Freedom, Film and Great Estates: 5 Things for the Week Ahead

Historic events and intellectual discussion are among the highlights of this week's activities.

Freedom! A 150 Year Commemoration of the Emancipation Proclamation, Through March 31. New Rochelle City Hall, 515 North Ave. Rotunda Gallery, First Floor, New Rochelle, NY. The New Rochelle Council on the Arts presents “Freedom! A 150 Year Commemoration of the Emancipation Proclamation” at the Rotunda Gallery through March 31. The show, which invited artists to explore the themes of freedom in every day life -- on the national front and in the global community --  features works by Murray Beaver, Cristina Cerone, Robert Cotnoir, Anne Therese Dillen, Cecelia Duncan, Livia Gus, Ellen Lazarus, Barbara Levine, Maristela Margutti, Lisa Post, Wendy Vigroux, Judith Weber, Hubert Williams and John Wright. Gallery hours are weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For additional information visit www.newrochellearts.org.

. Monday, February 25, 12 p.m. Greenburgh Public Library, 500 E. Main St., Elmsford, NY. Hud is a 1963 western film whose title character is an embittered and selfish modern-day cowboy starring Paul Newman. The tale chronicles the ongoing conflict between Homer Bannon, a principled, honorable and unyielding patriarch, and his unscrupulous, arrogant son Hud. Enjoy refreshments. Stay for a discussion. For more information, call 914-721-8225. 

Lecture: From Great Estates to Great Parks: 125 Years of Bronx Parks, Tuesday, February 26, 7:30 p.m. Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum, 895 Shore Rd., Bronx, NY. How and why did what is now the Bronx go from an area of great estates to a community of modest homes and great parks? The 1888 creation of the Bronx Parks system, 125 years ago, was perhaps the clearest turning point for the Bronx, even though Pelham Bay Park would not be within the city limits for another 17 years. Dart Westphal will discuss some of the reasons and the consequences of a movement to create “Free Playground(s) for the People.” Registration requested. Free. For more information, call 718-885-1461. 

The Color of Christ and the Politics of Race in 21st Century America, Thursday, February 28, 7 p.m. The College of New Rochelle, 29 Castle Pl., New Rochelle, NY. The College of New Rochelle Office of Mission and Identity will present “The Color of Christ and the Politics of Race in Twentieth-Century America” a lecture by Dr. Edward J. Blum, Associate Professor, Department of History, San Diego State University. The lecture is free and open to the public. It will be held at 7:00 p.m. in Sweeny Student Center, Rooms B-C on the Main Campus of the College. For more information, contact Dr. Joan Bailey, Vice President for Mission and Identity, at (914)-654-5547 or jbailey@cnr.edu. 

Sarah Lawrence College: 15th Annual Women’s Conference, “15th Annual Women’s History Conference,” Sarah Lawrence College, 1 Mead Way, Yonkers, NY. Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2. The two-day conference features a keynote address by historian Alice Kessler-Harris—distinguished professor at Columbia University and author of A Difficult Woman: The Challenging Life and Times of Lillian Hellman—and a roundtable discussion moderated by Blanche Wiesen Cook about the life and work of pioneering feminists Amy Swerdlow and Gerda Lerner. Registration required. For more information, e-mail Tara James at tjames@sarahlawrence.edu or call (914) 395-2405.