For Immediate Release

PLANTING FIELDS FOUNDATION & THE HOFFMAN CENTER ANNOUNCE THE 2009 NATURALLY SPEAKING LECTURE SERIES AT HOFFMAN CENTER.

Oyster Bay, NY July 7, 2009

Planting Fields Foundation and Hoffman Center are pleased to announce the 2009 Naturally Speaking Lecture Series, held at the Hoffman Center in Muttontown, NY.  This year the Hoffman Center is offering a special tour of the grounds for the August 26^th and September 30^th at 6:00 p.m. before the lectures begin at 7:00 p.m.

Lecture Series Details:

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 – 6:00 p.m. Grounds Tour / 7:00 p.m. Lecture

Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - 6:00 p.m. Grounds Tour / 7:00 p.m. Lecture

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 - 7:00 p.m. Lecture

$10 per lecture / $25 for entire lecture series

For reservations call Tracy Potavin at (516) 922-8676 or tpotavin@plantingfields.org.

Wednesday, August 26^th, 2009

6:00 p.m. – Special tour of the Hoffman Center Grounds

7:00 p.m. – Lecture and refreshments

Great Gardens of Eastern Australia

By Vincent A. Simeone

The lecture begins in Cairns, on the northeastern tip of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef and continues to Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. Along the way we will visit many private and public gardens including the Mt. Annan Botanical Garden and the Royal Botanic Gardens. The tour will continue through the snowy mountains to the wilds of Tasmania and conclude in Hobart.  This lecture will highlight both the natural and cultivated landscapes of Australia as well as the passionate gardeners who live there. Innovative garden trends, unique landscape design ideas and plant combinations will also be presented. And even a few exotic and interesting animals!

Wednesday, September, 30, 2009

6:00 p.m. – Special tour of the Hoffman Center Grounds

7:00 p.m. – Lecture and refreshments

Painting in the Landscape at Planting Fields

By Nancy Friese

Nancy Friese, one of the leading landscape artists of her generation, will lecture about painting in the landscape at Planting Fields. Ms. Friese has devoted herself to working outdoors—en plein air—and exploring qualities of a particular landscape using brilliant colors and textures on large canvases. Ms. Friese’s powerful response to a specific landscape is reflected in her every brushstroke.

Her paintings and prints have been exhibited in more than 25 solo shows and 170 group shows, nationally and internationally. The recipient of several prestigious competitions and awards, Ms. Friese has received three National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, including the Japan-US Friendship Commission Creative Artist Fellowship. She was granted a Lila Acheson Wallace Giverny Fellowship, and Pollock-Krasner Foundation funding. 

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

7:00 p.m. – Lecture and refreshments

North Shore Long Island: Country Houses, 1890-1950

By Paul J. Mateyunas

Paul J. Mateyunas, a native of Long Island's North Shore, has been fascinated by the architecture of Long Island since his early youth. Schooled in the arts in the United States and Italy, Paul holds degrees in art history and business. His interest in historical preservation has led him to work as a restoration consultant. As a real estate agent for Daniel Gale Sotheby's International in Locust Valley, Paul specializes in assisting his customers to buy and sell old estates. The architectural writer for Elements magazine, Paul has also curated several exhibitions on the subject and is involved in fundraising for several nonprofits and charities of which he is an active supporter.  Since the release of his book North Shore Long Island: Country Houses, 1890-1950 in Spring 2007, Paul has given numerous talks at museums, historical societies, and other institutions on the Country House era and estate restoration.