured the public’s imagination.

The museum’s 1,800-square-foot Erie County Gallery will be utilized for the exhibit. Upon entering, visitors are greeted a brief introductory video, featuring WGRZ Channel 2 anchor Scott Levin- he will welcome visitors and give an overview of the exhibit.

The first section showcases the dramatic nine-foot wide painting, The Trial of Red Jacket (1862-1868). It will be gloriously draped in red velvet and lit up with period-inspired footlights- the elaborate canvas will be shown as it would have been in its heyday. Like other paintings of this period, it was more than just a painting- it was an &#8220event&#8221 and a social document. When the painting toured around the country, people lined up to pay to see it, sometimes multiple times.

Stanley’s attention to technical detail is undeniable. Upon examination however, his manipulation of the historical record is revealed. The exhibit story pushes beyond the visual experience, exploring aspects of the painting, its creation, its content and the times during which it was made. Inaccuracies revealed by historic &#8220detective work&#8221 pose new questions- encourage and engage visitors.

In a second video installation, the artist John Mix Stanley will be portrayed by actor Todd Benzin (with costumes by theater professional Kari Drozd). This will be shown in an interactive wall portrait. It discusses his life and times, how he marketed the painting and chromolithographs of it, creating an oral history of how the painting was perceived by the public, its importance and the drama that surrounded it.

Authentic examples of the Native American clothing and accessories depicted in the painting will be an exhibit focal point. Juxtaposing Stanley’s rendering, locally made, period reproductions of Seneca clothing will also be showcased. Interpretive text written by scholar Dr. Alyssa Mt. Pleasant, examines aspects of life on the Buffalo Creek Reservation and reveals the central figures captured on canvas. Themes of why the Reservation existed and what life was like there around 1800 will also be explored.

The last section looks into why Red Jacket himself so captured the public’s imagination and attention. Many additional portraits of him from the Historical Society and others’ collections will be included. The section also includes vintage documents, and one of the country’s most celebrated artifacts, the Peace Medal given to Red Jacket by President George Washington, a rarely displayed item.

Buffalo and Eries 12th Annual Paint the Town

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The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society has announced its 12th annual Paint the Town fundraising event, which takes place this year on Thursday, September 23, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. In an updated format, the fundraiser will feature both live and silent auctions, and include a wide range of artworks by almost 60 artists with strong ties to the Buffalo region.

Items in the auctions will include paintings by Peter Fowler, Mark Lavatelli, Nathan Naetzker, and Catherine Parker- prints by Sally Cook, Roycroft Renaissance Master Artisan Dorothy Markert, Julian Montague, and Michael Morgulis- photographs by Lukia Costello, Lesley Maia Horowitz and Gene Witkowski- mixed media works by Russell Ram and Gerald Mead- and glassworks by Marcelo Florencio and Jane Jacobson.

The auctions will also feature works by historically important artists, donated by local galleries, including the Benjaman Gallery, Meibohm Fine Arts, Muleskinner, Dana Tillou Fine Arts, 20th Century Finest, and Vern Stein Fine Arts. Those works include vintage pieces by painter Carlo Nisita (1895-1990) and printmaker Amos Sangster (1833-1904).

Subjects range from the Buffalo Zoo, to views of the harbor, train station, and grain elevators, to Niagara Falls, to a wildflower growing through a crack in a Buffalo pavement.

Starting at 5:30, a buffet of appetizers and small bites will be served, while the silent auction begins. Thom Diina will provide musical accompaniment to the evening, and food will be catered by Oliver’s- an open bar, offering wine, beer and soft drinks, is also included.

After the anticipation and excitement of the silent auction, at 8 p.m., auctioneer Kelly Schultz of Kelly Schultz Auctions and Antiques will rouse the crowd to a frenzy of bidding over the live portion of the auction.

Tickets are $50 for members of the Historical Society, $70 for non-members. Those who would like to make an additional donation with their ticket purchase may select patron level tickets, which are $150 each. Such support will be acknowledged in the event catalog. Tickets are available by calling (716) 873-9644 x318.

The event takes place at the Historical Society’s iconic 1901 building, with views overlooking Delaware Park. There is ample free parking. The event is supported by HSBC.

The Historical Society will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2012.

Women and Divorce: 19th Century Outrage-21st Century Strategies

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The Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, in collaboration with co-sponsors Adrienne Rothstein Grace, Certified Financial Planner, and the Western New York Women’s Bar Association, will present &#8220Women and Divorce: 19th Century Outrage/21st Century Strategies,&#8221 an evening of speakers on the topic of the changing rights and history of women and divorce in New York State on Thursday, August 26, at 7 p.m.
at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, 25 Nottingham Court (at Elmwood Ave.).

Keynote speaker Dr. Ilyon Woo is the author of The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother’s Extraordinary Fight against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times (Atlantic Monthly Press). The book tells the story of Eunice Hawley Chapman, whose husband left her, taking their children, and joined the Shakers, a reclusive religious sect. At the time, a married woman in her circumstances had few rights and no legal identity. Chapman sought unprecedented intervention, and fought hard for the return of her children, rallying even the State legislature. Dr. Woo will speak on the topics addressed in her book. She will also sign copies of the book, which is available in the Museum’s gift shop

Attorney Carol A. Condon will address present-day New York State divorce law. New York is the last state in America to consider putting no-fault divorce laws on its books. Condon is a member of the Family Law Committee of the Bar Association of Erie County, and of the New York State Bar Association. She is a frequent speaker and author on topics related to divorce and family law. Condon is the past president of the Western New York Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York.

Co-sponsor Adrienne Rothstein Grace, Certified Financial Planner and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, will present information specifically on the topic of divorce financial planning. Rothstein Grace has a widely varied background in financial services. She is currently with Mass Mutual/The Buffalo Agency. In concert with attorneys and mediators, Rothstein Grace helps clients in divorce gain clear ideas of their financial position, outline different settlement scenarios, and forecast long term effects.

The event is $7.00- Free to Historical Society and Western New York Women’s Bar Association members. For more information log on to www.buffalohistory.org, e-mail [email protected], or call 873-9644 x319.

Perceiving Buffalo Autistic Artists Exhibit

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The Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society (BECHS) has announced &#8220Perceiving Buffalo,&#8221 an exhibit of works by artists from Autistic Services, Inc. (ASI). The show opened in BECHS’ second-floor Community Gallery on July 1st and will run through Sunday, August 22, 2010. The exhibit is open to the public, and free with regular museum admission.

In addition, there will be a celebratory reception sponsored by Autistic Services Inc., on Thursday, July 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Historical Society. The reception is free and open to the public.

The exhibit, curated by BECHS Museum Educator Tara Lyons, and facilitated by ASI staff members Veronica Federiconi, Dana Ranke, Todd Lesmeister, and Brian Kavanaugh features work by Aaron B., Dan C., Stacey M. and Neil S., four artists from ASI’s Arts Work Program.

The selected paintings and drawings mesh the works of the artists with BECHS’ mission to tell the stories of people and places in the region. The show highlights the artists’ interests in and creative interpretations of iconic Buffalo landmarks and community figures. Portraits include those of Ani DiFranco, Tim Russert, and one featuring three local newscasters. In addition, there is a series of drawings of Buffalo public school buildings. A short film of artist Neil S. will describe the artists’ creative process and his deep personal connection to the subject matter.

Autistic Services Inc. is a community organization that promotes the awareness of autism and provides treatment, education, and care for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The Arts Work Program, through which the works in &#8220Perceiving Buffalo&#8221 were created, is part of the ASI’s individual therapy rooted in the creation of visual arts.

The reception will be held in the State Court of the Historical Society, and will feature a performance by No Words Spoken, a group of musicians which also evolved through Autistic Services programming. Wine and cheese will be served, and the public is invited to attend this free evening event.

Buffalo & Erie Co. Historical Names New Director

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The board of managers of the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society today named Melissa N. Brown, an expert in Western New York history and the Historical Society’s director of research and interpretation, its new director.

Brown, 36, becomes the museum’s 11th director and succeeds Cynthia A. Conides PhD., who will return to her full-time job with Buffalo State College, which &#8220loaned&#8221 Dr. Conides and her expertise to the Society for the past four years. Dr. Conides will stay on part time as curator of special projects at the Historical Society’s museum.

Brown, who helped drive the popular &#8220Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Season&#8221 exhibit last fall, worked closely with Dr. Conides, the head of the college’s Museum Studies Program, on a series of recent initiatives at the Historical Society. Brown is an expert in managing collections and has consulted on more than a dozen major exhibits at the Society and at other Western New York museums.

She will transition into her new position as Dr. Conides reverts to the college by Dec. 31. This will also give Brown time to complete work on a major museum initiative &#8220John Mix Stanley’s Trial of Red Jacket,&#8221 opening in October at the Nottingham Court museum.

&#8220This is a logical transition of expert leadership and the board of managers is delighted that Melissa can move seamlessly to carry on the work Cynthia initiated to grow and modernize the museum,&#8221 said Joan M. Bukowski, president of the Society’s board. &#8220We are extremely gratified that Melissa has worked her way through the museum’s hierarchy to this position of ultimate responsibility. We are impressed by her innovation and imagination and look forward to where she will take us.&#8221

&#8220We are also cognizant that among Buffalo’s leading cultural institutions, including the Albright-Knox, Science Museum and Zoo, the Historical Society also now has a vibrant young leader from a new generation of museum innovators,&#8221 Bukowski said.

Brown returned to her native region from Boston to join the Society’s staff in 1998 as a collections assistant. She received her M.A. in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University in 2000, adding to her 1995 B.A. in history with a museum studies minor from the State University of New York at Oswego.

&#8220This of course represents a fantastic opportunity for me to build on the superior example and leadership of Cynthia Conides and continue our effort to modernize the museum and bring its exhibits up to and beyond current expectations,&#8221 Brown said. &#8220I’m grateful to the board of managers, and the excellent staff here at the museum for this opportunity and I pledge to use all my energy and expertise to make sure we reach our shared goals.&#8221

Dec. 31 also represents the end of the present four-year agreement between the museum and Buffalo State College. The &#8220memorandum of understanding&#8221 allows the college, across Elmwood Avenue from the museum, to aid the museum, as it did with Dr. Conides’ involvement. The board and the college are currently negotiating an extension, which will start Jan. 1, 2011.

A resident of Gasport, Brown has been involved in nearly all the major archiving and collections work at the Society in the last 10 years. Her responsibilities included providing commentary, developing interpretive materials, facilitating exhibit design, performing historic research and scripts, and furthering and maintaining the museum’s collection.

More About The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society

The Society’s mission is to maximize the educational potential for our community’s vast resources and abundant narratives through innovative programming, partnerships and collaborations- to share, preserve and add to our outstanding collections to tell the stories of Western New York, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. The Society’s building, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, is the only permanent building erected for the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo’s international fair attended by 8 million people from May to November 1901. The Exposition is best known for being the largest showcase to that time of the uses of electrical illumination. It celebrated the technological innovations that had recently harnessed the generating power of nearby Niagara Falls. During the Exposition, the building served as the New York State Pavilion and was the scene of an intensive schedule of receptions welcoming distinguished guests from around the world.

Awarded the design commission by a state-sponsored competition, young Buffalo architect George Cary (1859-1945), who had been classically trained in Paris, designed the building, faced and corniced with Vermont marble, in Doric style. The beautiful south portico, overlooking Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park, is a scaled-down version of the east front of the Parthenon, in Athens. Cary was able to complete his original design in 1927 when the building was enlarged to accommodate the present-day Library and Auditorium. Eleven relief sculptures, designed by Edmund Amateis, surround the building, each depicting a significant event in local history. The bronze entry doors, designed by J. Woodley Gosling and sculpted by R. Hinton Perry, show allegorical figures depicting &#8220History&#8221 and &#8220Ethnology.&#8221

After the Exposition closed, the building became the headquarters of the Buffalo Historical Society in 1902. The Society, founded in 1862, had previously displayed its growing collections in a series of rented spaces in downtown Buffalo. Today the building hosts the Historical Society’s Research Library (collections include 20,000 books, 200,000 photographs and 2,000 manuscript collections), its Auditorium, long term exhibits BFLO Made! and Neighbors, galleries for temporary exhibits, and the Museum Shop. BECHS is a private not-for-profit organization tax exempt under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It receives operating support from the County of Erie, the City of Buffalo, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA, a state agency), and from members and friends. BECHS is accredited by the American Association of Museums.