Roberta J. M. Olson, curator of drawings at the New-York Historical Society, explores the life and art of John James Audubon (1785-1851), America's first great watercolorist. The exhibition Drawn by New York: Watercolors and Drawings from the New-York Historical Society will be open until the lecture begins at 7 p.m.

Vintage Christmas decorations from area private collectors will adorn the galleries of the Taft Museum of Art over the holidays. A variety of rarely displayed objects and toys created during the years that the former house was inhabited (1820–1931) will grace its halls and rooms. Notably, German feather trees made of wire and goose feathers will be trimmed with ornaments that were made in America or imported here from around the world. Festive greenery will deck the halls and exterior of the house, and the Dining Room will be set for the holidays with sparkling china, crystal, and silver.

Exhibition Sponsor

Fine Arts Fund Partner
Cincinnati Enquirer

The works in this exhibition convey the many transitions of the United States, which began as a dependent colony but soon grew to become a frontier nation, then a burgeoning industrial giant and finally a world power. These rarely exhibited works come from the New-York Historical Society, a museum that began collecting drawings and watercolors before any other public institution in the United States. Founded in 1804, it is the oldest museum in New York and has a premier collection of American art.