Local Lectures

If one of your 2015 resolutions is to expand your mind, then you’re in luck! Throughout the season—starting with these January events—Palm Beach County is abuzz with interesting lectures and discussions. Become familiar with new ideas, fascinating people, historic events and artistic movements at one of these local organizations:

Historical Society of Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach

Dr. Thomas Graham leads a lecture on how Henry Flagler affected the development of St. Augustine on January 14.

• “Historical Walking Tour with Rick Gonzalez,” January 9, 4 p.m. This free stroll around Downtown West Palm Beach is led by architect and historian Rick Gonzalez and looks at the area’s evolution, with a special focus on historic buildings and notable landmarks.
• Dr. Thomas Graham, “Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine,” January 14, 7 p.m. In coordination with Henry Flagler’s recent 185th birthday, Dr. Graham will discuss how Flagler transformed St. Augustine into a posh vacation location.

Kravis Center, West Palm Beach

• “The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd,” January 8, 1:30 p.m. Lee Wolf leads an analysis of Sue Monk Kidd’s extraordinary novel The Invention of Wings.
• “Woody Allen’s Women: In Film and In Life,” January 26, 11:30 a.m. Author Julie Gilbert joins Lee Wolf to discuss the women who have permeated Allen’s personal life and the actresses, such as Diane Keaton and Scarlett Johansson, who have dominated his films.

Diane Keaton and Woody Allen in Annie Hall.

Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach

• Curator’s Conversation, “Pastures Green,” January 8, 6:30 p.m. Tour the Norton’s new British landscape exhibition with Oliver Fairclough, keeper of art at the National Museum, Wales.
• “From Concept to Print: Creating the Look,” Janaury 15, 6:30 p.m. In concert with the exhibit “Coming into Fashion: A Century of Photography at Condé Nast,” the Norton hosts a panel discussion with Condé Nast fashion experts, including Alexander Vreeland and John Barrett.
• Artist Conversation, “Master Prints with Artist Carol Prusa,” January 22, 6:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Artist Carol Prusa works in a style similar to printmakers of the past and will use her knowledge and technique to shed light on the works featured in “Master Prints: Durer to Matisse.”
• Artist Conversation with Terry Haggerty, January 29, 6:30 p.m. If you’ve visited the Norton this season, then you’ve surely taken note of Terry Haggerty’s site-specific lobby mural. He will discuss his art and career with Cheryl Brutvan, the Norton’s director of curatorial affairs and curator of contemporary art.

Palm Beach Dramaworks, West Palm Beach

• “Estelle Parsons: A Life in the Theatre,” January 6, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sheryl Flatow interviews Estelle Parsons, an Academy Award winning actress currently starring in Dramaworks’ production of My Old Lady. An audience Q&A will follow.

The Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach

Hear Ann Romney on January 6.

• Ann Romney, “An Afternoon with Ann Romney,” January 6, 3 p.m. The former first lady of Massachusetts and wife of presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Ann Romney will discuss her faith, her struggle with Multiple Sclerosis and her life in the public eye.
• John Pohanka, “Wagner 101,” January 12, 2:30 p.m. As the founder of the Wagner Society of Palm Beach, John Pohanka is perfectly prepared to discuss Richard Wagner’s influence on theater and modern cinema.
• Jay Carney, “Today at the White House and Around the Globe,” January 13, 3 p.m. Jay Carney served as White House press secretary from January 2011 to June 2014, witnessing some of the most significant moments of Barack Obama’s presidency, including the elimination of Osama bin Laden and a successful re-election.
• Chef Jacques Pépin, “My Life in Food,” January 20, 3 p.m. Foodies will be salivating at the life stories and insider knowledge of Jacques Pépin, a James Beard Award-winning chef, author and television host.

Finally, in February:

• Flagler Museum, Palm Beach. The Flagler Museum’s 2015 Whitehall Lecture Series kicks off in February with a number of lectures that illustrate this season’s theme of gilded age monuments that display American character, including “The Impetus Behind the Building of America’s Monuments” on February 8, “The Washington Monument, the Capitol Dome and the Jefferson Memorial” on February 15 and “The Lincoln Memorial” on February 22.
• Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach. The Vero Beach Museum of Art’s 2015 International Lecture Series begins in February and continues through March. February’s lecture features documentary filmmaker Rick Beyer on February 2.