New York Urban Explorers: Art, Food, Museums, Walks, etc.

Art of the American Revolutionary War - Art History Livestream Hosted by Robert Kelleman.

For the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) let’s take a walk through the visual imagery of the American Revolution. What do these artworks tell us about the American Revolution, and what do they tell us about American history and culture?

During and after the program you’ll have the opportunity to discuss the topics with your fellow art lovers via Zoom.

The American Revolution (1765–1789) was a political movement in the Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain. The movement began as a rebellion and evolved into a revolution resulting in the sovereign United States. These changes were the outcome of the associated American Revolutionary War. The Second Continental Congress, as the provisional government, established the Continental Army and appointed George Washington as its commander-in-chief in 1775. The following year, the Congress passed the Lee Resolution on July 2nd, then unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July. Throughout most of the war, the outcome appeared uncertain. However, in 1781, a decisive victory by Washington and the Continental Army in the Siege of Yorktown led King George III and the Fox–North coalition in government to negotiate the cessation of colonial rule and the acknowledgment of American sovereignty, formalized in the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The Constitution took effect in 1789 and the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791.

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The Louvre, Paris - French Highlights - Art History Livestream Hosted by Robert Kelleman

Bonjour!

For French Independence Day (Bastille Day - July 14), we invite you to join us for an online/virtual tour of the Louvre in Paris, France, considered by many to be the world's greatest art museum.

This will be a two-part art history program
Part 1 - Saturday, July 11 - French Highlights, with emphasis on works from 1643 (Louis XIV) through 1815 (Napoleon Bonaparte).

Part 2 - Saturday, July 18 - International (Non-French) Highlights, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

During and after both programs you’ll have the opportunity to discuss the topics with your fellow art lovers via Zoom.

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Rock & Roll of The Vietnam War Era: 1965-1973 - Music History Livestream - Hosted by Robert Kelleman

Travel back in time with us to 1965-1973 and hear the distinctive Rock & Roll music of the Vietnam War / Woodstock era in honor of Memorial Day 2026.

We'll explore songs from a variety of iconic 1960's/1970's musical performers, including a few from Motown that we've discussed in our previous sessions.

During and after the program you’re invited to discuss the films with your fellow music lovers via Zoom.

The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist allies; South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist allies. The war is widely considered to be a Cold War-era proxy war. It lasted almost 20 years, with direct U.S. involvement ending in 1973. The conflict also spilled over into neighboring states, exacerbating the Laotian Civil War and the Cambodian Civil War, which ended with all three countries becoming communist states by 1975.

Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, 40 miles (65 km) southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music" and alternatively referred to as the Woodstock Rock Festival, it attracted an audience of more than 400,000 attendees. Thirty-two acts performed outdoors despite sporadic rain. It was one of the largest music festivals held in history. The festival has become widely regarded as a pivotal moment in popular music history as well as a defining event for the counterculture generation. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine listed it as number 19 of the 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll. In 2017, the festival site became listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Diana Ross - 1983 Central Park Concert - Music History Livestream - Hosted by Robert Kelleman

Let's travel back in time to New York City in July 1983 for one of the most amazing live performances in music history - the two-day Central Park concerts by Diana Ross.

Music History Livestreams present noteworthy songs and a biographical overview of our featured artists along with the historical and cultural context of their music.
During and after our program you'll have the opportunity to discuss the songs with your fellow music lovers via Zoom.

Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter and actress from Detroit. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. They remain the best-charting female group in US history, with a total of twelve number-one hit singles on the US Billboard Hot 100, including, "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Come See About Me", and "Love Child".
Following her departure from the Supremes in 1970, Ross embarked on a successful solo career in music, film, television and on stage. Her eponymous debut solo album, featured the U.S. number-one hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and music anthem "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". It was followed with her second solo album, Everything Is Everything, which spawned her first UK number-one single "I'm Still Waiting". She continued her successful solo career by mounting elaborate record-setting world-wide concert tours, starring in a number of highly watched prime-time television specials and releasing hit albums like Touch Me in the Morning (1973), Mahogany (1975) and Diana Ross (1976) and their number-one hit singles, "Touch Me in the Morning", "Theme from Mahogany" and "Love Hangover", respectively. Ross further released numerous top-ten hits into the 1970s, 80s and 90s. She achieved two more US number-one singles, "Upside Down" (1980) and "Endless Love" (1981), as well as UK number-one hit "Chain Reaction" (1986) and UK number-two hit "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (1991).

On July 21, 1983, Ross performed a free concert on Central Park's Great Lawn, aired live worldwide by Showtime. Proceeds of the concert would be donated to build a playground in the singer's name. Midway through the beginning of the show, a torrential downpour began. Ross tried to continue performing, but, the severe weather required that the show be stopped after 45 minutes. Ross urged the large crowd to exit the venue safely, promising to perform the next day.
The second concert held the very next day was without rain. The funds for the playground were to be derived from sales of various memorabilia. However, they were destroyed by the storm. When the mainstream media discovered the exorbitant costs of the two concerts, Ross faced criticism from New York City's then-mayor Ed Koch and the city's Parks Department commissioner and poor publicity. During a subsequent mayoral press conference, Ross handed Koch a check for US$250,000 for the project. The Diana Ross Playground was built three years later.

Diana Ross In Central Park