For a fragile piece of paper to survive four centuries, it first had to survive harsh frontier conditions. Dr. Alfred E. Lemmon, director of the Williams Research Center at the Historic New Orleans Collection, explores the details of that that journey in “Following the Paper Trail: The Daily Life of a Spanish Colonial Document,” part of the Threads of Memory Lecture Series, at 2 pm, Sunday, Oct. 24, in the History Museum Auditorium.
The lecture is free with museum admission. Sundays are free to NM residents; children 16 and under are always free.
“The magnificent documents chosen for exhibition in The Threads of Memory: Spain and the United States contain incredible insight into the contributions of Spain to the development of what is now the United States,” Lemmon said. “Perhaps one of the most fascinating stories of the documents is somewhat `overshadowed’ – the actual paper used to create the documents. It is a fascinating history that reveals shipboard life that the colonists had to endure, the amazing varied landscapes that they had to travel and the perilous ocean journeys.”
Lemmon’s lecture accompanies the exhibit, The Threads of Memory: Spain and the United States (El Hilo de la Memoria: España y los Estados Unidos), on display until Jan. 9, 2011, at the History Museum. Lemmon, an authority on French and Spanish colonial cultural history, contributed to the book, From Louis XIV to Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Tapestry (The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2004), and was an editor of Charting Louisiana: 500 years of Maps (University of Chicago Press, 2003). He holds a doctorate in Latin American studies from Tulane University.
The Threads of Memory: Spain and the United States (El Hilo de la Memoria: España y los Estados Unidos) is the U.S. debut of nearly 140 rare documents, maps, illustrations and paintings – many of which have never been displayed outside of Spain. Each week throughout the exhibit, which closes on Jan. 9, 2011, the museum will feature lectures, musical performances, panel discussions and more to further explore the role Spain has played in shaping America as it is. After its debut in Santa Fe, the exhibit travels to the El Paso Museum of History, the Historic New Orleans Collection, and back to Spain.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Fundación Rafael del Pino and, along with the Archivo General de Indias (General Archive of the Indies), is co-organized with the State Corporation for the Spanish Cultural Action Abroad (Sociedad Estatal para la Acción Cultural Exterior, or SEACEX), in collaboration with Spain’s Ministries for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Culture. The exhibition and lecture series are presented in New Mexico with special support from BBVA Compass Bank, the city of Santa Fe, Wells Fargo Bank, Heritage Hotels, Santa Fe University of Art & Design and the Palace Guard.
All events in the Threads of Memory Lecture Series are free with museum admission. (Friday evenings free to everyone; Sundays free to NM residents; children 16 and under always free.) Upcoming:
Sunday, Oct. 31, 2 pm: “Finding New Mexico in El Hilo de la Memoria,” lecture by Jerry L. Gurule, retired historian-linguist for the National Park Service, and Enrique Lamadrid, a literary folklorist and cultural historian.
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2 pm: “Por el Amor de Papel: For the Love of Paper,” a demonstration by Tom Leech, curator and director of the Palace of the Governors’ Print Shop and Bindery.
Sunday, Nov. 7, 2 pm: “An Afternoon with Pedro Menéndez,” performance by Chaz Mena, a New York-based actor, scholar and Chautauqua performer, on Pedro Menéndez de Aviles, first governor of Florida.
Friday, Nov. 12, 6 pm: “Scientists in New Spain: 18th-Century Expeditions,” lecture by California historian Iris Engstrand.
Sunday, Nov. 21, 2 pm: “Murder, Martyrdom, and the Struggle for La Florida: Rethinking Spanish Florida’s Mission History, 1565-1606,” lecture by Florida historian J. Michael Francis.
Sunday, Dec. 19, 2 pm: “Navio Quebrado: The Wreck of La Belle and the Failed French Colony in the Southwest,” lecture by maritime archaeologist Eric Ray.
Sunday, Jan. 2, 2 pm: “Kissin' Cousins: The Spanish Vihuela and the Modern Classical Guitar," performance by composer, guitarist and educator Greg Schneider.
Sunday, Jan. 9, 2 pm: “Tejiendo el Hilo: Weaving the Threads of History,” lecture by State Historian Rick Hendricks.
