Art Historian Visiting NTOS Aug. 8-9, 2008

[Old Toad]

Lee Sandstead, art historian, will be speaking to the North Texas Objectivist Society ("NTOS") in Dallas on Friday, August 8th, 2008 at 7:00 PM!

Do you love life? Do you love art?

Illustrated lecture (2 hrs): Evelyn Beatrice Longman (1874-1954)--Master Sculptor; Guidepost

If someone told you that there was a 12 ½ foot, bronze portrait bust of Thomas Edison--a masterpiece--would you believe him? If someone told you that there was a 30-foot, gilded bronze statue of a winged, nude male called the Genius of Electricity--again a masterpiece--would you believe him? Surely images such as these would be known by everyone, right? Wouldn't both of these images proliferate through prints and other media?

But yet these two pieces exist, right in front of our eyes, in everyday life. But, tragically, few people know of their existence. They are certainly not written about, not photographed and can only be found in obscure, dated art-historical texts. Why? After 100 years of modernism, these two masterpieces--and hundreds more--have been buried.

The 12 ½ foot bronze portrait bust of Thomas Edison (1952)--the only portrait that he ever sat for--is in Washington D.C. at the Naval Research Laboratory. The 30-foot Genius of Electricity (1915), while now at AT&T's world headquarters in Bedminster, NJ, once stood atop a skyscraper in NYC.

In both cases, the artist is Evelyn Beatrice Longman, one of America's greatest sculptors. Today, she is all but forgotten.

Over the past year, the speaker has traveled through several states locating, documenting and photographing the many works of Evelyn Longman. What he has found, quite simply, is amazing. Come to this stirring illustrated lecture to learn more about Evelyn Longman and learn for yourself why she is a master sculptor--and guidepost.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Mr. Sandstead lectures on a wide variety of art-historical and esthetic issues, and is host of "Art Attack" on the Travel Channel. Widely known for his knowledge and passion, he has lead numerous tours through the priceless collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. His lectures on art history and art appreciation have been heard nationally and internationally at over 30 universities and institutions. His art-historical photography has been published in numerous books and publications, including: The New York Times and Fortune.

He is best known for his dynamic and engaging lecturing style. Showing a great passion for his subject, he encourages each attendee to integrate art into their own lives.

Please check out his exciting interview on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A9tJmbxjRU

The speaker's website is: http://www.sandstead.com/

ABOUT THE NORTH TEXAS OBJECTIVIST SOCIETY

This special event is open to members of the North Texas Objectivist Society ("NTOS") and their welcome guests! Membership in NTOS is free and signing up is easy. For information about NTOS and to become a member, please visit our "About" page at http://aynrand.meetup.com/71/about/

PROGRAM*

Friday, August 8th, 2008

7:00 pm - 7:30 pm -- Arrival, signing-in, and seating

7:30 pm - 10:00 pm -- Lecture followed by question and answer period

* Refreshments only. No dinner is available.

* Business-casual attire requested.

* The speaker retains all copyright. Note-taking is permitted, but by participation each audience member agrees not to publish any lecture notes.

* NTOS requests everyone to avoid Rand/Branden, Peikoff/Kelley, and ARI/TAS issues at our speaker and related events, which topics may be more appropriately and freely discussed at other NTOS events.

*RELATED EVENTS!

If you plan to attend this lecture to NTOS, please also join us and the speaker for the following additional events related to his visit to NTOS:

Dallas Museum of Art

Friday, August 8, 2008, 11:00 am -- 2:00 pm

Museum tickets at the door, including for current special exhibitions: Adults $10; Seniors (65+) $7; Students with ID $5; Children under 12 free.

Note: for the museum visits, the speaker would like to focus on his viewing the art and may not want many interruptions.

Museum website: http://dallasmuseumofart.org/Dallas_Museum_of_Art/index.htm

Contact the Organizer if you are interested in joining us at: http://aynrand.meetup.com/71/suggestion/

Kimbell Art Museum (Ft. Worth)

Saturday, August 9, 2008, 11:00 am -- 2:00 pm

Museum tickets at the door, including for current special exhibitions: Adults $16; Seniors (60+) $14; Students with ID $14; Children 6--11 $12; Children under 6 free.

Note: for the museum visits, the speaker would like to focus on his viewing the art and may not want many interruptions.

Museum website: https://www.kimbellart.org/index.aspx

Contact the Organizer if you are interested in joining us at: http://aynrand.meetup.com/71/suggestion/

Social Reception for the Speaker @ "the Ranch"!

Saturday, Aug 9, 2008, 7:00 pm -- 11:00 pm (maybe even later!)

$15/person ($7/child)

Buffet-style dinner included. Casual dress.

The speaker will be available for follow-up questions!

Please take a moment to RSVP for this social at:

http://aynrand.meetup.com/71/calendar/8080116/?from=list

ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUESTED

We request advance registration for the lecture because of limited seating, to build membership in NTOS, for our security, and to minimize the management of payments at the door.

Please use our NTOS website on Meetup.com to register as follows:

1. Visit our event listing at: http://aynrand.meetup.com/71/calendar/list/

..... a. RSVP for yourself plus any welcome guests you may wish to bring to this event.

..... b. Pay the event fee(s) via the blue "PayPal" link.

2. "Contact Organizer" via http://aynrand.meetup.com/71/suggestion/

to send an e-mail with the following information:

..... a. Your name;

..... b. The name(s) of your guest(s), if any;

..... c. Your e-mail address;

..... d. Your mailing address;

..... e. Your telephone number(s).

We will only use a member's contact information for NTOS purposes, and we will never give out, publish, or sell your contact information without your permission. Of course, anyone may withdraw from NTOS and our contact list at any time.

LOCATION AND DETAILS

In good time before the event, the Organizer will send e-mails regarding the lecture location and other details to everyone who has registered.

QUESTIONS

If you have any questions, need any special accommodation, or have any difficulties regarding making online registration, please contact us via the "Contact Organizer" feature on Meetup at: http://aynrand.meetup.com/71/suggestion/

We hope you can join us for this special speaker event!

-- "Old Toad," Organizer

North Texas Objectivist Society

Edited June 16, 2008 by Old Toad

[Lorenzo de' Medici (old)]

This looks like it should be very interesting!

Edited July 1, 2008 by Donovan.A

[Old Toad]

Think about your values.

Imagine being able to see and discuss art like this: http://www.sandstead.com/gallery.html

Act to make it a reality.

Lee Sandstead, Objectivist art historian, will be speaking to NTOS Friday, August 8, 2008.

He is best known for his dynamic and engaging lecturing style. Showing a great passion for his subject, he encourages each attendee to integrate art into their own lives.

For details and to RSVP, please see our announcement at:

http://aynrand.meetup.com/71/calendar/8079883/

-- “Old Toad,” Organizer

North Texas Objectivist Society

[Old Toad]

Consciously or subconsciously, explicitly or implicitly, man knows that he needs a comprehensive view of existence to integrate his values, to choose his goals, to plan his future, to maintain the unity and coherence of his life — and that his metaphysical value-judgments are involved in every moment of his life, in his every choice, decision and action.

Metaphysics — the science that deals with the fundamental nature of reality — involves man's widest abstractions. It includes every concrete he has ever perceived, it involves such a vast sum of knowledge and such 'a long chain of concepts that no man could hold it all in the focus of his immediate conscious awareness. Yet he needs that sum and that awareness to guide him — he needs the power to summon them into full, conscious focus.

That power is given to him by art.

-- Ayn Rand, The Romantic Manifesto, "The Psycho-Epistemology of Art"

Last reminder! It's not too late!

Art historian Lee Sandstead will be making a presentation to NTOS this Friday, August 8, 2008.

We will also host a social reception for Mr. Sandstead the following Satruday, August 9, 2008 @ "the Ranch" (my family's home).

For more details about the activities of the North Texas Objectivist Society see the thread at http://forum.ObjectivismOnline.com/index.php?showtopic=13311

-- “Old Toad,” Organizer

North Texas Objectivist Society

http://aynrand.meetup.com/71/about/

Edited August 5, 2008 by Old Toad

[Old Toad]

This presentation by Lee Sandstead was beyond my wildest expectations. The life and art of Evelyn Beatrice Longman (1874-1954) was inspiring and moving. I also gained an appreciation for sculpture that I never had before.

Others in the audience wrote the following comments:

Wow! What an awesome speaker. Sandstead is a fantastic story teller. He really made his subject matter come alive. I am not an art history buff by any means, but Mr. Sandstead made me appreciate it more than I ever have before. – Scott

Absolutely wonderful! – Tom

Lee is an outstanding speaker. He knows his subject matter and is very passionate about it. – John

Sandstead was a tremendous speaker, I enjoyed this lecture thoroughly. – Sarah

The speaker was passionate about his subject and his passion was infectious. It was easy to see why he was voted most popular professor at schools where he taught. –Doug

Lee was awesome! What a wonderful evening. His unpretentious approach to art education and enthusiasm for the topic are unsurpassed. – Pamela

I also heard numerous compliments from the audience after the lecture and during our social reception for Mr. Sandstead the following night.

It was a pleasure hosting Mr. Sandstead.

Edited August 10, 2008 by Old Toad

[Scott_Connery]

This was a great event! Thank you Todd and everyone else involved in making this happen.

[Steve D'Ippolito]

I will second (or third or eighth or whatever) that comment in spades. I will certainly suggest him to the Front Range Objectivists as a speaker but alas I will be the only one there who saw his talk in Dallas.

It was a great weekend; I would like to thank the Toad family for everything they did this weekend pulling together both the event and the social the next day!