Insights Lecture Series

Lectures and book events featuring local and national experts speaking on a variety of subjects chosen for their relevance and their ability to spark insight and dialogue. All lectures are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted, and most will be livestreamed online on Museum Center's Ustream channel.

Upcoming lectures:

Thursday, June 20: Cincinnati's Abandoned Subway
Thursday, July 18: John Ruthven lecture

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Who: Paige E. Malott, Multimedia Director, Aubergine Imagery
What: Cincinnati's Abandoned Subway: Documentary film and discussion
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, June 20
Where: Reakirt Auditorium

In 1928, a six-mile rapid transit system was erected underneath Cincinnati's Central Parkway but never put into use. A story of corruption, politics, and greed surrounds one of the most advanced transportation structures of the time. This lecture is presented by Paige E. Malott, producer of the 2010 PBS documentary, Cincinnati’s Abandoned Subway. Since the film's debut, Malott has continued to lecture about the underground tunnels at universities, libraries and professional organizations. Her most recent documentary, The Siege of Cincinnati, explores the greatest Civil War battle never fought and can be viewed at Cincinnati Museum Center.

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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Who: John A. Ruthven, world-renowned wildlife artist
What: John Ruthven: Treasures of the Natural World
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, July 18
Where: Reakirt Auditorium

2013 has been named the year of John Ruthven. Join us at 7 p.m. for a lecture from this world-renowned wildlife artist John Ruthven, who has often been called the "20th century Audubon." His work can been seen in our exhibit Treasures of the Natural World: Nature Art from the Collection of Cincinnati Museum Center. John will talk about his life and work and some of his most famous art.

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Thursday, November 21, 2013

Who: Rusty McClure
What: The Crosley Brothers
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, November 21
Where: Reakirt Auditorium

Rusty McClure brings to life an American and Cincinnati era telling fascinating stories of the accomplishments of his grandfather and great uncle. With the captivating flair of his New York Times Bestselling double biography, Rusty brings to life the saga of Powel and Lewis Crosley who created the greatest untold, until now, business empire and Cincinnati saga ---- the world’s largest manufacturer of radios; the most powerful radio station in the world; winning the World Series as owners of the Cincinnati Reds; dominating the world’s refrigerator business; launching America’s first sports car at the New York World’s Fair; and helping America win World War II with that war’s number two top secret weapon. Hear a world class story told by a world class story-teller. Book signing follows lecture.
 

Previous lectures

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Who: Kevin Pape, President, Gray & Pape Inc.
What: Urban Archaeology Reveals New Perspectives on the Lives and Deaths of Early Cincinnatians
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, March 21
Where: Reakirt Auditorium

In this lecture, learn from two examples how archaeologists use material culture to shed light on the early history of Cincinnati. New developments in downtown Cincinnati have given archaeologists the opportunity to study the city’s first riverfront community and the resting place of its earliest pioneers. At The Banks, archaeologists investigated 19th-century historical deposits buried beneath pavement between the Roebling Suspension Bridge and Paul Brown Stadium. Excavations uncovered buildings constructed in the early 1850s, where artifacts associated with their inhabitants revealed how they participated in local, regional and international markets. Archaeological and historical investigations of the former Episcopal Society of Christ Church burial grounds were conducted for the renovation and expansion of Washington Park. Discover how archaeologists and historians utilized archival records, artifacts, engraved headstones, coffin/casket forms and skeletal analysis to interpret mortuary practices and demographics during the cemetery’s use between 1808 and 1855.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Who: Dr. James ‘Whitey’ Hagadorn, Tim and Kathryn Ryan Curator of Geology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
What: Surfing Cambrian Coasts: First Animals on Land
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4, 2013
Where: The Geier Collections & Research Center, 760 W. Fifth St., Cincinnati, OH 45203*

Long before fish-like tetrapods began to crawl from the sea onto land, arthropods, mollusks and kin began colonizing the terrestrial realm. The landscape these early pioneers invaded was very different than the world we know today. Instead of forests and meadows, the land was covered in a moonscape of regolith, likely dissected by ropy braided rivers, giant tidal flats, and smeared with a frosting of microbial or other slime. In rare cases some of these pioneers were trapped or made unsuccessful forays onto Cambrian beaches, tidal flats, and coastal dunes - leaving behind three-dimensional molds of their decaying carcasses. Superimposed upon, and interspersed between these fossils are a diverse array of microbial sedimentary structures and bedforms that suggest that these animals may have fed upon the very biofilms that later helped to preserve a record of their activities.

*Please note that the Geier Collections & Research Center is not a public facility. Please use the West Fifth Street entrance to the building. This is the only accessible entrance to the building. There are large security gates at this entrance - please press the buzzer on the outside of these gates to let the staff know of your arrival. You will be let in by a staff member. Parking is available in the West Fifth Street parking lot, on West Fifth Street and in the parking lot of Cincinnati Belt and Transmission to the north of the building.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

What: Water Quality Panel
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18
Where: Reakirt Auditorium

"Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink." This quote from the English Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge exemplifies the concern that water can be abundant but unusable. In the 1960s, our country faced a significant water pollution problem that by some accounts would make our water undrinkable if not addressed. On October 2, 1965, President Johnson signed the Water Quality Act, preventing water pollution by requiring states to establish and enforce water quality standards for interstate waterways. Join us and a panel of experts moderated by Dr. Stanley Hedeen as we explore how far we have come and discuss the old debate on whether or not our water is safe to drink.