Talks and Workshops

In the 1800s, America saw the widespread influence of Romanticism on poetry, painting, and lifestyle, particularly in the design of country houses. Barrymore Laurence Scherer, music critic for The Wall Street Journal and contributing editor of Art & Auction magazine, will give a lecture on “The Architecture and Décor of Historic Hudson River Villas” at the Jay Heritage Center Sunday, June 14, at 2 p.m. An introductory program of period music sets the scene.

His hour-long talk with slides reveals how architects Andrew Jackson Downing and Alexander Jackson Davis popularized the country-house style. Highlighting Sunnyside, Lyndhurst and the Jay property, guests will get a glimpse of how these homes were furnished during the days of Washington Irving, Jay Gould, Frederick Edwin Church, the Roosevelts, the Vanderbilts, and, of course, the Jays.

The program is sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities.
Mark Schenker of Yale University will lead a discussion of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” June 14 from 1-3 p.m. at the Rye Free Reading Room. Long considered one of Shakespeare’s finest comedies, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” presents a world capable of being transformed by magic, love and art. Delve into this rich text, which combines elements of music, dance, and pageantry with the comic misadventures of two pairs of star-crossed lovers and the comic prose of the “rude mechanicals,” common tradesmen who labor to create and perform a drama that serves as counterpoint to the larger comedy that encompasses it.

Copies of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will be available during the lecture. It is not necessary to read the play in advance. Mark J. Schenker is currently an associate dean and dean of academic affairs at Yale. For more information, call 967-0480.
Tired of being single? Does every new relationship become a repeat of the last? Wainwright House is hosting a Let Love in with Hypnosis workshop June 13 from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Debra Berndt, a certified hypnotic coach, will teach you how to uncover the beliefs that hold you back from love, become more naturally confident, really believe love is possible for you, and help you acquire the tools to create the mindset to let love into your life. She is the host of “The Love Coach” radio show and the author of the upcoming “Let Love In”.
Tickets are $55. For more information, call 967-6080.

An exhibition on “The Birth of Rye Town Park” opens at the Knapp House Saturday, June 20. It focuses on the controversial origins of the park and the changes its construction brought. The exhibition, which runs through November 30, will be accompanied by a full complement of talks, workshops and children's programs about seaside resorts, the role of "picturesque" parks in the imagination of the early 20th century, landscape architecture, public spaces and regional planning.

Discover your purpose at a workshop at Wainwright House June 20 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Cindy Miller, an intuitive coach and inspirational writer who teaches at both profit and non-profit organizations, will provide the tools to help you figure out all your possibilities. The fee is $45. Pre-registration is required. Call 967-6080.

Learn how to rev up your job search using networking technology at the next “Lives in Transition” meeting at Rye Presbyterian Church Thursday, June 25, 7-9 p.m.

Executives and entrepreneurs from the Rye/Sound Shore community will be there to offer their wisdom and assistance. The meeting is free and open to all. Childcare will be provided if requested in advance. RSVP to livesintransition@gmail.com.