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Classes & Lectures

The Celeste Bartos Education Center, South Court
Free Lectures and Classes Fall/Winter 2008-2009 Schedule
Please check the Celeste Bartos Education Center for current schedule. The classes and lectures below are given by NYPL staff members, unless otherwise indicated:

Art Deco Design: Rhythm and Verve
Description: The Art Deco style originates in a time of intense aesthetic experimentation. Learn how this decorative style became a turning point in the history of modern design.

Art Deco New York
Description: The building of a young and energetic modern Manhattan coincided with the Art Deco years. Architects took up the Art Deco style with enthusiasm, seeing in its imagery metaphors appropriate to America’s growth and desire to become a world power.

Art Deco Revivalist Architecture in Manhattan
Description: One of the extraordinary features of the Art Deco style is that all of the revivalist or better “Orientalist” design influences can be seen at work in Art Deco design and architecture. This presentation will focus on examples of 1920’s Manhattan buildings that evince Egyptian, Babylonian, Chinese, and Islamic design styles.

Deco in Dress
Description: The geometric motifs of the style moderne found a suitable canvas in women’s clothing of the 1920’s. Deco emphasized symmetry and linear designs on flat surfaces, which suited the columnar slip dress and robe de style. In the daytime, the architectural patterns were worked out in soutache and braid; for evening wear, the stylized flowers and fountains were displayed in sequins, brilliants, and beads. Examples will come from the photography and design collections of the Library for the Performing Arts.

Fashions of the Art Deco Era
Description: The 1920’s and 1930’s represent an era when modernism as we know it truly began. This change is reflected in clothing styles and other new fashions, such as commercial radio, crossword puzzles, talking pictures, and the start of commercial aviation. Learn more about exciting innovations of the times that we now take for granted.

Investigating New York City Architecture
Description: Researching the architecture of a building in New York City can be difficult and bewildering. This class introduces print and online resources that can make this process less daunting and more productive. The collections of The New York Public Library are emphasized, but important resources throughout the metropolitan area are also introduced.

Researching an Artist
Description: This class provides a systematic approach to researching a well-known or obscure artist utilizing books, periodical articles, and biographical material. In addition, the class covers auction indexes for artist listings as well as ephemeral material.

Researching Costume and Fashion History
Description: The collection of fashion, costume, and dress materials at NYPL includes long runs of popular fashion magazines, as well as rare copies of prized 18th- and 19th-century publications. Important examples of plate and pattern books complement the extensive holdings of monographs and serials. This class highlights the strengths of the collection and introduces research techniques ranging from use of the online catalog and electronic databases to image research.