2016 Summer Lecture Series

2016 Taos Public Library Summer Lecture Series

Sponsored by the Friends of the Taos Public Library

With the exception of the July 15 symposium, lectures begin at 1:00 PM. All lectures will be held in the Community Room of the Taos Public Library, 402 Camino de la Placita, Taos, NM.  All lectures are free and open to the public. 

Saturday, May 14 – “Some Like It Steep:  Ernie Blake’s Wild Ride” - Mickey Blake  “The entrepreneur moved his family into an 11-foot camper trailer at the base of the ski area in the early 1950s and built the first chairlift with 16 local men and a mule named Lightning.”  The colorful history of Taos Ski Valley and plans for the future will be discussed by son Mickey Blake, who remains on the current Board of Directors. 

Saturday, June 11 – “Three Centuries of Taos in One Life” - Fabi Romero  “Fabi Romero's life in Taos began with horse-drawn ploughs, no running water or electricity and now includes cell phones and the internet - plus a ‘side trip’ of 23 years in NYC. She'll talk about the changes she's seen in Taos and ‘my valley’ of San Cristobal with tales from her grandparents and her own works as an activist, all of which have shaped her vision of our community.”

Friday, July 15 - Taos Visionaries Symposium – in partnership with the Taos Arts Council, multiple speakers, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM

9:30 AM     Arrival, sign-in, refreshments and welcome

10:00 AM   “New Mexico: Spiritualism and Moderns”         Sharyn Udall

10:30 AM   “Taos Moderns”                                           David Witt

11:00 AM   “Taos Contemporaries”                                 Jina Brenneman

11:30 AM   Questions and Answers

12:00 PM   LUNCH

1:30 PM     The High Road to Taos: FSA Photographers     Michael Butler

2:15 PM     Flamenco in Northern New Mexico                 Nicolosa Chavez

3:15 PM     Dramatic Reading of “Losing Lawrence”          Taos Onstage

4:30 PM     Closing Remarks, thank-yous.

Saturday, August 13 – “D.H. Lawrence and the Three Fates: Frieda Lawrence, Mabel Dodge Luhan, and Dorothy Brett” - Liz Cunningham  “The relationship between D. H. Lawrence and these Taos women has been an enduring subject of interest, even to each other. Dorothy Brett immortalized them in her 1958 painting, The Three Fates. A few years ago, The Three Fates: Mabel, Frieda and Brett won roadside recognition from the New Mexico Women’s Marker Initiative. Most recently the musical Lorenzo’s Ashes (2012) and the comedy Losing Lawrence (2015) provide new interpretations of their interactions. Liz Cunningham will talk about each woman’s relationship with Lawrence and with each other. Augmented by photos, paintings, and anecdotes, the lecture will be based on their unique perspectives, drawing from Frieda Lawrence’s Not I But the Wind, Dorothy Brett’s Lawrence and Brett, and Mabel’s Lorenzo in Taos.”

Saturday, September 10 - Harvey Solomon Memorial Lecture – “Taos, Shot from Above: Photographic Impressions of Taos from an Ultralight Aircraft” - Chris Dahl-Bredine   “To see this spectacular world from above - to soar like the birds - has been a dream of humans since the beginning of time. I have had this same dream since I was a child. My dream became a reality with my decision to learn to fly. I chose to fly something small and open so I could really see and experience my surroundings - an ultralight aircraft. What I see while up in the sky inspires me to document these beautiful sights through photography. Through these images I intend to convey the feeling of peace, the sense of wonder and awe that one feels while flying above the earth. This is what I experience from above.”

Saturday, October 8 – “Ghosts of Taos” - Melody Elwell Romancito  “The thing about Taos is, for a town its size, it has had a very dramatic and turbulent past. Along with baggage like that come unsavory characters, unforgivable acts and a lot of misery. That’s a perfect recipe for ghosts and the paranormal. People ask me if I am afraid to walk through the streets of Taos at night, and I have to say yes. I’d be a fool not to be afraid – but that isn’t going to keep me from studying what I’m sincerely interested in and from sharing what I know about Haunted Taos with anyone who is interested.”  A writer, musician and digital media artist, Romancito has lived in Taos since the mid-1980s. She's written for several regional and national publications, including a decades-long relationship with The Taos News as an editor, columnist and reviewer.  Romancito is a member of New Mexico Research and Investigation of the Paranormal, and has conducted several investigations in Taos since 2011.

http://www.friendsofthetaospubliclibrary.org/2016-summer-lecture-series.html