Category Archives: Arts & Sciences

Gallery Sunday: The Cloisters in Autumn, October 13

The Canton of Appleholm invites you to join us on another informal weekend outing to one of our many world-class museums.

On Sunday, October 13, at 2:00 we’ll gather outside the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park and enter as a group. Our visit is expected to last for two to three hours. Afterwards, folks who are hungry may walk down the hill to a local restaurant.

(If you’re new to the Cloisters, it’s New York City’s unique immersive museum of medieval art and architecture, constructed from several medieval European buildings which were purchased piecemeal a hundred years ago and relocated to upper Manhattan, then reassembled and filled with a variety of period artworks.)

To reach the Cloisters:

  • By subway, take the A train to 190th Street, then use the elevators to exit on Fort Washington Avenue. From there, you can either transfer to the uptown M4 into the park to reach its final stop, or you can walk north along the path into the park for about fifteen minutes to reach the Cloisters.
    (Note that while maps may suggest that you could take the A or 1 trains to Dyckman Street and walk into the park from there, we generally don’t recommend this route because of the 180-foot climb up the stairs on the very, very steep hillside.)
  • By bus, take the uptown M4 bus to its last stop.
  • By car, navigate to 99 Margaret Corbin Drive and look for public parking space in or around Fort Tryon Park.

If you have trouble reaching the site, or arrive late and have difficulty finding our group, you can call Mathghamhain at 917-502-7795 for assistance.

Residents of New York State with a valid ID may pay any amount to enter, as little as $1, and the same goes for students from NJ and CT; sadly, for other out-of-state visitors or those without ID, the museum’s admission fee is an exorbitant $30.

Unfortunately, this site is not wheelchair-friendly due to the cobblestones and numerous stairs throughout the facility; they are reportedly able to shuttle wheelchairs into the building, but access to many of the exhibits is still limited.

All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. Modern attire; come as you are. (Note that the museum’s rules specifically exclude “costumes,” and although it’s unevenly enforced, folks in garb may be turned away.)

Feel free to RSVP to events@appleholm.eastkingdom.org or just show up and join us. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Detail from “Autumn in the Botanical Garden” by Mostafa Meraji (2017).
Shared from Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons license.

Sunday Solar, July 28

The Canton of Appleholm invites you to join us for another afternoon of crafting and camaraderie! 

We’ll gather at 3:00 PM on Sunday, July 28 at the home of our chatelaine Madwen Gam, at 569 W 161st Street, buzzer 6, just east of Broadway. (Note that this site is upstairs and is not wheelchair-accessible.)

We’ll be focusing on garbing yourself for our historically-themed events. A few pieces of recently-donated clothing will be available to newcomers, and a large stash of fabric is available for use by people who wish to make their own outfits, including silk, cotton, linen, and wool.

All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. No fee. Modern attire; come as you are. Feel free to RSVP or just come by and say hello!

Detail of saris at the New Delhi Crafts Museum, photo by Yann from Wikimedia Commons under CC-By-SA.

Sunday Solar, June 23

The Canton of Appleholm invites you to join us for another afternoon of crafting and camaraderie! 

We’ll gather at 3:00 PM on Sunday, June 23 at the home of Madwen Gam, at 569 W 161st Street, buzzer 6, just east of Broadway. (Unfortunately this site is not wheelchair-friendly.)

You are welcome to variously stitch, braid, paint, draw or otherwise put your creativity and talents to work. Bring your crafting supplies, or show up empty-handed and learn a new skill or help other people with their projects. 

All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. No fee. Modern attire; come as you are. Feel free to RSVP or just come by and say hello!

Detail from Tacuinum Sanitatis (BNF Latin 9333), circa 1425; artist unknown.

Gallery Outing: Africa & Byzantium, Saturday February 24

The Canton of Appleholm invites you to join us on another informal weekend outing to one of our many world-class museums.

On Saturday, February 24, starting at 2 PM, we’ll visit the Met’s “Africa and Byzantium” exhibit, which includes numerous period art works and artifacts from north and east Africa showing the shared influence of Byzantine and local cultures, as well as a few post-period examples showing the legacy of this synthesis. The special exhibit is positioned between the museum’s halls of Greek and Roman art and the halls of Medieval art, so we’ll likely loop through those on our way.

The Met is located on Fifth Avenue at East 82nd Street. The closest trains are the 4/5/6 at 86th, and there are several busses that run along either Fifth or 86th.

We’ll gather on the front steps, weather permitting, or in the lobby atrium, and then enter as a group. (If you miss us there, call Mathghamhain at 917-502-7795 to link up inside the museum.) We’ll probably spend about two hours in the museum, and afterwards folks who are hungry may walk over to Madison to get a snack in a local coffee shop.

Museum admission is “pay what you wish” with proof of New York State residence. The museum is ADA-accessible; to bypass the front staircase, visit their website for directions to the street-level entrance. Masks are optional but recommended.

All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. Modern attire; come as you are. Feel free to RSVP or just show up. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Fragment from a Coptic Hanging (Detail)

Hispanic Society Gallery Visit

Thanks to everyone who came out to join us at the Hispanic Society museum today, as well as the post-gallery coffee and chit-chat.

It’s a small exhibition, with a very eclectic mix of items on display, but the “courtyard” is a lovely space and it was interesting to see the admixture of European, Mesoamerican, and East Asian elements in the sixteenth-century artifacts.

We look forward to seeing you all on our next gallery outing soon!

Gallery Sunday, November 26: Iberian Renaissance Courtyard

The Canton of Appleholm invites you to join us for a casual weekend outing to one of our many world-class museums.

On Sunday, November 26, at 2 PM, we’ll visit the recently-reopened Hispanic Society in Washington Heights.

Their Main Court is an interior space decorated in the style of the courtyard in a sixteenth-century Spanish manor, and hosts a small collection of Medieval and Renaissance artworks and artifacts from Iberia and Latin America, including paintings, altarpieces, sculptures, stone tombs, silver tableware, and more. (There’s also a variety of post-period art throughout the rest of the museum.)

To reach the museum, take the 1 train to 157th Street, or the C train to 155th Street, or the M4 or M5 bus to 155th Street. Drivers may be able to find curbside parking at Riverside and 155th Street or in the commercial garage on Broadway at 614 W 153rd.

We’ll gather in the outdoor “Audubon Terrace” space off Broadway between 155th and 156th Streets and enter as a group (weather permitting).

We’ll expect to spend an hour or so in the museum, and afterwards folks who are hungry may walk a couple of blocks through the neighborhood to get coffee or lunch in a local restaurant.

This museum is free and the site reports that it is ADA accessible.

All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. Modern attire; come as you are. Feel free to RSVP or just show up.

Photo courtesy Sailko, released under Creative Commons license.

Musical Jam Session, Thursday October 9

Join Þorfinn Hróðgeirsson for a hands-on medieval music session next week, on Thursday November 9, 7:00-9:00 PM.

Our next medieval music jam session will be on Thursday, in Manhattan!

We’ll gather at a home on the Upper West Side, at 255 W 105th Street, Apt 21. (Northwest corner of Broadway, above the Ellington Restaurant, two blocks from the #1 train at 103rd St.)

I’ll curate what music we jam to based on interest of the attendees, but expect to do some mix of improvisation practice, reading of the greatest hits of the 13th and 14th centuries, and maybe even some polyphony! Minimal musical skill needed: please bring an instrument (or your voice) that you’re comfortable playing a tune on.

Please let me know if you’re planning to come so I can prepare.

All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous SCA experience required. Modern attire; come as you are. Feel free to RSVP or just show up. No fee. This site is ADA-accessible, although large mobility devices might need to be folded to fit through the narrow elevator door.

Royal Largesse Workshop, November 12

The Canton of Appleholm invites you to join us for an afternoon of crafting! 

Their Majesties Matthias and Feilinn have asked the craftsfolk of the East to create and donate small items that they can in turn give as tokens or gifts to the populace. (These can include any small SCA-related item such as pins, rings, or other jewelry; trim, cords, or bags; caps, cups, or craft kits, or a hundred other things.)

We’ll gather at 3:00 PM on Sunday November 12 at the home of Madwen Gam to variously stitch, braid, hammer, and otherwise create items to help fill the royal coffers. 

Bring your crafting supplies, or just show up and help other people with their projects. (And if you’re going on the Fabric District outing the Saturday before, keep your eye out for a small piece of material you could use to make something with us on Sunday.)

All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. Modern attire; come as you are. Feel free to RSVP or just show up. No fee. Unfortunately this site is not wheelchair-friendly.

Goldsmiths at work. Detail from “Atelier d’orfèvres” (1576). Engraved by Etienne Delaune.

Wednesday May 10, 7 PM – 8 PM: Introduction to Mead Making


Wednesday May 10, 7 PM – 8 PM, with socializing time on either end of that.

Introduction to Mead Making

Learn how to make the quintessential medieval drink, mead! We will focus on modern mead-making, and also discuss historical context and practice. A small number of one gallon take-home kits will be provided for interested students.

Instructor Lorefather Þorfinnr Hróðgeirsson focuses on historical beverage research, and has been a modern homebrewer for over a decade.

Historical Crafts Workshop, Thursday, March 16: Weaving Writ Large

The Crown Province of Østgarðr invites you to join us for a weeknight crafting workshop to explore pre-modern skills in a hands-on setting.

On Thursday, March, 16, at 7 PM we’ll gather at a home on the Upper West Side, at 255 W 105th Street, Apt 21. (Northwest corner of Broadway, above the Ellington Restaurant, two blocks from the #1 train at 103rd St.) This month’s activity is a make-and-take weaving workshop:

Weaving Writ Large: Using twentieth-century sock-loop potholder looms as swatching tools to explore the weaving structures found in pre-modern historical fabrics.

The study of weaving presents us with a blizzard of terminology used to describe weaving structures, and when we look at examples of woven fabric, the small scale of the threads can make it difficult to see how they’re interlaced. But by weaving jumbo fibers on a small peg loom, we can produce giant-scale swatches that replicate the structure of fabrics produced in the pre-historic, classical and medieval periods, allowing us to more clearly see and understand the differences produced by various tabby and twill patterns.

We’ll examine samples, look at the weaving charts used to produce them, and then everyone will have an opportunity to use those techniques to weave 7″ or 10″ potholders of your own to take home, using the same stretchy loops and metal peg looms you might have played with as children.

The venue requires masking. There will be an open window and an air filter running. A passenger elevator is available to reach the second floor.

The session is expected to last for about two hours. Some folks may choose to go to dinner in the neighborhood afterwards.

This event is free. All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. Modern attire; come as you are. Feel free to RSVP or just show up.

The photograph below shows some of the samples to be discussed. Top Row: 3/1 ribbed twill; 2/1 twill; 3/1 broken twill. Center: 2/2 houndstooth twill; 2/2 broken chevron twill; 2/2 chevron twill; 2/2 diamond twill. Bottom: plain weave with doubled warp; gauze; 3/3 twill.

Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to ensure the health and safety of our event participants, we cannot eliminate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases during in-person events. By participating in the in-person events of the SCA, you acknowledge and accept the potential risks. You agree to take any additional steps to protect your own health and safety and those under your control as you believe to be necessary.