The Truro Historical Society hosts a free opening reception for its new exhibition “Wampanoag Nation: People of the First Light” at the Highland House Museum, 6 Highland Light Road in Truro, on Friday, Aug. 13, 5 to 7 p.m. See the exhibition and meet the curators, advisers, and contributors. Information at trurohistoricalsociety.org.
Truro Historical Society
Woodland Story (Wed.)
The Truro Historical Society hosts artist and author Deborah Spears Moorehead for “Eastern Woodland Traditional Storytelling” at the Highland House Museum, 6 Highland Light Road in Truro, on Wednesday, Aug. 11, 5 p.m. She will read from her book Finding Balance: The Genealogy of Massasoit’s People and Oral and Written History of the Seaconke Pokanoket Wampanoag Tribal Nation. Details at trurohistoricalsociety.org.
Flying Lessons
The Truro Historical Society presents “The Birdmen of Truro,” a virtual talk with mystery writer Paul Kemprecos, who will discuss the inspiration for Killing Icarus, on Wednesday, July 28th, from 5 to 6 p.m. The book is a suspenseful cat-and-mouse tale set mostly in Truro, involving an Edward Hopper sketch and secrets from World War II. Details at trurohistoricalsociety.org.
Native Language
“Voices of Indigenous Poets” is a free virtual event, hosted by the Truro Historical Society, on Wednesday, July 14th, from 5 to 6 p.m. There will be readings by Lucille Lang Day, Ben Naka-Hasebe Kingsley, Cheryl Savageau, and Ron Welburn. Visit trurohistoricalsociety.org for more information.
Looking Back
The Truro Historical Society hosts “400 Years of Settlement Through an Indian’s Looking-Glass,” a webinar with Drew Lopenzina, on Wednesday, July 7th, from 5 to 6 p.m. Lopenzina, a professor of early American and Native American literature, examines “colonization through the lens of indigenous culture, tradition, and memory.” The event is by donation. More information at trurohistoricalsociety.org.
Life and Death
Andrew Lipman presents “The Death and Life of Squanto,” a webinar hosted by the Truro Historical Society, on Wednesday, June 16th, at 5 p.m. Lipman will detail the life and fall from grace of the Wampanoag man known as Tisquantum, who was embroiled in a scandal months after the “First Thanksgiving.” Registration is free at trurohistoricalsociety.org.
Native Language
Jennifer Weston, director of the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project and a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, presents “Reviving the Wampanoag Language,” an online event by the Truro Historical Society, on Wednesday, June 9th, at 5 p.m. She will discuss the educational initiatives that the project has facilitated over the years. Registration is free at trurohistoricalsociety.org.
Green Thumb
C.L. Fornari will be sharing her gardening know-how, including “why you can’t prune your blue hydrangeas to make them shorter,” in “Growing Plants on Cape Cod,” a webinar hosted by the Truro Historical Society, on Wednesday, May 26th, at 5 p.m. Registration is free, donations appreciated, at trurohistoricalsociety.org.
Milling About
Do you know the story behind Mill Pond Road in Truro? The name comes from a tide-powered mill that sat on the pond from the 1790s to the 1860s. Tim Richards and Meg Clarke tell the whole history in a virtual event via the Truro Historical Society on Wednesday, May 19th, at 5 p.m. Registration is free at trurohistoricalsociety.org.
Salt Lines
Sarah Anne Johnson will read from her latest novel, The Last Sailor, in a webinar via the Truro Historical Society on Wednesday, February 3rd, at 5 p.m. Registration is free at trurohistoricalsociety.org.
Poets’ Corner
The Truro Historical Society welcomes eight local poets for a Zoom poetry reading, “Making Connections in a Disconnected Time,” on Wednesday, December 9th, at 5 p.m. The invited poets are Keith Althaus, Marjorie Block, John Bonanni, Elizabeth Bradfield, Mary Ann Larkin, Rosalind Pace, Patric Pepper, and Margaret Phillips. Registration is free at trurohistoricalsociety.org.
Cape Cob
Join Jay Vivian and the Truro Historical Society for a virtual tour of Corn Hill on Wednesday, September 30th, at 5p.m. Register at trurohistoricalsociety.org.
TRURO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Highland House Serves Up History on a Plate
Designs tell a Truro story from many points of view
TRURO — A new virtual exhibition opening Friday, July 17, at the Highland House Museum celebrates Truro’s history through paintings on a surprising kind of canvas: ceramic plates.
“Looking Back, Looking Forward, Truro 2020 Plate Project,” includes 50 plates, created by 50 people, including artists and amateurs, year-rounders and summer residents.
It is an extraordinary collection of “plate art” –– not all of it traditional, says Susan Kurtzman, who owns Jobi Pottery and also serves on the board of the Truro Historical Society. Pieces arrived glazed, painted with acrylic, decoupaged, sculpted, and even sewn, she says.
The coronavirus crisis just may have made this collection more interesting than it would have been otherwise. Had things gone according to plan, Kurtzman would have offered a one-day plate-painting event open to artists and other community members inside her gallery at Jobi. The virus crushed that plan.
But community interest in the project remained strong, says Kurtzman. Artists and novices alike rallied to participate from afar. She began to hear from “people who had never painted a painting, people who had never worked on ceramics, people who were stuck at home, or isolated, or out of work.”
Making a meaningful contribution to the exhibition and the museum became only part of the story. Then there was the fact that “people wanted to focus on something positive, to have a worthwhile project,” she says.
Participants who did not have their own supplies were able to collect a “kit” (composed of a plate and underglaze) on the curb outside of Jobi. Kurtzman then put together Zoom classes and videos to coach people along.
Despite the distance in geography and in time, the result was a wholly communal experience of resilience and creativity. And then plates began to appear.
10 plates in two zig-zag rows] Top row plates, left to right, by June Hopf, Diane Messinger, Roberta Lema, Robert Henry, and Carol Warshawsky. Bottom row, left to right, Rochelle Borg, Stephanie Packard, Cammie Watson, Joan Rogers, and Elizabeth Lazeren. (photos Nancy Bloom)
Hanging the show at the Highland House, Susan Kurtzman (left) and Susan Howe, president of the board of the historical society.
Dan Haslam’s plate commemorates that great moment in Truro history — July 26, 1928 — when the world’s longest glider flight record was set at Highland Links.
Former Muppeteer and textile artist Ed Christie designed both plate and placemat.
Valerie Falk’s “Let Sleeping Dragons Lie,” next to Kyle Ringquist’s “Underwater Series.”
Bidding on the plates will be online, with the funds going to benefit the programs and exhibits at the Truro Highland House Museum.
Inside the Three Sisters Garden
The Truro Historical Society has planted its Three Sisters Garden on the lawn of the Cobb Archive at 13 Truro Center Road in tribute to the Wampanoag peoples. The three sisters — corn, beans, and squash — represent crops that were essential to many Native American communities. Visit the Cobb Archive on Wednesday, July 15, at 4 p.m. for a live history talk with Marcus Hendricks of the Wampanoags. To register, email [email protected]. Fee $10 per person. Be sure to bring a lawn chair.
our picks for the week of July 9 through July 15
Indie’s Choice
Outer Cape Calendar
Mixed Media Maleness
Catch the “Modern Male II” show at Steve Bowersock Gallery at 373 Commercial St. in Provincetown, featuring artworks of all media submitted from across the country. The curators were gallerist Steve Bowersock and journalist Jeanne McCartin.
Guild Goes Outdoors
The Eastham Painters Guild outdoor shows will resume on Thursday, July 9, on the lawn of the 1869 Schoolhouse Museum at 2375 Route 6 in Eastham. For the next few weeks, the hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Masks are required. Find a full summer schedule and catch the virtual exhibit at easthampaintersguild.com.
Reading de la Cité
East End Books Ptown is hosting a free virtual reading with Alex George, author of The Paris Hours, on Friday, July 10, at 5 p.m. The book tells the story of a single day in Paris in 1927. Pre-registration is required; visit eastendbooksptown.com.
Wherefore Wampanoag
Nauset Fellowship Unitarian Universalist of Eastham is offering a Zoom screening of We Are Still Here, about Jessie Little Doe Baird and the revival of the Wampanoag language, on Sunday, July 12, at 10 a.m. The film will be introduced by its director, Anne Makepeace. Email [email protected] to register. Informal socializing will begin at 9:30 a.m.
In Lucy’s Honor
Tales of Cape Cod and History at Play is presenting I Now Pronounce You Lucy Stone, a one-woman performance by Judith Kalaora via Zoom, honoring the abolitionist and women’s rights activist, who was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree. It can be viewed virtually on Monday, July 13, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at talesofcapecod.org.
Fire and Ice
The Eastham Public Library will host “Dragons: Return of the Ice Sorceress,” a virtual storytelling and science event for children held via Zoom on Tuesday, July 14, at 5 p.m. Registration is free at easthamlibrary.org.
Uncaged Spirits
The Fine Arts Works Center in Provincetown is rounding up a gaggle of poets — Marie Howe, Nick Flynn, Robert Pinsky, and Kelle Groom — who will participate in a virtual reading of works inspired by Patty Larkin’s latest CD, Bird in a Cage, on Tuesday, July 14, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available at fawc.org.
Liz Goes Local
The Provincetown Public Library is offering a free virtual cooking program with Chef Liz Barbour, owner of the Creative Feast, featuring a slide show and two recipes using locally grown ingredients. It will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, July 15, at 3 p.m. Pre-registration is required at provincetownlibrary.org, under “Events.”
Corn on the Cobb
The Truro Historical Society has planted its Three Sisters Garden on the lawn of the Cobb Archive at 13 Truro Center Road in tribute to the Wampanoag peoples. The three sisters — corn, beans, and squash — represent crops that were essential to many Native American communities. Visit the Cobb Archive on Wednesday, July 15, at 4 p.m. for a live history talk with Marcus Hendricks of the Wampanoags. Email [email protected] to register. The fee is $10. Bring a lawn chair.
Unforgettable
The Wellfleet Public Library is hosting “I Remember Wellfleet” online via Zoom on Wednesday, July 15, at 7 p.m. It’s a Wellfleet Historical Society event in which participants share their stories and memories of Wellfleet, including the Strawberry Festival, Fourth of July Parade, and the life of Richmond Bell. To register, email [email protected].
