Contact: Mike Horyczun
Director of Public Relations
(203) 869-6786, ext. 330
For Immediate Release
September 10, 2009
Public Programs for
Alchemy: Magic, Myth or Science?
September 26, 2009 – January 3, 2010
Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT 06830
Sun., Oct. 4, 3 p.m. Lecture: The Lion’s Blood: Alchemy, Apocalypse, and Gender
Reformation in Europe. Dr. Tara Nummedal, Associate Professor of History, Brown University,
speaks to alchemy as a historian of science. Her work examines alchemy and its place in society
and culture of early modern Europe. Her first book, Alchemy and Authority in the Holy Roman
Empire, takes fraud as point of entry into entrepreneurial alchemical practices in central Europe.
Her current project, The Lion’s Blood, utilizes the dramatic life of 16th-century German alchemist
Anna Maria Zieglern to explore the intersection of science, gender, and religious culture in
Reformation Germany. The lecture is free to Museum members and $5 at the door for nonmembers. Reservations recommended; call the Museum at (203) 869-0376.
Tues., Oct. 6, 3:30-5 p.m. Teacher’s Preview: Alchemy: Magic, Myth or Science? Preview
includes staff tours of the exhibition followed by the presentation of school program and teachers’
materials. Curriculum connections to science, art, language arts, and social studies will be
highlighted. Student docent information will also be available. (.1 CEU) Open to schoolteachers
only. For reservations, call (203) 413-6744.
Tues., Oct. 13, 7:45 p.m. Curator’s Gallery Talk. Co-sponsored by the Stamford Mineralogical
Society. Join Curator of Science Dr. Carolyn Rose Rebbert on a guided tour of the Alchemy
exhibition followed by a question and answer session. Free admission.
Sun., Oct. 18, 1-4 p.m. Alchemy – Chemistry Family Day. An entire day devoted to the
exploration of the roots of chemistry! There will be a gallery hunt for families through the
exhibition and hands-on activities in the workshop. Daniel Kelm from The Wide-Awake Garage
Interpretive Fine Binding presents Distillation Demonstrations throughout the day at his
fantastic alchemist’s furnace! In his work, Daniel Kelm explores the general theme of
transformation of materials. See the distillation of plant materials using a wood-burning furnace
Daniel modeled on 16th-century engravings. At 3 p.m., The Science Genie from The Children’s
Museum of West Hartford presents the interactive show Chemistry and Combustion featuring
spectacular experiments and experiences such as the flaming vortex, the chemical cannon, and
reactions that change color, glow and explode! All activities are free with Museum admission
and are suitable for people of all abilities ages 5 years and up.
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-2Sunday, November 8, 3:00 PM
Science Lecture: Better Looking, Better Living, Better Loving
Dr. John Emsley, science writer and former chemistry professor at King’s College, University of
London, and consultant for the exhibition Alchemy: Magic, Myth, or Science?, will speak about
the applied uses of chemistry in the course of daily living. Lecture is free to Museum members
and $5 at the door for non-members. Reservations recommended by calling the Museum at (203)
869-0376.
Sunday, November 15, 3:00 PM
Art Lecture: Hendrick Goltzius’ Alchemical Pursuits and their Visual Echoes
Abigail Newman, graduate student at Princeton University and former Lillian Butler Davey
Resident Intern at the Bruce Museum, will lecture on the Dutch artist Hendrick Goltzius (15581617), who has long been acknowledged to have had alchemical interests and friends, and at
least one enemy. This talk will explore the extent to which Goltzius’ art may be understood
according to the alchemical context of his time in Haarlem. Presented in conjunction with
Alchemy: Magic, Myth or Science? Lecture is free, reservations recommended by calling the
Museum at (203) 869-0376.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Bruce Museum is located at 1 Museum Drive in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA.
General admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and students, and free for children under five
and Bruce Museum members. Free admission to all on Tuesdays. The Museum is located near
Interstate-95, Exit 3, and a short walk from the Greenwich, CT, train station. Museum hours are:
Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Mondays and
major holidays. Groups of eight or more require advance reservations. Museum exhibition tours
are held Fridays at 12:30 p.m. Free, on-site parking is available. The Bruce Museum is accessible
to individuals with disabilities. For information, call the Bruce Museum at (203) 869-0376, or visit
the Bruce Museum website at www.brucemuseum.org.
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