| August 4, 2020/Hartford, CT…Connecticut Humanities has awarded a grant in the amount of $4,999 to The Mark Twain House & Museum, enabling the museum to continue its popular Trouble Begins and virtual Trouble at Home lecture series through March 2021.
The Trouble Begins Lecture Series is a popular museum program that has been offered since 2010. This lecture series features historians, scholars, and authors who provide a deeper dive into the world of Mark Twain, his times, and his peers. Through this grant, four lectures will be offered in fall 2020 and one in March 2021. The series name is derived from posters designed by Mark Twain for his own lectures, which were headed “The Trouble Begins at 8.”
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Museum has invested in a variety of virtual programing, including an online variation of the Trouble Begins series known as Trouble at Home. Instead of lectures, these new programs are conversations between a staff member and an expert. Given the success of this new offering, the Museum has decided to offer four additional Trouble at Home programs this summer, as well as one each in January and February 2021
Beatrice Fox Auerbach Director of Collections, Jodi DeBruyne states, “After ten years of lectures, Trouble Begins remains a great way for Twainiacs to come together – whether in person or virtually — to discuss all things Twain, share their passions, and have a bit of fun. We are so pleased to be able to continue these popular series with the support of Connecticut Humanities. This year we’ll discuss epidemics with Dr. Patrick Ober, travel the equator with Susan Harris, talk gossip with Miki Pfeffer, visit Nook Farm with Beth Burgess, travel to Elmira with Joe Lemak and Matt Seybold, meet Joseph Twichell with Steve Courtney, and so much more.”
The in-person Trouble Begins Lecture Series will be held in the Museum’s auditorium, which offers free parking and easy accessibility to public buses on Farmington Avenue. The onsite lectures will be subject to the Museum’s carefully developed reopening guidelines, state guidelines, directives from the CDC, and museum best practices, including social distancing and mask requirements. In-person attendance will be limited and advanced ticketing will be required. Dates and subjects for these Trouble-ing events will be announced soon.
Both lecture series will be live streamed using the Crowdcast online platform. This will allow audiences near and far to participate in the lectures. Crowdcast registration information for each event can be found on our website: marktwainhouse.org/programs-events/
Connecticut Humanities, a nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, supports cultural and historic organizations that tell the state’s stories, build community and enrich lives. https://cthumanities.org/
The Mark Twain House & Museum is the restored Hartford, Connecticut home where American author Samuel Clemens — Mark Twain — and his family lived from 1874 to 1891. Twain wrote his most important works, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, during the years he lived there. In addition to providing tours of Twain’s restored home, a National Historic Landmark, the institution offers activities and education programs that illuminate Twain’s literary legacy and provide information about his life and times. The house and museum at 351 Farmington Avenue are open daily. For more information call 860-247-0998 or visit marktwainhouse.org.
Programs at The Mark Twain House & Museum are made possible in part by support from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts, and the Greater Hartford Arts Council’s United Arts Campaign and its Travelers Arts Impact Grant program, with major support from The Travelers Foundation.
For more information about the program, call 860-247-0998 or visit marktwainhouse.org/ |
