Public Programs
New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) is pleased to present an exciting lineup of public programs for the spring 2012 season. One of the highlights of the season is Theatrical by Design: A Century of The Shubert Organization’s Theatre Interiors, an exhibition that will display the beautiful original interiors and restorations of many of Broadway’s most celebrated theatres.
The season also brings a packed schedule of lectures and panel discussions. First up is Architectural Digest’s Mitchell Owens, who will be talking about the Sets and Costumes of Cecil Beaton; Architectural historian Barry Lewis—best known for his video walks on Channel 13—will lecture about the early 20th-century Music Halls of 6th Avenue; and Jack Elliot, professor of ecodesign at Cornell University, will be speak about Ecofeminism, Design, and the Future of the Planet We Live On.
The full schedule is listed below.
Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at New York School of Interior Design, 170 East 70th Street, NYC.
Admission is free; RSVP to rsvp@nysid.edu or call 212-472-1500 x405.
Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm. Summer gallery hours are Monday-Thursday, 10am-5pm. If you are planning to visit from out of town, it’s advisable to call to check on gallery hours due to holiday closings.
Spring 2012 Public Programs
JANUARY
Thursday, January 26
EXHIBITION (Opening Reception 6-8pm)
BFA Fall 2011 Thesis Projects
Fifteen students from the BFA program will display their thesis projects based on hypothetical adaptive reuse of existing buildings. Projects range from a museum dedicated to the art of Buddhism to a winery located in the Hungarian countryside. The exhibition runs through February 24.
FEBRUARY
Wednesday, February 15, 6pm
LECTURE
Mitchell Owens: Center Stage: The Sets and Costumes of Cecil Beaton
Cecil Beaton was perhaps best known as a fashion and portrait photographer, but he also had a successful career as a stage and costume designer for Broadway, ballet, and opera. Mitchell Owens, special projects editor of Architectural Digest, will speak about Beaton’s relentless energy and creativity and some of his most memorable scenic and costume designs.
Wednesday, February 29, 6pm
PANEL DISCUSSION
20th Century Post-War Ceramics: The Next Big Thing
Presented in partnership with Sotheby’s
A group of esteemed gallery owners, ceramic specialists, and designers will gather to discuss the rise of 20th century European and American Post-war ceramics. Panelists include design writer and curator Larry Weinberg; James Zemaitis, SVP and Director of 20th Century Design at Sotheby's; Kim Hostler of Hostler-Burrows, a gallery specializing in Scandianvian artists and architects; Lee Mindel, architect and ceramics specialist, and Ben Williams , ceramics specialist at Philips de Pury. Moderated by Judith Gura, journalist and instructor of design history at NYSID.
MARCH
Wednesday, March 7, 6pm
EXHIBITION OPENING
Theatrical by Design: A Century of The Shubert Organization’s Theatre Interiors
The Shubert Organization is America's oldest professional theatre company and the largest theatre owner on Broadway. Since 1900, the company has operated hundreds of theatres and produced some 600 musicals, plays, and revues and championed stars from Sarah Bernhardt and Ethel Barrymore to Al Jolson and Carmen Miranda.
This exhibition will showcase the sumptuous interiors of these venerable theatres with a selection of archival photographs and design documents that will allow viewers to revel in the theatres’ illustrious pasts and to share in the ones that have been gloriously restored.
Curated by Reagan Fletcher, longtime archivist of The Shubert Archive. Exhibition runs through April 27.
The paint for the exhibition generously provided by
Wednesday, March 28, 6pm
LECTURE
Reagan Fletcher: An Insider’s Guide to the Interiors of Shubert Theatres
Reagan Fletcher-- longtime archivist of the Shubert Archive and co-author of The Shuberts Present: 100 Years of the American Theatre—will discuss the history of the Shubert Organization, as well as the interiors and restoration of various Shubert theatres. In conjunction with the exhibition Theatrical by Design: A Century of The Shubert Organization’s Theatre Interiors at NYSID.
APRIL
Wednesday, April 4, 6pm
LECTURE
Barry Lewis: The Music Halls of 6th Avenue
Sixth Avenue in Midtown played a brief role in the early 20th century as New York City’s boulevard of music halls. It began with the short-lived Crystal Palace, America’s first world’s fair, and continued on with the 4,000-seat Hippodrome with its wondrous mechanical stage, the Ziegfeld Theater that was as extravagant as the Follies themselves, and, of course, the landmark Radio City Music Hall.
Barry Lewis is an architectural historian who specializes in European and American architecture of the 18th to 20th centuries. He’s known for the WNET Channel 13 series of video walks he co-hosts with David Hartman, including 42nd Street, Broadway; Harlem; Brooklyn; Greenwich Village; and Central Park. He lectures widely and teaches at NYSID and Cooper Union.
Wednesday, April 11, 6 – 8pm
LECTURE
Francesca Russo: Restoring Broadway Theatres: Evoking the Past
BOOK LAUNCH
Gerald Schoenfeld’s memoir, Mr. Broadway: The Inside Story of the Shuberts, the Shows, and the Stars
Francesca Russo is an acclaimed theatre planning and restoration designer who has worked on the historic restorations of many of Broadway’s most famed theatres. She will discuss her work on the historic renovations of many of the Shubert theaters, including the Booth, the Belasco, the Barrymore, the Winter Garden, and the Shubert Theatre.
Following the lecture there will be a book launch for Gerald Schoenfeld’s memoir, Mr. Broadway: The Inside Story of the Shuberts, the Shows, and the Stars. Mr. Schoenfeld, legendary longtime chairman of the Shubert Organization, died in 2008 at the age of 84.
Wednesday, April 25, 5:30 – 8:30 pm
THE 2012 GREEN DESIGN AWARDS &
THE SALLY HENDERSON MEMORIAL LECTURE ON GREEN DESIGN
NYSID will present its 2012 Green Design Awards in a ceremony preceding this annual lecture. A reception will follow the lecture.
Jack Elliot: Ecofeminism, Design, and the Future of the Planet We Live On
Jack Elliott, who teaches ecological design at Cornell University, will discuss Ecofeminism--a fusion of feminist and ecological thinking that was founded on the belief that the social constructs that lead to the domination and oppression of women also lead to the abuse of the natural environment.
In the past, much of the ecofeminism has been focused on the differences between men and women, and civilization and nature. More recently, a new form of ecofeminism is looking at eradicating the dualisms. Elliot will discuss how Ecofeminism is evolving and the impact it may have on re-imagining of the design profession as a true agent of change for our biophysical world.
Saturday, April 28, 12:30 – 5:00pm
PANEL DISCUSSION
Young Interior Designers Making Their Mark
Co-presented by NYSID and the Museum of the City of New York
This panel discussion will bring together up-and-coming interior designers--including Fitzhugh Karol and Lyndsay Caleo from Brooklyn Home Company and interior designer Britt Smith--to speak about their latest projects and approach.
South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton Street, NYC. $25 MCNY or SSSM Museum members, seniors, and students, and the NYSID Community. Tickets must be purchased in advance at http://boxoffice.mcny.org or 917-492-3395 (enter NYSID428 at checkout). $35 non-member. Reception to follow.
MAY
Thursday, May 17
EXHIBITION
BFA Spring 2012 Thesis Projects
MFA and MPS Spring 2012 Thesis and Capstone Projects
Undergraduate and graduate students exhibit a range of interior design projects based on the hypothetical adaptive reuse of existing spaces. NYSID Galleries through July 25.