Inspired by Elbert Hubbard’s own belief in stimulating his workers with lectures, the Roycroft is excited to bring speakers back to the Campus.
2023 Roycroft Campus Fall Lecture Series
The Roycroft Campus is offering a Fall Lecture Series. The presentations will be offered both in-person and virtually through Zoom. Our first talk will explore the complexities of the “Fine” press, especially William Morris Kelmscott Press the inspiration for Hubbard and the Roycroft. Next, Fulbright Scholar, Sarah Woods will examine “The Whole Mind”, and why the creative arts is so important. Finally, a special presentation on Louise Blanchard Bethune, the first woman architect. In person talks are Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm in the Roycroft Power House except where stated below. Virtual talks take place on Zoom, Saturday mornings at 11:00am EST.
Individual presentations are available for $20 per person or buy the series for $50.
For Roycroft Campus Members – Individual presentations are available for $10 per person or buy the series for $25.
Members please call the Roycroft Campus to register for this program, or call to become a Member at 716-655-0261.
All proceeds go to support the educational programming and restoration of the Roycroft Campus.
The Roycroft History Course is made possible by the County of Erie and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Kelmscott, Roycroft, and the Complexities of ``Fine`` Press Printing
Wednesday, October 18th at 7pm EST – Roycroft Power House
Saturday, October 21st at 11am EST – VIRTUAL
William Morris and his cohort of designers, printers, bookbinders, writers, and friends founded the Kelmscott Press in 1891 as a reactionary response against cheap mass printing and (to their mind) shoddy design work. Running for a short seven years but producing an intense array of beautiful objects, like most of Morris’s endeavors the Kelmscott Press was a complicated mix of aesthetic desires, a fight for workers’ rights, art for the affluent, and a celebration of the historic. This presentation will touch on the various facets of the Kelmscott Press, and its influence on American printing.
Anna Wager
Anna Wager is the Curator of Exhibitions at the University at Buffalo Art Galleries, where she curates and programs UB’s two gallery spaces, works with students and faculty, and facilitates community access to research. Anna works mostly with contemporary artists, and her research interests include Arts and Crafts movements, contemporary craft and activism, communal artmaking, and the inter-media connections between architecture, bookmaking, and textiles. She is on the board of the William Morris Society in the United States and co-edits their publication Useful and Beautiful.
The Whole Mind - Ruskin, Roycroft and the Creative Arts
Friday, November 10th at 7pm EST – Roycroft Power House
Saturday, November 11th at 11am EST – VIRTUAL
Creativity, as Ruskin points out, is a process that brings out the whole mind. Drawing on Ruskin, Morris and the history of Roycroft, this lecture will explore the importance of the creative arts: for us as individuals, and for the wider world.
Sarah Woods
Sarah Woods is an award-winning playwright and creative systems thinker. She’s founder of Artists In Exile, supporting artists to find refuge in the UK, a Visiting Researcher at the Centre for Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge and currently Fulbright Scholar in Residence at The University of Arkansas at Monticello.
Louise Blanchard Bethune the First Woman Architect
Wednesday, November 15th at 7pm EST – Roycroft Power House
Saturday, November 18th at 11am EST – VIRTUAL
Buffalo-based Louise Blanchard Bethune, FAIA (1856-1913) was the first professional woman architect in the United States. Despite Bethune’s fame during her lifetime, she is an enigma. Hayes McAlonie has sought to change that through a series of initiatives to shed light on this hidden figure of American architecture. Her most recent project is Bethune’s biography, published by SUNY Press. Hayes McAlonie will share her insights on the life and career of this widely-unknown trailblazer and describe the obstacles Bethune encountered in pursuing architecture and her many victories along the way.
Kelly Hayes McAlonie, FAIA, LEED AP
Kelly Hayes McAlonie, FAIA, LEED AP is the Director of Campus Planning at the University at Buffalo. Her work involves overseeing the implementation of the university’s Comprehensive Master Plan and the strategic planning for UB’s three campus environments. Kelly has dedicated her career to educational architecture and educating the public. In 2011, Kelly and colleague Despina Stratigakos collaborated with Mattel on the design and launch of Barbie I Can Be…Architect. She has spent the past 20 years researching the life and career of Louise Blanchard Bethune, FAIA, the first professional woman architect. Kelly has written and presented widely on her and recently released her biography, Louise Blanchard Bethune, Every Woman Her Own Architect.
Kelly has also been very active in the American Institute of Architects, serving as the 2008 President of AIA Buffalo/WNY, the 2012 President of AIANYS, and the 2016-2019 Regional Representative of the AIA National Strategic Council. She is currently serving a three-year term on the National Architectural Accrediting Board, as Treasurer. She also serves on the Steering Committee for the Trailblazing Women of Western New York, an initiative of the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women to place monuments to women in our public realm.