The Springfield Museums’ lecture series Museums à la Carte celebrates 45 years of curiosity and learning. Beginning in 1979 as “Art à la Carte” with just a few dozen attendees, this popular program has reached thousands of people over the years and expanded its reach beyond the walls of the Museums when it began offering lectures digitally via Zoom in 2020.

Oct 17, 12:15 pm – 1:30 pm

A Plausible Man: The True Story of John Andrew Jackson, The Escaped Slave Who Inspired Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Museums a la Carte Lecture

$4

Oct 24, 12:15 pm – 1:30 pm

Peddler’s Pack of Eerie Tales

Museums a la Carte Lecture

$4

Oct 31, 12:15 pm – 1:30 pm

Literary and Artistic Depictions of Witches in Ancient Greece and Rome

Museums a la Carte Lecture

$4

Lectures continue each Thursday at 12:15 pm. In-person tickets are available at the Museums’ Welcome Center on the day of the lecture; advance virtual registration at SpringfieldMuseums.org/programs. Admission to the lecture is free for Springfield Museums members; nonmembers are just $4—Museum admission not required. For more information, call 413.263.6800, ext. 488.

Full Museums a la Carte Schedule for Fall 2024

October 3 – Bruce Springsteen’s Music and His Women Fans: What Can They Teach Us About the Deep Significance of Creative Works? with Lorraine Mangione, PhD, professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, Antioch University
October 10 – Beginning with the Importance of Intention: Improvisation and other Key Principles and Techniques in the Creative Process with Robert Masla, artist
October 17 – A Plausible Man The True Story of John Andrew Jackson, The Escaped Slave Who Inspired Uncle Tom’s Cabin with Susanna Ashton, professor, department of English, Clemson University
October 24 – Peddler’s Pack of Eerie Tales with Dennis D. Picard, museum professional
October 31 – Literary and Artistic Depictions of Witches in Ancient Greece and Rome with Debbie Felton, Professor of Classics, University of Massachusetts

November 7 – Edward Mitchell Bannister and the Hunt for Under the Oaks with Mike McGuigan, educator and researcher; and Dr. Nick Bruno, art collector
November 14 – Frances Perkins: A Woman’s Work with Jarice Hanson, Professor Emerita, University of Massachusetts
November 21 – Put your John Hancock on it: The Stories behind the Signatures on the Declaration of Independence with Brooke Barbier, public historian and founder, Ye Olde Tavern Tours