Home of photographer Alice Austen, modern gallery, and nationally designated site of LGBTQ+ history.
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The Alice Austen House fosters creative expression, explores personal identity, and educates and inspires the public through the interpretation of the photographs, life and historic home of American photographer, Alice Austen (1866-1952). The House and its surrounding waterfront park are a nationally designated site of LGBTQ+ history, centering on the 56 year relationship between Alice Austen and
her life partner Gertrude Tate, providing an important window into pre-Stonewall LGBTQ+ history and enriching our understanding of the important life and work of Alice Austen.
Join us this weekend on NOVEMBER 4th from 1 - 4PM for the official opening of 'Heap-O-Livin', an exhibition exploring the theme of home through the work of photographer Lora Webb Nichols in the fall of 2023. The exhibition will be curated by Nicole Jean Hill and presented by the Alice Austen House.
Follow the link in our bio for more info.
Happy Halloween, friends! 🎃🕸️🦇 Here's one of the spookiest images from Alice's portfolio of Mildred and Ruth Emmons.
We hope you had a wonderful and eerie weekend.
Image Credit: E. Alice Austen, [Pond with Mildred and Ruth], Oct. 25, 1888. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Our aura camera will be up and running for Halloween this TUESDAY the 31st. If you've ever wondered what vibes you're putting into the ether then now's the time to find out!
Join us on NOVEMBER 4th for the official opening of 'Heap-O-Livin', an exhibition exploring the theme of home through the work of photographer Lora Webb Nichols in the fall of 2023. The exhibition will be curated by Nicole Jean Hill and presented by the Alice Austen House.
To get a glimpse of the exhibition through our recent virtual artist talk supported by Humanities New York, follow the link in our bio!
Rescheduled from last month, THIS WEEKEND we will be hosting another in our monthly Photowalk Series with artist, James Prochink.
This slide presentation and photowalk will provide a brief history of photography in NYC’s notable parks and gardens, focusing on what attracted photographers like Alice Austen and many others to make pictures in NYC’s city’s greenspaces and environments. In addition to Austen, we’ll look at NYC Park and Garden photography by photographers such as André Kertész, Vivian Maier, Diane Arbus, Mary Ellen Mark, Gary Winogrand, and many more.
After the talk, we’ll walk and explore the varied grounds of The Alice Austen House and Museum, from the gardens to the beachfront, in search of our unique personal visions of urban paradise. Along the walk, James will offer tips and strategies for making your own park or garden photography project.
Register at the link in our bio!
Halloween is almost upon us! Do you have your costumes prepared for you and your familiar?
Alice Austen and her family here at Clear Comfort loved their pets. Featured above is just one of feline personalities from our collection.
Image Credit: E. Alice Austen, [Cat Lying on Chair], May 8, 1893. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
We are thrilled to share that our director, Victoria Munro has been recognized as an honoree for the 2023 Gay City News Impact Awards.
Celebrate with us on Wednesday, NOVEMBER 8th at 6pm!
Been wondering which days our aura camera will be available over the next month? Mark your calendars!
We are so excited to be announcing our upcoming exhibition, 'Heap-O-Livin', an exhibition exploring the theme of home through the work of photographer Lora Webb Nichols in the fall of 2023. The exhibition will be curated by Nicole Jean Hill and presented by the Alice Austen House.
To get a glimpse of the exhibition through our recent virtual artist talk supported by Humanities New York, follow the link in our bio!
We’re opening our doors for the 21st Annual Open House New York Weekend! Visit us OCTOBER 21st 11AM - 4.30PM for a guided tour of our waterfront Victorian Gothic cottage, Clear Comfort with a focus on LGBTQIA+ history. We're offering free admission to the museum all day so mark your calendars!
Open House New York runs over 3 Days. 5 Boroughs. With over 300+ Places to visit—including here at the Alice Austen House Museum.
We'll also have our lovely Aura camera set up for portraits, $25ea.
Learn more at the link in our bio!
Image info: the Alice Austen House from ca.1905. A diagonal view of the front of Clear Comfort, the Austen Family home on Staten Island. Trees are visible surrounding the house. Ivy covers the porch and the sun shines on the lawn. A figure can be seen seated on the balcony at the right.
ON TODAY: ART BOOK SALE, SWAP & SCRAPBOOK / BOOK BINDING WORKSHOP 12 - 3 PM
The ALICE AUSTEN HOUSE will be hosting a booksale event with books from our own collection and artist zines. We'll be joined by local estate seller/collector Charlie Jr. who will be selling antique books of all kinds.
The event will also feature a scrapbooking & book binding workshop hosted by our new intern, Pasinee Pramunwong from 1.30 - 2.30 PM
Register for the workshop at the link in our bio!
We've got a big couple of days ahead at the Austen House this weekend! Saturday the 14th is our Coming Out Day Picnic hosted with the Pride Center of Staten Island.
Sunday the 15th we're hosting a booksale/swap event with a free scrapbooking and book binding workshop, hosted by our new intern Pasinee Pramunwong.
Follow the link in our bio to find out more.
It's officially National Coming Out Day!! To celebrate we wanted to share with you all one of our favorite images of Alice and her partner of 55 years, Gertrude Tate ❣️
Alice Austen & Gertrude Tate, Pickard’s Penny Photo Studio, Stapleton Staten Island, C.1905. Collection of the Alice Austen House
We have lots of wonderful events celebrating LGBTQIA+ history month so be sure to follow the link in our bio to check them out and snag a registration spot.
This Saturday, our museum director Victoria Munro will be moderating a discussion after the screening of documentary: A Simple Matter of Justice.
Tickets are unfortunately sold out but there are still virtual tickets available for OCTOBER 12th! Follow the link in our bio.
Presented by NewFest in partnership with the American LGBTQ+ Museum, through full-access footage of joyful protest, this rousing doc features sections on civil rights, AIDS and health care, the military, and families; and includes a passionate speech from Urvashi Vaid alongside vital organizers and celebrities such as Larry Kramer, Kathy Najimy, Cybil Shepard, Jesse Jackson, Melissa Ethridge, Ian McKellan, RuPaul, Barney Frank, Lea Delaria, and Eartha Kitt.
This weekend's Coming Out Day Picnic will coincide with a Partial Solar Eclipse from 1.20pm - 2.40pm.
If you've registered for the picnic and would like to observe, we have solar eclipse glasses available for a small donation.
There's still time to register for the picnic, follow the link in our bio!
We're getting prepared for our Fall In-School Educational Programming. If you've been thinking about scheduling a class with out teaching artists, follow the link to the educational program brochure in our bio!
🔦AAH Education Spotlight 🔦 Student Photography Examples from 'Immigration and Migration Through Photography'
AAH Immigration and Migration through Photography's multi-week program addresses a specific need for high-quality arts education that both highlights Alice Austen’s photographic contribution and fulfills a specific need in the curriculum of NYC students. Geared toward third and fourth-grade audiences learning the history of Ellis Island and immigration in New York City, the program gives students the opportunity to connect a complex and politically charged topic to their local community while receiving hands-on experience as photographers. While analyzing Austen’s “Street Types of New York” photographs, a series that documents the immigrant labor of New York, students research and present Austen’s photographs to their peers before composing their own portraits with cameras provided by AAH. AAH partnered with P.S 20 and P.S 39 last year to deliver this program to their students.
“I made this film because it was so essential that people understand that trans people have always been on the planet, in many different cultures,” Minerva stated. “Growing up on Staten Island I had no idea that I could possibly be trans and Italian American at the same time.”
Join us at the Williamson Theater, College of Staten Island on OCTOBER 12th at 6.30pm for a screening and Q&A session for 'Summer Within' a film by Summer Minerva. Register at the link in our bio!
Directed by Staten Islander Summer Minerva and Adam Golub, follows the story of Summer, a q***r/trans Italian American from Graniteville, as she looks for belonging and home through her relationship with her Italian grandmother, in decline with dementia. The journey takes Summer to Naples, Italy, where she discovers an ancient transgender tradition called the femminielli, which opens her eyes to a deeper sense of belonging.
Watch the full trailer here: https://vimeo.com/518810049
We have an array of wonderful events this month celebrating LGBTQIA+ History Month including a Film Screening, a Coming Out Day Picnic, Booksale and a Photowalk!
Events require registration (apart from the Booksale) so be sure to follow the link in bio to the event registration pages.
in 1887 Alice took this photograph of the Clifton Boat Club Clubhouse which was just up Edgewater street from her home Clear Comfort. This print is in a large photo album of Alice's which contains mostly images of the family home and its surrounding area from the late 1880's.
E. Alice Austen, Boat House from Road, 1887. Collection of the Alice Austen House.
The Alice Austen House, nationally designated site of LGBTQ+ history, will host a virtual reading celebrating the legacy of Audre Lorde’s teaching on Wednesday September 27th at 6:30 pm. Former students of Lorde’s Hunter College program will read their poetry and share memories of their time in Lorde’s literature program.
Featured Poets:
Kathleen Walsh D’Arcy
Donna Masini
Melinda Goodman
Rosette Capotorto
*THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2023 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT
Register at https://aliceausten.org/events/virtual-event-brooklyn-book-festival-bookends-poems-by-students-of-audre-lorde/
in 1905 Alice took this photograph of a courtyard while she and Gertrude were traveling in France.
E. Alice Austen, [Courtyard of Building], 1905. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
College of Staten Island, in collaboration with the Alice Austen House will be hosting a one-time screening of a new, groundbreaking documentary called Summer Within, on Thursday, October 12, at 6:30 PM.
The film, directed by Staten Islander Summer Minerva and Adam Golub, follows the story of Summer, a q***r/trans Italian American from Graniteville, as she looks for belonging and home through her relationship with her Italian grandmother, in decline with dementia. The journey takes Summer to Naples, Italy, where she discovers an ancient transgender tradition called the femminielli, which opens her eyes to a deeper sense of belonging.
Supported by College of Staten Island - LGBTQ Resource Center and the Alice Austen House in partnership with The Department of Media Culture and Department of World Languages and Literatures – Italian Program.
In September of 1912 Alice and her partner Gertrude Tate were traveling in Germany. While Gertrude was reading on the balcony of their hotel room one afternoon Alice took this photograph of her.
E. Alice Austen, G A T on our balcony against sun into the distance, Sept. 1912. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Back to School Auras & LGBTQ+ Museum and Grounds Tour Saturday September 16th.
The Aura Camera is back! With the final days of summer upon us, time to reflect on and recalibrate our energies as we head into a new school year and prepare for the busy brisk days ahead.
We’ll have our Aura Camera studio available from 12-4pm.
Join us at 2pm for a special LGBTQ+ tour of the museum, park and our Q***r Ecologies Project garden. We will take a deep dive into Alice’s photographs, close relationships and what was happening in q***r history during Alice’s lifetime.
*Due to limited availability, advance registration is required for the 2pm tour. Register at https://aliceausten.org/events/back-to-school-auras-lgbtq-museum-and-grounds-tour/
in 1918 Alice took this photograph of a “cat fight” between two of her and Gertrude’s cats Grey Brother and Robber.
On the film pack tab for this photograph she wrote “Cat Fight / Grey / Brother / & Robber / Fine / Sept / 5th / 1918 / 17 / 4 / 3 / 3m / 8.45 am”
E. Alice Austen, Cat Fight, Sept. 5, 1918. Collection of Historic Richmond.
This photograph of Alice and her partner Gertrude walking in Lake George was taken in 1913.
E. Alice Austen, G.A.T. E.A.A. Walk to Point Sagamore, Aug. 31, 1913. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
in 1913 Alice took this photograph of boats on the shore of Brant Lake in the Adirondacks.
E. Alice Austen, Brant Lake View From Piazza, Aug. 25, 1913. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
in 1912 Alice took this photograph of phone booths in Stockholm.
E. Alice Austen, Stockholm Telephone booths in park Kingsbadgaden, Aug 21, 1912. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Saturday Sept 2 at 12 PM join Aly Stoffo of Glam Gardener NYC for a foraging and wildflower crown making workshop.
Learn about the benefits of eating wild plants on a short foraging walk throughout the Alice Austen House Meadow to learn about different wild growing plants. Then, craft a wildflower & wild green crown.
Attendees will be walked through the craft of
creating a crown completely with plants and wildflowers.
All materials will be provided. This event is family-friendly. Both adults and families are encouraged to attend.
Sponsorship for this event provided by Con Edison.
In August of 1887 Alice took this photograph of plants on a small table behind her family home Clear Comfort.
E. Alice Austen, Back of House & table of Flowers, Aug. 1887. Collection of the Alice Austen House.
Poetry In The Park + GOASI present Afrofuturism: Reimagining Your People on the Alice Austen House Lawn Aug. 19 at 3PM
Poetry in the Park returns to the waterfront in Afrofuturism: Reimagining Your People.
Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic that combines science-fiction, history, and fantasy to explore the African-American experience and aims to connect those from the black diaspora with their forgotten African ancestry.
Presented in collaboration with GOASI, come dressed as your favorite Afrofuturism icons.
There will be a Limited Open Mic + Features
Free admission.
A very Happy 152nd Birthday to Gertrude Amelia Tate Alice's partner of 55 years who was born in 1871.
Gertrude was a kindergarten teacher as well as an instructor of dancing and deportment.
E. Alice Austen, [Gertrude Tate], ca. 1900. Collection of the Alice Austen House.
Here are a few scenes from our photowalk yesterday to Bradys Pond the second walk in our new monthly photowalk series.
To keep up to date on all the photography events happening at the museum sign up for our newsletter https://aliceausten.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3df24dbfa661c66068e5b047b&id=e205899df0
in 1891 Alice took this photograph of her and Trudie Eccleston in the rectory of St. Johns Episcopal Church where Trudie's father was the minister.
E Alice Austen, Trude & I Masked, Short Skirts, August 6, 1891. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
It's and we are flashing back to an August day in 1887 when Alice took this photograph of her dogs Chico and Punch in their washtub.
E. Alice Austen, Dogs in Wash Tub, 1887. Collection of the Alice Austen House.
We hope everyone is staying safe during this heatwave but that you are also having some fun like Alice and her friends posing here on the lawn of Clear Comfort in their bathing suits.
Group in Bathing Costumes, September 17, 1885. Collection of Historic Richmond Town
“I to the world am like a drop of water
That in the ocean seeks another drop…”
Saturday Aug 5 at 4:30 PM is back at the Alice Austen House with a free performance of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors
4:30 p.m. Kids & the Classics
5:00 p.m. The Comedy of Errors
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
Double trouble. Separated in infancy, two pairs of twins are now in the same city, each unaware of the presence of their long-lost counterparts. Hilarity mounts as the look-alikes are repeatedly mistaken for each other – till unexpected reunions bring happy endings for all.
register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hip-to-hip-theatre-shakespeare-in-the-park-tickets-685135497717?aff=oddtdtcreator&mc_cid=f4a667c342&mc_eid=d1fa6fc32f
Alice would do anything to get the photograph she was after including climbing fence posts and wading into water. In this photograph from 1912 Alice is photographing out the window of the train she and Gertrude are on to capture it moving through the countryside.
E. Alice Austen, One Train Ahead on Curve, 1912. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
The Great World’s Fair of 1964: Staten Island Was There! w/ Patricia Salmon and the Friends of Olmsted-Beil House
The year 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of The Great World’s Fair of 1964-1965. What was the World’s Fair? How did Staten Island participate and who was there? We will look at the borough’s involvement with the Fair as well as the borough’s involvement with the World’s Fair that took place in 1939-1940. One thing is for sure we know that Carlton Beil, a former owner of the Olmsted-Beil House, created a natural history exhibit at the earlier Fair. Let’s also talk about the World’s Fair of 1893 too. You will never guess who designed the grounds for this Chicago based extravaganza… Come and share your experiences at the 1964-65 World’s Fair. Bring artifacts to show.
Registration is required and can be obtained by texting 917-608-6437.
Alice Austen is well known for photographing on the streets of New York City, but did you know she also photographed scenes on the streets of cities she visited with her partner Gertrude Tate? In July of 1905 the couple was in Paris and Alice took this photograph of a woman with two pushcarts one full of flowers the other of produce.
E. Alice Austen, [Pushcarts in Paris], July 1905. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
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“I made this film because it was so essential that people understand that trans people have always been on the planet, in many different cultures,” Minerva stated. “Growing up on Staten Island I had no idea that I could possibly be trans and Italian American at the same time.” Join us at the Williamson Theater, College of Staten Island on OCTOBER 12th at 6.30pm for a screening and Q&A session for 'Summer Within' @summerwithinfilm a film by Summer Minerva. Register at the link in our bio! Directed by Staten Islander Summer Minerva and Adam Golub, follows the story of Summer, a queer/trans Italian American from Graniteville, as she looks for belonging and home through her relationship with her Italian grandmother, in decline with dementia. The journey takes Summer to Naples, Italy, where she discovers an ancient transgender tradition called the femminielli, which opens her eyes to a deeper sense of belonging. Watch the full trailer here: https://vimeo.com/518810049
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West
Williamsburg Art & Historical Center
Broadway
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