Conferences
Evelyn Waugh as Reader, Writer, Collector
Wed., May 3, 2017 | Chip Long and Barbara Cooke
Early in his life, the celebrated British writer Evelyn Waugh (1903–1966) thought he'd make furniture for a living; he also studied art. While he ultimately abandoned those paths, his desire to make beautiful things never ceased.
Botanical
Five Lessons Learned in the California Garden
Thu., April 27, 2017 | Diana W. Thompson
As you stroll through the Frances and Sidney Brody California Garden, you may find it hard to believe that, just a few years ago, the same space was used primarily as a walkway and parking lot.
Conservation
Preserving the Signs of Censorship
Mon., April 24, 2017 | Kristi Westberg
Five hundred years before government officials in some countries got in the business of censoring Instagram feeds or Twitter accounts, the Roman Catholic Church was using ink to black out text that it considered dangerous.
Botanical
Big Bonsai? Not Really
Fri., April 21, 2017 | Diana W. Thompson
For Kyoto-based landscape designer Takuhiro Yamada, the tea garden he designed in The Huntington's Japanese Garden is a work in progress. Each year, he returns to check on its development and chooses a few areas where he can help infuse the plants
Audio
Recent Lectures: Feb. 23–April 12, 2017
Wed., April 19, 2017 | Huntington Staff
Home to gorgeous gardens, spectacular art, and stunning rare books and manuscripts, The Huntington also offers an impressive slate of lectures and conferences on topics and themes related to its collections. Featured are audio recordings of five recent lectures and conversations.
Beyond The H
Transcription Challenge for Civil War Telegrams
Mon., April 17, 2017 | Kevin Durkin
In June 2016, The Huntington launched a crowdsourcing project called "Decoding the Civil War" to transcribe and decipher a collection of 15,922 U.S. Civil War telegrams between Abraham Lincoln, his Cabinet, and officers of the Union Army.
Video
Do Not Open
Thu., April 13, 2017 | Susan Turner-Lowe and Aric Allen
The Huntington Library is a vast treasure box, replete with more than nine million items, including rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and maps. In addition, the Library houses a variety of oddities—such as a set of false teeth, an Oscar statuette, and a collection of vintage light bulbs.
Library
The Power of Touch
Mon., April 10, 2017 | Jennifer A. Watts
One afternoon in the Library's archive, I found a battered and scuffed photograph at the bottom of a small pile. Twenty-four men gaze somberly at the camera; all wear jackets and ties. The mere fact that the 19th-century portrait showed Black and white men respectfully intermingled
Exhibitions
Telling Her Stories
Thu., April 6, 2017 | Kevin Durkin
The Huntington is launching the first major exhibition on the life and work of award-winning science-fiction writer Octavia E. Butler (1947–2006), whose literary archive resides here. She was the first science fiction writer to receive a prestigious MacArthur "genius" award and the first African American woman to win widespread recognition...
Conferences
West of Walden
Mon., April 3, 2017 | Laura Dassow
"Walden. Yesterday I came here to live." That entry from the journal of Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862), and the intellectual journey it began, would by themselves be enough to place him in the American pantheon of writers and thinkers.
Art
Women Making Art
Thu., March 30, 2017 | Huntington Staff
In 2016, The Huntington launched /five, a five-year contemporary arts initiative focused on creative collaboration. The plan? Each year, a different arts or cultural organization is selected to bring in artists to create works in response to The Huntington's library, art, and botanical collections in new and unforeseen ways.
Art
Autism Awareness at The Huntington
Mon., March 27, 2017 | Linda Chiavaroli
Children with autism react to sensory stimuli in very different ways. Some children on the autism spectrum are overly sensitive, while others are just the opposite. The Huntington offers a range of environments to suit any child's needs.