Watch, Read, Listen

The rings of bristlecone pines, the planet’s longest-living trees, chronicle past details about changes in the climate and other environmental variations of global significance. The Huntington’s Daniel Lewis explores this topic and more in his book “Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future.”

The Huntington holds one of the largest collections of William Morris’ Kelmscott Press books in the world. Join Library staff for a deep dive into Morris’ artistic philosophy and handmade approach to printing during a time when the industry was moving toward mass production.

Bruce Sosei Hamana, a tea ceremony expert with the Urasenke Tankokai Federation, discusses the “chashitsu,” the traditional tearoom.

Before Eve Babitz became a published writer, she was a visual artist, and her chosen medium was collage. Inspired by Joseph Cornell and Andy Warhol, she created the album cover art for Buffalo Springfield’s “Buffalo Springfield Again” and The Byrds’ “Untitled.”

 

In 1933, Sargent Johnson began a monumental architectural installation for the California School for the Blind in Berkeley. It was commissioned by the federally sponsored Public Works of Art Project—part of the New Deal. Johnson carved and decorated large redwood sculptures in a dramatic Art Deco style that were installed in the school’s auditorium, where students staged musical and theatrical performances.

When the school moved to a new campus, the surviving pieces were dispersed. Now belonging to four institutions—The Huntington, the California School for the Blind, the African American Museum and Library at Oakland, and UC Berkeley—the various parts of the commission were reunited for the first time in over four decades.

More about the exhibition

On Feb. 22, 2024, Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence sat down with Lori Bettison-Varga, president of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, for a conversation that looked back at The Huntington’s past five years under Lawrence’s leadership and forward at the institution’s strategic aspirations. 

The 2024 Founders’ Day program marked The Huntington’s fifth anniversary under the leadership of President Karen R. Lawrence. Lori Bettison-Varga, president of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, sat down with Lawrence to discuss the responsibilities of leading a cultural organization, The Huntington’s recent evolution, and how founders Henry E. and Arabella Huntington’s intention for their collections to be put to use—by researchers, teachers, students, and the wider public—drives The Huntington’s institutional mission today.

Watch the program highlights or read “The Huntington’s Foundations and Futures”

More Resources:

• Office of the Huntington President
• One Huntington: Institutional Strategic Plan FY 2023-27
• Huntington Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan

To celebrate this year’s Founders’ Day, Lori Bettison-Varga, president and director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, engaged in a wide-ranging conversation with Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence about the past, present, and future of The Huntington.