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THIS FALL

SEPTEMBER 9 -NOVEMBER 17 RICH SOIL BY KRISTINE MAYS – See the work of fine art sculptor Kristine Mays in the Jay Estate Gardens. Mays breathes life into wire as she creates human forms that dance, grieve, hope and pray. Her figures help us resurrect the all-important narratives of the women and men whose strength, resilience and measurable contributions to our landscape have often been forgotten. As a member site of New York State’s Path Through History for Civil Rights and Westchester County’s African American Heritage Trail, the Jay Estate is a compelling venue for contemplating our shared American heritage while viewing these ethereal silhouettes. THURSDAYS 10AM – 2PM and SUNDAYS 10AM – 5PM  READ MORE AT THE NY STATE PARKS BLOG HERE

SOLD OUT! OCTOBER 20, SUNDAY at 3pm – THE SKINNY HOUSE – A FAMILY MEMOIR Julie Seely and Dev Seely, descendants of Nathan Seely, the African American builder of the Skinny House in Mamaroneck, will discuss the history of this ten-foot-wide house, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places and one of Westchester County’s treasures. Topics include the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Great Depression. Readers will identify with the book’s universal themes about “a struggle for education, father-son generational issues and the desire to own your own business.” Co-sponsored by the American Women of African Heritage and the Friends of the African American Cemetery. Talk will be followed by Q & A, reception and book signing. Talk is FREE but registration is required.

NOVEMBER 3, SUNDAY at 3pm – MAKING THE PRESIDENCY:JOHN ADAMS AND THE PRECEDENTS THAT FORGED THE REPUBLIC WITH HISTORIAN LINDSAY M. CHERVINSKY AND JOANNE B. FREEMAN Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky is a presidential historian and author of the award-winning book, The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution, co-editor of Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture. She regularly writes for public audiences in the Wall Street Journal, Ms. Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Bulwark, Time Magazine, USA Today, CNN, and the Washington Post. With her to discuss her new book will be award-winning historian, Hamilton scholar and Yale Professor of History and American Studies, Joanne B. Freeman. Prof. Freeman specializes in early American politics and political culture. Her interest in political violence and political polarization—dirty, nasty, politics—has made her work particularly relevant in recent years. She is the author of The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War and also Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic. Talk will be followed by Q & A, reception and book signing. Talk is FREE but registration is required. REGISTER HERE

November 17, SUNDAY at 3pm – MY CLIMATE CHANGE WITH ANDREW REVKIN Andrew Revkin, one of America’s most honored, experienced and innovative journalists, will join us to talk about how we can get beyond amorphous labels like sustainability and climate emergency by asking questions, starting with, “Sustain what?” He has written on global environmental change and risk for more than 40 years, reporting from the North Pole to the White House, the Amazon rain forest to the Vatican – mostly for The New York Times. Revkin was a staff reporter at The Times from 1995 through 2009, covering issues ranging from threats to New York City’s water supply to the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami and, of course, climate science and policy. His New York Times blog, Dot Earth, which he launched as a news reporter and continued as an Opinion column, was lauded by the Columbia Journalism Review as “incredibly successful at encouraging copious, high-quality commenting and debate.” Revkin has won the top awards in science journalism multiple times, along with a Guggenheim Fellowship. He has written books on the dawn of the Anthropocene, the history of humanity’s relationship with weather, the changing Arctic, global warming and the assault on the Amazon rain forest. The talk and reception are FREE but registration is required. REGISTER HERE

 

 

PAST IN-PERSON PROGRAMS

OCTOBER 6, SUNDAY at 3pm – THE O’NEILL FELLOWSHIP PRESENTATIONS. Columbia University Class of ’25 students Wena Teng and Zachary Vanderslice will present geopolitical research conducted this past summer thanks to a 2024 Margaret “Maggie” Nolan O’Neill Fellowship. Wena will discuss the legacy of John Jay’s foreign policy as it relates to trade with China and Zachary will illuminate the work of mutual aid societies formed during the early years of the Emancipation Era (1799-1827).  The Margaret “Maggie” Nolan O’Neill Fellowship was established in 2022 in memory of Margaret “Maggie” Nolan O’Neill (Class of 2021), who studied Political Science Government, and Political Philosophy at Columbia University, with a keen interest in the application of those studies in the modern world.  REGISTER FOR FREE TALK AND RECEPTION HERE

SEPTEMBER 29th – What rain? A little drizzle didn’t dampen spirits or attendance for Jay Day 2024, our annual Hudson River Valley Ramble Festival! Families streamed into our park to sample every taste and every experience and enjoy unplugged, old fashioned fun from hoop rolling, a scavenger hunt, storytelling, herbal broom making, quilting and boat racing to pony rides, face painting and sewing. Attendees were awestruck by Kristine Mays’ Rich Soil sculpture exhibit in the Jay Estate Gardens. Thank you to our Co-Chairs Tracy Edwards, Lindsay Martin and Amy Villalba. Grateful to Tracy Stora for our gorgeous poster. Supremely grateful to all our volunteers including students from Rye Neck and Resurrection School, our staff members Meredith Slater and Lucia Maestro, our vendors, board members and partners who made this joyful celebration a reality every autumn! And a big shout out to Richie and his crew for keeping us safe. Photos by Kim Crichlow See more photos of the day here!

SEPTEMBER 22, SUNDAY at 4pm, URBAN COYOTES  – Urban Coyotes is a five-piece band drawing on soulful styles from New Orleans to Nashville to New York. Blending electric and acoustic instruments with multi-part harmonies, the Coyotes perform a diverse mix of rock and folk classics as well as original music by singer/songwriter Paul Jensen. Come hear your favorite songs from Tom Petty, Grateful Dead, Radiohead, Zac Brown Band, U2, Coldplay and more!

 

MAY 4 INTO THE WEEDS: HOW TO GARDEN LIKE A FORAGER. Join us as Tama Matsuoka Wong returns to JHC to share her newest book, Into the Weeds: How to Garden Like a Forager. Tama empowers budding and experienced gardeners alike to embrace a gentler, less rigid and more sustainable approach to tending the land. As a master forager and gardener, she invites you break free from meticulously ordered beds and rethink the way you engage with and value the plants around you. Into the Weeds teaches you to encourage those plants, even if you didn’t plant them yourself, turn invasive vines into simple structures like borders and beds, and transform the bounty of your surroundings into teas, tinctures, and cocktails. The program will include a demonstration of how to make an A frame trellis out of wild wood and natural materials along with a tasting of some of Tama’s favorite foraged recipes.

APRIL 16 at 11:30 AM – IKEBANA DEMONSTRATION WITH JUDITH HATA. Hata has been teaching ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arranging, in the New York area for over 60 years. She holds the rank of Riji, the highest teacher’s degree in the Sogetsu School, having learned her art directly under Sofu Teshigahara, founder of the Sogetsu School, and then under his daughter and successor, Kasumi Teshigahara. The inspiration for Sogetsu is to “enjoy ikebana anytime, anywhere, using any material” and through her journey, she has discovered 花ありて友あり – ”where there are flowers, there are friends”. Mrs. Hata founded the New York Branch of Sogetsu in 1971, serving as director, president and other positions for more than 50 years. Mrs. Hata served on the Board of Directors of the Horticultural Society of New York and the Committee for the New York Flower Shows, and through the years taught from upstate New York to Philadelphia and points in between including at the Parsons School of Design, The Brooklyn Botanical Garden, The New York Botanical Garden, and The Nippon Club among many others. READ MORE HERE

APRIL 14 10:30AM – 2:30PM NATIVE TREE SYMPOSUM WITH KEYNOTE TALK BY DOUG TALLAMY, CO-FOUNDER OF HOMEGROWN NATIONAL PARK. Co-sponsored by the City of Rye Sustainability Committee. Why do native trees matter? How can we create a homegrown national park in our own backyards or local municipalities? What are other organizations doing to increase biodiversity on their campuses? Start the day with networking and tours of the award-winning Jay Estate Gardens followed by lunch and a keynote talk by best-selling author and entomologist Doug Tallamy. Co-sponsored by the City of Rye Sustainability Committee and Larchmont-Mamaroneck Pollinator Pathway. Funding generously provided by Con Edison.

MARCH 3 at 3pm –The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet’s Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence with David Waldstreicher Help us welcome back David Waldstreicher, a historian of early and nineteenth-century America with particular interests in political history, cultural history, slavery and antislavery, and print culture. David has previously spoken at JHC – his talk was titled “Another View of the American Revolution – African Americans Hear the Call to Freedom.” The program is free but pre-registration is required. Click here to register.  The New York Times, in a recent feature on the book and Waldstreicher, described his willingness to put Wheatley “smack in the middle of the raging debate over the relationship between the American Revolution and slavery,” and praised his achievement in not only “tracing her life” but “also recreat[ing] the18th-century intellectual world Wheatley actually lived in.” The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley has also received rave reviews from Oprah, which called it a “rich and necessary book.” Read more here.

FEBRUARY 29 at 11:30AM – 1:30PM BLACK HISTORY IN NEW YORK, WESTCHESTER AND RYE. For more than 20 years, the Jay Heritage Center has hosted dynamic educational programs about Black History. Through exhibits and conversations with nationally and locally recognized authors, historians and scholars like Annette Gordon-Reed, Alan Taylor, Dr. Larry Spruill,  Joseph McGill, David Thomas, David Mills, Harold Holzer, Kerri Greenidge and more it has been our goal to continually explore our nation’s complicated and resilient narratives together. We invite you to stop in for a lunchtime lesson at the Jay Mansion. Discover the many landmark sites on New York State’s Path Through History and Westchester County’s African American Heritage Trail including our own where the real-life stories of African American women and men, enslaved and freed, like Caesar Valentine, Mary, and Clarinda continue to be vigorously researched and shared. The free program will include a tour of JHC’s exhibit Hidden Soldiers.

FEBRUARY 18 at 3pm Why Did the Japanese Internment Camps Happen with Grant Ujifusa and Kermit Roosevelt. Grant Ujifusa, a noted author and historian who is widely recognized for his instrumental role in the Japanese American redress movement of the 1980’s will speak with Prof. Kermit Roosevelt III considered by many to be “the top scholar in the constitutional aspects of the internment.” They will discuss how the camps happened and how reparations were brought about including the importance of the life story of Nisei World War II hero Kaz Masuda. This program is co-sponsored by the Japan Society of Greater Fairfield County. Pre-registration required. Ujifusa, a 1965 graduate of Harvard College, is the founding editor and longtime co-author of The Almanac of American Politics, originally published in 1972 and still published today. The book has been described as “the bible of American politics.” Ujifusa’s familiarity with the workings of Washington lawmaking made him an ideal strategist in the fight for the passage of HR 442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which was ultimately signed by President Ronald Reagan on Aug. 10, 1988. Read more here

April 7 - October 31

Thursdays, 10am-2pm;  Sundays, 10am-5pm except holidays. Starting Sunday, April 7, until Thursday, October 31, the award-winning Jay Estate Gardens will be open to the public two days a week. Enjoy docent led experiences or follow a self-guided tour following our QR code signs. Drop in for a lesson, talks, and workshops led by JHC’s Director of Horticulture and Garden Education, Lucia Maestro and special guest speakers. Email Lucia Maestro for more information or to volunteer in the gardens. FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

 

 

 

Sunday, October 6 from 8:30-11am

Invasive Species Education (Volunteer Force Crew), 

Open to young adults and adults /Learn how to properly identify and remove invasive species like wineberry, mugwort, Japanese knotweed, porcelain berry and Japanese honeysuckle. Bring long pants, sunscreen and bug spray, water and a snack. Work gloves will be provided. Please be aware that poison ivy, ticks and other insects may be present in the area as we will be working off-path. Check our website for more information on upcoming events and workshops.

Sunday, October 20 from 2-3pm

Plant Propagation & Division Workshop 

Open to all audiences/All ages Saving seeds and learning when and how to propagate your perennial plants can help you save money, while you grow your garden with all your favorite plants. Learn about seed saving and plant propagation and division using as an example some of our very own native species on display in the Jay Gardens. This is a hands-on practice workshop.

Sunday, October 27 from 10am-5pm

Closing the Gardens: Flowers in Rituals & Traditions 

Open to all audiences/All ages/Family-friendly activities Join us to celebrate a successful season in the Jay gardens. Bring your children and learn about how different cultures use plants and other flowers in their rituals and traditions. Decorate your own Día de los Muertos mask and make a musical instrument (choice of rain stick or maraca). Hands-on practice workshop.

Thursday, November 7
Two passes: from 2:00-2:45pm and 3:15-4:00pm

A Guided Tour of the Jay Estate Meadow

Free and Open to all audiences/All ages
Meadow enthusiasts can visit the site of the oldest man-managed meadow in NY State, dated back to the First Peoples settlements in the area. In 2016, Larry Weaner Landscape Associates designed and installed the meadow using wildflowers and native grasses. Learn about the ongoing management practices and efforts to preserve the now established meadow at the Jay Estate within the Boston Post Road Historic District. During your visit, you will also learn about our valuable collaborations with different organizations and partnerships, and through volunteer work to preserve this valuable landscape and surrounding areas. Our site is collaborating with a PRFCT event, Managing Meadows: Best Practices for Biodiversity and Beauty, on this day. Please visit our website for more information.

Sunday, November 10 at 12-2pm

A Taste of Garlic

Open to all audiences/All ages. Hands-on practice workshop. Roll up your sleeves ands join us for a fun workshop “sowing” garlic seeds. Learn about the bulb life cycle, different varieties, and how to make the best of this popular kitchen staple by growing it at home. Recipes will be shared. During your visit, you will also see which fall crops and perennials are thriving in this weather in the Jay Estate Gardens.