News Archive

4/19: Join us for Earth Celebration Day!

Friday, 22 March 2019 11:49

Exhition: Bird Art: Audubon’s Royal Octavo May 2-4

Friday, 22 March 2019 11:33

In conjunction with Artweek Milton's May 1 lecture "Bird Art: Audubon’s Royal Octavo and the Democratization of Natural History," theWakefield Estate will host an exhibition of its Royal Octavo collection, a set of hand-colored litho-graphs from the 1840s, recently discovered among the book collection at the estate. The exhibition will be held in the Davenport Mansion at the Wakefield Estate, 1465 Brush Hill Road in Milton, Thursday, May 2 - Saturday, May 4; 11am-3pm daily - $5 suggested donation.

By understanding Audubon’s life and artistic process alongside the personal underpinnings and political implications of the octavo edition, a new conception of the artist and his world emerges – one in which the man comes of age alongside his nation, and sets in motion a host of historical events and movements to come.

Public Lecture: Bird Art: Audubon’s Royal Octavo and the Democratization of Natural History

Wednesday, May 1, 7:00-8:30pm

Cunningham Park Hall, 75 Edgehill Road, Milton, MA, 02186

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Exhibition: Bird Art: Audubon’s Royal Octavo

The Wakefield Estate, 1465 Brush Hill Rd, Milton

Thursday, May 2 - Saturday, May 4; 11am-3pm daily - $5 suggested donation

Lecture and Exhibition - Audubon's Royal Octavo

Friday, 22 March 2019 11:29

Please note: This event will be held at Cunningham Park Hall, 75  Edgehill Road, Milton, MA.

Drawing from the Wakefield Estate’s own octavo edition of Audubon’s work, Audubon researcher Jess Clay will discuss the creation and distribution of John James Audubon’s Birds of America, and its subsequent impact on the United States and 19th-century natural history. The lecture complements and builds upon the exhibition of the collection, a set of hand-colored lithographs from the 1840s, which will be held at the Wakefield Estate, 1465 Brush Hill Road in Milton, May 2-4, 11am-3pm daily. By understanding Audubon’s life and artistic process alongside the personal underpinnings and political implications of the octavo edition, a new conception of the artist and his world emerges – one in which the man comes of age alongside his nation, and sets in motion a host of historical events and movements to come.

A graduate of Harvard College, Mr. Clay’s interest in John James Audubon and ornithology has taken him from rare book libraries to the Costa Rican rain forest. During a fellowship at Harvard’s Houghton Library, he conducted extensive research into the life and works of Audubon. His work at Houghton centered around Audubon’s literary and artistic engagements with Romanticism, and included the curation of a public exhibition, “Sublime and Manifest: The American Romanticism of John James Audubon.” In his senior thesis, Words of America: John James Audubon and the American Exceptionalism of Ornithological Biography, Mr. Clay explored Audubon’s oeuvre as a nationalist performance and as an early work of American artistic exceptionalism. Born and raised in Texas, Mr. Clay currently resides in Boston."

To buy your tickets, click here or call 617-333-0924. $10/members; $20/non-members.

Public Exhibition:
Bird Art: Audubon’s Royal Octavo
The Wakefield Estate
1465 Brush Hill Rd, Milton
Thursday, May 2 - Saturday, May 4; 11am-3pm daily
$5 suggested donation

Registration now open for 2019 Summer Archaeology Institute

Tuesday, 19 March 2019 13:04

Registration open for 2019 Summer Archaeology Institute

The Wakefield Estate's Summer Archaeology Institute is a hands-on archaeological excavation at the historic Wakefield Estate in Milton, MA. It is one of only a few programs of its type in the country. The institute is specifically designed for high school and college students interested in learning about local history and archaeology. Participants will work side by side with graduate archaeology students from UMass Boston. Each two-week session offers students a hands-on introduction to the field of archaeology through participation in an actual excavation on site at the estate. To read about some of the past discoveries, check the news archive on here on our website.

2019 Dates & Schedule

Session I: July 8 – July 19; Monday-Friday 9 am-3:00 pm

Session II: July 22 – August 2; Monday-Friday, 9 am-3:00 pm

Program Description

In each two-week session, participants will work closely with archaeologists to conduct survey work and learn how to set up an archaeological dig. Students will gain excavation experience and the methods and techniques involved in conducting archaeology. Possible field trips and special events include visiting the Boston City Archaeology Lab and meeting specialists from nearby archaeological museums. Participants will also gain experience in identifying artifacts and the behind-the-scenes activities that occur after the fieldwork has been conducted.

Requirements:

 Willingness to work outdoors in all kinds of weather.

 Enthusiasm for hard work and getting dirty -- this is an archaeological dig!

 Commitment to teamwork and respect for others.

Ability to work independently as well as with others.

Cost:

• $300 per session; $450 for both sessions
• Scholarships available based on need.  Please call 617-333-0924 for more information.

Application Process and Deadline

To obtain a copy of our application, call 617-333-0924 or click here for a downloadable pdf.

• Send completed application to address below.
• Space is limited; applicants will be accepted on a first come first serve basis.

Send or fax(call 617-333-0924 before faxing) completed application to:

Erica Max, Program Director

Wakefield Charitable Trust

1465 Brush Hill Road

Milton, MA  02186