Monday Night Lecture: Hudson River School of Painting

On August 15, at 7:30 pm, in the Gathering Room, Kendal will present a program on “The Hudson River School of Painting” by art historian, Cynthia Andersen.

In this lecture, we will discover a large, loosely knit group of artists including Thomas Cole, Asher Durand, Frederick Church, and John Kensett, who painted landscapes in New York State, New England, and the far West between 1825 and 1875.

Their compositions often followed European formulas derived from the peaceful, balanced landscapes of Claude Lorrain or the more dramatic ones by Salvator Rosa. The Hudson River School artists responded to the rising sense of American nationhood and patriotism by painting America’s wilderness as if it were a new Eden from which a glorious civilization would arise.

Cynthia Andersen earned her B.A. from Hunter College and her Master’s in Education and Art History from Queens College. She currently teaches art history at Westchester Community College.

Sip & Snack

One of the most important and well-attended of Kendal’s social events is the twice-weekly Sip and Snack get-together.

At these Wednesday and Friday “mixers,” residents meet in the Gathering Room between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm to “schmooze” over pre-dinner wine and snacks. It’s a great way to meet new residents and renew old friendships.

All residents are encouraged to attend and get a taste of the available red and white.

Attention Potential Residents Council Candidates

The attention of potential Residents Council candidates is requested.

Residents planning to run for one of the seven open seats on the Residents Council are reminded to return their “Intent to Run” forms by Friday, August 12.

Instructions on submitting biographical information will be provided on receipt of the form.

Questions? Contact Fran Kelly.

Saturday Opera

The Saturday Opera program at Kendal continues.

The still shocking opera Salome by Richard Strauss is our choice for August 13.  

The great singer-actress Karita Mattila sings the title role in a new production by Jűrgen Flimm for the Metropolitan Opera, designed by Santo Locasto, and performed in October 2008.

The presentation will begin at 1 pm in the Gathering Room.

Poetry Presentation

The Monday night program on August 8, at 7:30 pm, in the Gathering Room, will be “I Wanna Be Loved by You: Poems on Marilyn Monroe” by Susana H. Case and Margo Taft Stever.

In their anthology, I Wanna Be Loved by You: Poems on Marilyn Monroe, editors Susana H. Case and Margo Taft Stever address questions about gender roles and the ways in which women attempt to negotiate the differences between their private and public personae.  This collection of 90 poems depicts Monroe’s childhood sexual abuse, mental illness, dazzling film career, alleged and fabled relationships, and death.

 Several contributors to the anthology will be on hand to read their poems. The book will be available for purchase at $25; proceeds will be donated to RAINN, the largest U.S. nonprofit that fights against sexual violence.

Saturday Opera Continues

Mozart’s comic opera Cosi Fan Tutte will be shown on Saturday, August 6, in an unusual production by Peter Sellars.

Craig Smith conducts the soloists, the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra and the Arnold Schoenberg Choir.

This production was first staged in 1986 for the Pepsico Summerfare Festival at SUNY Purchase.

Our presentation will be in the Gathering Room at 1:00 pm.

New September Course

A new course is planned for Kendal in September.

On three Tuesday afternoons, September 6, 13 and 20, Professor Nina Straus will lead a course in the Gathering Room: “Miracle, Mystery, Authority—Dostoevsky and Tolstoy on the ‘Russian World’.”

The themes of political and religious autocracy, social class, and the Russian ‘soul’ will be traced through three works of fiction: The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor (Dostoyevsky); The Kreutzer Sonata and The Death of Ivan Ilych (Tolstoy).

Sign-up sheets will be distributed.

Curious about Kendal on Hudson's History?

Last year, in preparation for the Oral History Project, the Archives Committee compiled selected articles about KoH’s history from Kendal View and earlier published material.

Thanks to the suggestion from a thoughtful resident, it will be available for all to read.

The Kendal History notebook is now on the newspaper table in the Library. Please enjoy reading it there. It will remain there so that it’s available for everyone to peruse.

Attention Potential Residents Council Candidates

Attention Potential Residents Council Candidates!

Residents planning to run for one of the seven open seats on the Residents Council are reminded to return their Intent to Run forms by August 12th.

Information on submitting biographical information will be provided on receipt of the form.

Questions? Contact Janet Schloat.

Lecture: Women's Movement - August 1 Program

On August 1, a lecture Program will be held at 7:30 pm in the Gathering Room. Our own Muriel Fox will talk about “How the Modern Women’s Movement Was Born”.

Muriel will tell us about how a group of women and men who, beginning in 1966, changed the world forever ... what laws were changed ...how we pressured the government to enforce our laws ... and the work that still remains for our children and grandchildren.

We at Kendal know Muriel as a leader, a friend, and an organizer of our many wonderful celebrations. Before coming to Kendal, she was a writer and publicist working for Carl Byoir & Associates, ultimately becoming Executive Vice-President of the agency. In the mid-1960s, she co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) and, in its beginning, served as president Betty Friedan’s chief lieutenant and director of operations.

You won’t want to miss this and hear it directly from one who helped make history.