All the history you knew but forgot and all the booze you need to forget it again.
The Society for the Advancement of Social Studies (S.A.S.S!) is proud to present a series of lectures designed to both entertain and enlighten. At each meeting we will discuss a different historical topic that you probably knew at one point, but don’t remember anymore.
Don’t curse Monday for being boring! Instead, get in the Halloween spirit with spooky stories and haunted histories at this month’s Scary-Ass SASS!
Event details:
The Evening’s Lectures:
Lecture details:
Behind the Mask: A Brief History of Fancy Dress, Costume Parties, and Halloween Revelry
Fashion & Dress Historian Bethany Gingrich will explore the fascinating history of fancy dress parties in the 19th century and their connection to the emergence of Halloween in America. Whether to frighten small children, wear the sexiest costume, or enjoy the purely ridiculous, the human desire to dress up for one wild night hasn’t faded.
The Amazing True Tales of BooBuddy Jr., the Incredible Ghost Hunting Teddy Bear
Colin Dickey will display his amazing teddy bear that hunts ghosts, share stories of their fabulous adventures together, and talk about why someone might want to shove some deliberately malfunctioning electronics into a stuffed animal and walk around empty houses with it.
Mummies of the World!
Whether nature made them by accident, or people made them because why not, mummies always provide a rare glimpse of life in the olden days. Get familiar with the different ways mummies are made, and learn how to avoid their curses. With SASS co-founder Anna Rasche!
4 days ago
URL
mummies
getsaucedatsass
ghosthunting
fashionhistory
nycevents
costumehistory
caveat
halloween
colindickey
Hannah Frishberg is a 4th generation Brooklynite and a Features Reporter at The New York Post. She was previously the Editor-in-Chief of Brokelyn and has had words appear in the Columbia Journalism Review, BuzzFeed and CityLab, among other publications.
Becky Sandler is a 3rd generation Costco member and deals connoisseur. She works in Operations at Spotify by day, but has spent many evenings speaking at SASS - most recently on the history of scams.
Shiny new venue, same old SASS!
To celebrate our move to Caveat, we’ll be muckraking up some old-timey dirt with an evening of Manhattan history.
Event details:
With talks on:
Lecture details:
The History of Manhattan Newspapers
Since New York’s first newspaper, The Gazette, was printed in 1725, Manhattan has been host to many of the world’s best known print journalism titles, a thriving ethnic press, and a slew of anarchist publications. From The New York Times to underground paper Rat Subterranean News to homeless-run Street News and the United States’ first African-American owned paper, Freedom’s Journal, NY Post Features Reporter Hannah Frishberg brings us all the history that’s fit to present.
Gilded Age Gossip
It was an Age of Innocence… but also of mansions, murder, and ridiculously extravagant costume balls. Historian & SASS co-founder, Anna Rasche, explores the headlines, scandals and high-society happenings of NYC’s Gilded Age elite.
Manhattan’s Worst Deals
Manhattan is the most expensive “city” in America, so people are always looking for deals. Some deals are good, some are bad but only a few are truly the worst. Deal Connoisseur Becky Sandler will share her favorites and together we will crown Manhattan’s Worst Deal.
Celebrate the special exhibition David Bowie Is with an evening of fun and informative lectures in perfect harmony with the museum’s moving exhibition.
Monica Castillo, film critic, dives into Bowie’s life on the screen; editor/ author Paula Mejia explores Bowie’s connection with space; and fashion historian Sarah Byrd catalogs how David Bowie anticipated fashion trends that were before his time.
Location: Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn)
Price: Free Admission! Cash bar!
Date: Thursday, May 17, 2018
Time: 7 pm - 9 pm (museum stays open until 10!)
More Info: from The Brooklyn Museum
Celebrate the special exhibition “Roots of The Dinner Party” with our evening of wine, beer, and lighthearted art history lectures!
Jennifer Ball, Professor of Early Christian and Byzantine Art at Brooklyn College, discusses women monastics with an emphasis on Hildegard von Bingen in honor of her place at The Dinner Party, and Abigail McGrath explores how women of color have responded to Judy Chicago’s work over time.
Location: Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn)
Price: Free Admission! Cash bar!
Date: Thursday, January 25th, 2016
Time: 7 pm - 9 pm (museum stays open until 10!)
More: The Facebook Event
An evening of shrouded art history lectures, ancient Egyptology, conserved critters, plus beer and wine…
Though we all know that Egypt is home to King Tut and his mummified cronies, one of the most fascinating aspects of ancient Egyptian culture and religion is often overlooked—the mummification of animals. This event and exhibit invites the audience to investigate the provocative theories proposed to explain the practice, the lengthy ritualistic processes, and the recent scientific tests that have uncovered new information about these cuddly coffers.
In this special Art History Happy Hour at The Brooklyn Museum, the exhibition’s curators, Ed Blieberg and Yekaterina Barbash, will enrapture the audience with secrets of the animal sarcophaguses, as well as the complexities of conservation. Special guest lecturer Salima Ikram, a leader in Egyptological research, will share a special look at Egyptian mummies.
Location: Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn)
Price: $25 (includes one free beer/wine drink and a ticket to The Brooklyn Museum’s Soulful Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt exhibit).
Date: Thursday, September 28th, 2017
Time: 7 pm - 9 pm (museum stays open until 10!)
Tickets: Purchase tickets here
For those of you who enjoy making art as much as looking at it, we’ll have an Instagram art contest with the chance to win fun prizes!
Art History Happy Hour is presented in partnership with The Society for the Advancement of Social Studies (SASS), Atlas Obscura, and The Brooklyn Museum.
Please note that there are currently no SASS meetings scheduled- we’re on holiday! We hope to return early in 2018.
From bad hygiene to bad habits, we humans have a long history of being gross people. Come to SASS and give in to the Gross.
Event details:
With talks on:
Lecture details:
The Gross History of Ambergris
Historic gastronomist Sarah Lohman regales us with the tales of a mysterious, sought-after substance that is thought to be puked up by Sperm Whales.
Gross Incompetence: Congress’ Response to the AIDS Epidemic
Bella Pori of the New York State Assembly teaches us how NOT to respond in a crisis.
Superfund USA: Hazardous Waste and Harmful Politics
Urban Historian Inna Guzenfeld discusses the history of the Superfund act and why cleanup remains complicated. Shout out to our friends in Greenpoint & Gowanus!
Sarah Lohman is a historical gastronomist. She’s one half of the food science & history duo Masters of Social Gastronomy, and just released her first book Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine.
Inna Guzenfeld is an urban historian, planner and educator with a focus on the Brooklyn waterfront. Inna received master’s degrees in historic preservation and urban planning at Pratt Institute. She is a strident advocate for ferry service, the working harbor, and New York’s maritime community.
Bella Pori is an employee of the New York State Assembly and a co-founder of Call Them In (callthemin.com), an email reminder system that makes it as easy as possible for people to call their Senator. She is currently working on a Reacting To The Past curriculum about the government’s response to the AIDS epidemic.
They say there’s truth in fiction, so this month, we’re looking at the real history behind our favorite fantastical tales. It’ll be fun, it’ll be nerdy, and no one will make any “fake news” jokes.
Event details:
With talks on:
Lecture details:
The Real World Impact of Star Wars’ Jedi
Amateur historian, experienced SASS speaker, and self-proclaimed Hufflepuff Kevin Valliere helps the audience master the basics of how the Jedi became a very real religion and inspired progressive movements across our world.
A History of Dragons
Josephine Livingstone, culture staff writer at the New Republic / hilarious and insightful person, delves into the expansive lore surrounding the earth’s most fascinating beast.
Harry Potter and the Fandom Online
Brooklyn cultural phenom Theresa Buchheister, who is also the co-founder and artistic director of Title:Point, shares the story of Harry Potter in relation to it’s online fandom to prove they’re as intertwined as Voldermort and Quirrell’s turban.
Channel your inner Nasty Woman with our evening of wine, beer, and lighthearted art history lectures, honoring this month’s theme—Women at the Brooklyn Museum.
Location: Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn)
Price: Free Admission! Cash bar!
Date: Thursday, April 27th, 2016
Time: 7 pm - 9 pm (museum stays open until 10!)
More: The Facebook Event
For those of you who enjoy making art as much as looking at it, we’ll have an Instagram art contest with the chance to win fun prizes.
And every Thursday night, enjoy a 40% ticket discount for the blockbuster exhibition Georgia O'Keeffe: Living Modern and explore the exhibition for only $12.
Lucie Levine is the founder of Archive on Parade, a local tour and event company that aims to take New York’s fascinating history out of the archives and into the streets. She’s a Native New Yorker, and licensed New York City tour guide, with a passion for the city’s extraordinary social, political and cultural history.