Is the seminar live or pre-recorded?

The listing describes a live Zoom talk; expect live presentation followed by Q&A.

How long is the event?

Plan for roughly sixty minutes including presentation and audience questions.

Will there be close visual images of the painting?

Speakers typically use high-resolution slides and closeups to discuss composition and detail.

Is the event suitable for beginners?

Yes; the seminar rewards curiosity and offers clear visual analysis, though basic art-history familiarity helps.

How do I join after booking?

Use the referral link to register; arrive a few minutes early to test audio and permissions.

Is a recording available if I miss the live session?

Recording availability varies; check the referral link or contact eldridgestreet for details.

Artemisia Gentileschi's Ester: A Virtual Seminar for Travelers | Workshop | Museum

This Virtual Seminar: Artemisia Gentileschi's Ester brings a focused, expert-led art conversation into your laptop and into the itinerary of travelers visiting New York, New York, United States. Hosted by eldridgestreet as a pay-what-you-wish Zoom talk on Wednesday, March 4 at 6pm ET, the hour-long program gathers art historians, theater-makers, and cultural scholars to examine Gentileschi’s painting Ester Before Ahasuerus and its performance of power. The seminar is concise but dense with visual analysis, highlighting the painting’s theatrical staging, dramatic chiaroscuro, and the way gesture and gaze construct narrative and agency. Speakers contextualize Gentileschi within early modern Rome and the later histories of collection and display, and they flag performance-based readings that theater practitioners bring to scenes of biblical drama. For visitors in town, this talk functions like a compact museum primer: join from a hotel, a cafe near the Lower East Side, or between museum visits to sharpen your eye before you step into galleries. Because the event is online and pay-what-you-wish, it’s both accessible and an affordable way to support independent curators, educators, and institutions tied to New York’s cultural ecosystem. Practicalities are straightforward: expect roughly sixty minutes including Q&A, arrive five to ten minutes early to test audio and any slide sharing permissions, and have a reliable internet connection and headphones. The seminar’s core visual subject is Ester Before Ahasuerus, whose composition rewards close looking: costume detail, directional light, and expressive hands tell a story that speakers unpack with museum-grade closeups and comparative references. Even without a street address listed here, eldridgestreet’s programmatic connection to New York’s Lower East Side history and to neighborhood institutions gives travelers cultural context that can shape a day of walking, gallery-hopping, or archival visits. This is not a hands-on workshop; rather it’s a listening, learning, and questioning event that rewards curiosity and a basic familiarity with art-historical terms. If you plan to make museum visits after the talk, jot down references the panel mentions—artists, collectors, and comparative works—and use them to structure an efficient gallery route. Ultimately, the seminar converts screen time into sharper attention, offering visitors a compact intellectual tool to read gestures, light, and staging differently as they move through New York’s museums and public spaces. The conversation also foregrounds themes of gendered authorship and survival, making it particularly timely during Women’s History Month and useful for visitors looking to connect contemporary debates to historical practice. Book via the provided referral link, prepare questions in advance, and consider this session a compact, transportable curatorial briefing that deepens a traveler’s engagement with art across the city. It’s an accessible cultural stop that rewards attention and enriches museum visits with before-and-after context. Reserve your spot early to guarantee a seat. Enjoy.

About Museum at Eldridge Street

Museum at Eldridge Street preserves and interprets the Eldridge Street Synagogue, a landmark on Manhattan’s Lower East Side established in 1887. The museum offers a range of guided and self-guided experiences, including docent-led discovery tours, self-guided visits, architecture and anniversary building tours, virtual talks, and multilingual programs.
Regular offerings highlight walking tours that explore Jewish history across neighborhoods such as the Lower East Side, Greenwich Village, and Historic Jewish Harlem, as well as themed walks about activism, love and courtship, and the Jewish gangsters of Lower Manhattan. Monthly Spanish-guided tours are held every last Monday of the month, and special events include concerts, exhibition talks, and food-focused walks like the Eldridge Eats Food Tour.
The museum presents virtual programming, including seminars tied to exhibitions such as the Lower East Side in 1975 photography project and virtual book talks. The Anniversary Building Tour celebrates the synagogue with artifacts, documents, and images presented by guides like Scott Brevda.
By combining historic preservation, community programming, and educational tours, the institution supports research and public engagement without relying on conjecture. Visitors can expect factual interpretation rooted in primary sources, curated exhibitions, and live-led programs produced by professional staff and volunteer docents. Located in New York, New York, the Museum at Eldridge Street serves both local audiences and visitors seeking authentic stories of Jewish immigrant experience, architecture, and cultural history on the Lower East Side. Programs include guided education for schools, public lectures, family activities, and seasonal events that deepen neighborhood connections and archival access.