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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260416T173000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260416T173000
DTSTAMP:20260507T035752
CREATED:20260316T230409Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260317T194615Z
UID:10000379-1776360600-1776360600@blacksburgmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Speaking Engagement: The Past\, Present\, and Future of Rail in Montgomery County
DESCRIPTION:Join us on April 16 for a presentation by Bruce Harper and Ray Smoot on railroad history in Blacksburg and the surrounding county. Bruce Harper will discuss how the rail served troops during the Civil War\, helped with coal transport\, connected remote communities to Virginia Tech\, and how it was converted from rail to trail. In addition to our rich train history\, we will get an update from Ray Smoot on the thirteen-year initiative to bring passenger rail service back to our community. \n\nBruce Harper retired from Virginia Tech after serving for 37 years in several departments. He was the Virginia Tech webmaster until he retired. He is a local historian and author\, with articles published in Virginia Tech Magazine and The Arrow\, the publication of the Norfolk & Western Historical Society.  \nRay Smoot retired as CEO of the Virginia Tech Foundation\, Inc. He is vice chair of the Commonwealth Transportation Board.
URL:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/event/the-past-present-and-future-of-rail-in-montgomery-county/
LOCATION:Alexander Black House\, 204 Draper Rd SW\, Blacksburg\, VA\, 24060\, United States
CATEGORIES:Lecture Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/svg+xml:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Facebook-2.svg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260409T173000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260409T173000
DTSTAMP:20260507T035752
CREATED:20260316T225744Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260317T194231Z
UID:10000378-1775755800-1775755800@blacksburgmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Speaking Engagement: Remarkable Trees of Virginia with Jeff Kirwan
DESCRIPTION:Arbor Day is coming soon and in celebration\, we will host Jeff Kirwan on April 9 for a presentation about his beautiful book\, Remarkable Trees of Virginia (reprint coming soon). \n\n\n\nAs The University of Virginia Press states\, “this stunning collaboration between the noted garden writer Nancy Ross Hugo and the photographer Robert Llewellyn showcases the fruits of an effort begun in 2004 to research\, locate\, and photograph Virginia’s most remarkable trees. Four years later\, more than one thousand trees had been officially nominated to the project and many others suggested for possible inclusion. The results\, presented in this elegant\, four-color volume\, are astounding. Hugo and Kirwan\, the project coordinators\, have selected a sample of trees and “tree places” that illustrate the enormous variety\, startling beauty\, and fascinating history of Virginia’s trees”.
URL:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/event/speaking-engagement-remarkable-trees-of-virginia-by-jeff-kirwan/
LOCATION:Alexander Black House\, 204 Draper Rd SW\, Blacksburg\, VA\, 24060\, United States
CATEGORIES:Lecture Series
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251105T170000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251105T190000
DTSTAMP:20260507T035752
CREATED:20251007T212959Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251008T141642Z
UID:10000215-1762362000-1762369200@blacksburgmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Dan Thorp Book Signing & Talk
DESCRIPTION:Virginia Tech History professor Dan Thorp has recently published his latest book entitled Seeking Justice and will join us at St. Luke & Odd Fellows on Wednesday\, November 5 for a book signing and presentation. \nBefore the Civil War brought emancipation to the South\, some enslaved people managed to use the legal system – the same one that had concocted and long perpetuated their bondage – to sue for their freedom from owners who unlawfully held them in slavery. In Seeking Justice\, Thorp tells the story behind Unis v. Charlton’s Administrator\, one of the most extensive of these freedom suits in all of American history. \nDoors open at 5pm and event begins at 5:30pm. Blacksburg Books will join us with copies of the book as well!
URL:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/event/dan-thorp-book-signing-talk/
LOCATION:St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall\, 203 Gilbert Street\, Blacksburg\, VA\, 24060
CATEGORIES:Lecture Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Dan-Thorp-FB-Event-1920-x-1080-px-3.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251030T183000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251030T203000
DTSTAMP:20260507T035752
CREATED:20250910T143856Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251015T211342Z
UID:10000212-1761849000-1761856200@blacksburgmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Mike Hudson Talk: Postmortem Photography
DESCRIPTION:Mike Hudson\, Historic Smithfield’s Executive Director\, will discuss Victorian-era postmortem photography and mourning practices. Mike also contributed to a book entitled “Beyond the Dark Veil” which will be available for purchase during the exhibit run. Talk begins at 6:30pm. Light refreshments provided.
URL:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/event/mike-hudson-talk-postmortem-photography-talk/
LOCATION:VA
CATEGORIES:Events,Lecture Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/81oJZJj0XoS._SY385_.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251022T183000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251022T203000
DTSTAMP:20260507T035752
CREATED:20250910T143519Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250910T143519Z
UID:10000211-1761157800-1761165000@blacksburgmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Scott Crawford Talk: “The Exhumation"
DESCRIPTION:Scott Crawford will explore how 19th century mourning culture helped decode a late 19th century painting\, leading the National Gallery of Art to change the painting’s name. This talk will dive deeply into the 19th century concept of the “Good Death” and how the American Civil War upset this understanding of death\, as well as the driving forces behind the National Cemetery Movement. Talk begins at 6:30pm. Light refreshments provided.
URL:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/event/scott-crawford-talk-the-exhumation/
LOCATION:Alexander Black House\, 204 Draper Rd SW\, Blacksburg\, VA\, 24060\, United States
CATEGORIES:Events,Lecture Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1-the-exhumation-linton-park.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251007T183000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251007T203000
DTSTAMP:20260507T035752
CREATED:20250910T143239Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250910T143323Z
UID:10000210-1759861800-1759869000@blacksburgmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Scott Crawford Talk: “Death in 19th Century Portraiture”
DESCRIPTION:Portraiture is often thought of as being a means to capture the image of a sitter determined to have his or her likeness preserved on canvas. However\, not all sitters were alive. Scott Crawford will walk us through one particular 19th century painting by Lilly Martin Spencer (on loan from the Taubman Museum of Art) that contains more meaning than meets the eye. Talk begins at 6:30pm. Light refreshments provided.
URL:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/event/scott-crawford-talk-death-in-19th-century-portraiture/
LOCATION:Alexander Black House\, 204 Draper Rd SW\, Blacksburg\, VA\, 24060\, United States
CATEGORIES:Events,Lecture Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/jane-eleanor-sherman-and-her-son-edward-lilly-martin-spencer.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250515T173000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250515T183000
DTSTAMP:20260507T035752
CREATED:20250103T193300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250103T194712Z
UID:10000109-1747330200-1747333800@blacksburgmuseum.org
SUMMARY:B. Scott Crawford Lecture Series
DESCRIPTION:Presentation #4\nArt vs. Tyranny: The Ultimate Selfie  \nPierre Daura\, Modern Artist and resident mid-20th century Rockbridge County\, Virginia\, resident\, created a unique Cubist inspired work of art in late 1945\, possibly early 1946. The painting\, titled Pax Pacific\, depicts an abstract figure kneeling at a grave. However\, the symbolism present within the work\, along with a poem discovered as the inspiration of the work\, carries this painting into a very different interpretive arena! Through an engaging interpretive journey\, this presentation will demonstrate how works of art can easily contain much deeper meanings\, and ultimately\, in this case\, suggest the possibility that a much richer meaning behind the work exists\, allowing for the possibility of the abstract figure being a heretofore unknown portrait. Crawford published a short overview of his work on the painting Pax Pacific in The Volunteer\, found here: https://albavolunteer.org/2015/06/art-vs-tyranny-daura-rossen-and-bottcher/ \n  \n\nB. Scott Crawford holds a master’s degree in history from Old Dominion University and has an extensive background in education\, having taught at the high school and college levels\, as well as serving as the social studies coordinator\, K-12\, for a Virginia school division and as the Director of Education for the Museum of Western Virginia and then Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke\, Virginia. Scott currently serves as President & CEO for Virginia 811. He has been with the Notification Center since December 2016\, serving as Director of Operations and then Vice President prior to moving into his current position in July 2020.\n \n  \nThis event is free and part of our 2025 Lecture Series which will focus on Blacksburg history\, community\, and culture plus intriguing history and arts topics in general.
URL:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/event/b-scott-crawford-lecture-series-3/
LOCATION:Alexander Black House\, 204 Draper Rd SW\, Blacksburg\, VA\, 24060\, United States
CATEGORIES:Events,Lecture Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/4-2.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250417T173000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250417T183000
DTSTAMP:20260507T035752
CREATED:20250103T193050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250103T194511Z
UID:10000108-1744911000-1744914600@blacksburgmuseum.org
SUMMARY:B. Scott Crawford Lecture Series
DESCRIPTION:Presentation #3\n“You Cannot Paint her too Beautiful for my Imagination”: Domesticity\, Death\, and Photography in 19th Century Portraiture  \nPortraiture is so often thought of as being a means to capture the image of a sitter determined to have his or her likeness preserved on canvas. However\, not all sitters were alive. While not entirely new in the 19th century\, the Victorian Age witnessed a unique culture of death with mourning portraiture being an important part of this culture. Lilly Martin Spencer\, known for her reflections of 19th century domesticity\, had a fairly lucrative career painting postmortem portraits. While she admitted that the new technology of photography threatened traditional portraiture\, she was able to actually embrace this new technology to open new opportunities for revenue due to photography. Specifically\, a painting in the Taubman Museum of Art’s collection will serve as the focus for how Spencer adapted to new technology and was able to remain relevant as an artist\, finding a means to augment her household income and directly challenge the 19th century norms tied to domesticity so many of her portraits paradoxically reinforced. \n  \n\nB. Scott Crawford holds a master’s degree in history from Old Dominion University and has an extensive background in education\, having taught at the high school and college levels\, as well as serving as the social studies coordinator\, K-12\, for a Virginia school division and as the Director of Education for the Museum of Western Virginia and then Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke\, Virginia. Scott currently serves as President & CEO for Virginia 811. He has been with the Notification Center since December 2016\, serving as Director of Operations and then Vice President prior to moving into his current position in July 2020.\n \n\nThis event is free and part of our 2025 Lecture Series which will focus on Blacksburg history\, community\, and culture plus intriguing history and arts topics in general.
URL:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/event/b-scott-crawford-lecture-series-2/
LOCATION:Alexander Black House\, 204 Draper Rd SW\, Blacksburg\, VA\, 24060\, United States
CATEGORIES:Events,Lecture Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/3-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250320T173000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250320T183000
DTSTAMP:20260507T035752
CREATED:20250103T192531Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250103T194428Z
UID:10000107-1742491800-1742495400@blacksburgmuseum.org
SUMMARY:B. Scott Crawford Lecture Series
DESCRIPTION:Presentation #2\n“A Wise man will Find us to be Rogues by our Face”: Physiognomy and Portraiture \nJohnathan Swift’s observation about the relationship between character and physical features sums up an important comment of Western art. From the Ancient World into the 21st century\, to varying degrees\, the belief that physical features indicate clear and even irrefutable clues as to a person’s character influenced portraiture. Exploring Ancient statues and a host of Medieval and Renaissance paintings\, as well as Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales\, the impact this pseudo-science\, physiognomy\, had on art and portraiture will be highlighted. Taking this overview as a starting point\, Santi di Tito’s late 17th century portrait of Machiavelli will be examined through this physiognomic lens in order to better understand di Tito’s posthumous representation of the controversial philosopher and gain insight into Machiavelli’s work The Prince. This original research will provide both an understanding of physiognomy and a new understanding of at least one reason Machiavelli has been viewed as scandalous. \n  \n\nB. Scott Crawford holds a master’s degree in history from Old Dominion University and has an extensive background in education\, having taught at the high school and college levels\, as well as serving as the social studies coordinator\, K-12\, for a Virginia school division and as the Director of Education for the Museum of Western Virginia and then Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke\, Virginia. Scott currently serves as President & CEO for Virginia 811. He has been with the Notification Center since December 2016\, serving as Director of Operations and then Vice President prior to moving into his current position in July 2020.\n \n\nThis event is free and part of our 2025 Lecture Series which will focus on Blacksburg history\, community\, and culture plus intriguing history and arts topics in general.
URL:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/event/b-scott-crawford-lecture-series/
LOCATION:Alexander Black House\, 204 Draper Rd SW\, Blacksburg\, VA\, 24060\, United States
CATEGORIES:Events,Lecture Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2-1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250225T173000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250225T190000
DTSTAMP:20260507T035752
CREATED:20250103T190204Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250219T184909Z
UID:10000105-1740504600-1740510000@blacksburgmuseum.org
SUMMARY:B. Scott Crawford Lecture Series
DESCRIPTION:RESCHEDULED from February 20 to February 25 \nPresentation #1\nThe Selfie: From Stone Age to Digital Age \nThe Digital Revolution has launched an unprecedented communications revolution. Individuals have an ability to now promote themselves at a global level at any time and in a matter of seconds. The selfie has emerged as the latest means for individuals to project images of themselves for public viewing\, but now\, through digital technologies\, in a democratic manner. No longer is portraiture reserved for the wealthy; access to a ubiquitous mobile phone and a free social media account can allow an individual to share self-images with audiences possibly larger many traditional portraits ever reached! This presentation will explore the art behind the preservation of images of individuals\, spanning cave art to Instagram. Through this journey over time\, we may very well find that the selfie is not as much about megalomania as it is about simply magnifying a timeless component of human nature. However\, with the introduction of artificial intelligence\, we will end with a reflection of how AI may\, through training\, be embracing this nature as well! \n  \n\nB. Scott Crawford holds a master’s degree in history from Old Dominion University and has an extensive background in education\, having taught at the high school and college levels\, as well as serving as the social studies coordinator\, K-12\, for a Virginia school division and as the Director of Education for the Museum of Western Virginia and then Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke\, Virginia. Scott currently serves as President & CEO for Virginia 811. He has been with the Notification Center since December 2016\, serving as Director of Operations and then Vice President prior to moving into his current position in July 2020.\n \n\nThis event is free and part of our 2025 Lecture Series which will focus on Blacksburg history\, community\, and culture plus intriguing history and arts topics in general.
URL:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/event/3188/
LOCATION:Alexander Black House\, 204 Draper Rd SW\, Blacksburg\, VA\, 24060\, United States
CATEGORIES:Events,Lecture Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://blacksburgmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Crawford-Lectures-Website-1920-x-900-px-1.png
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