Members First:
Engaging Experts
From the past to the present, our program Members First: Engaging Experts opens the doors to behind the scenes at The Henry Ford, featuring deep dives into stories highlighting innovation, historical archives, artisanal wonders and so much more. Members will have an exclusive invitation to our interactive live program with the opportunity to ask questions at the end.
Members, check your email for exclusive invitations to these programs. Not yet subscribed to email? Visit THF.org/enews and sign up for updates.
Upcoming Sessions
Stay tuned for information on upcoming sessions.Previous Sessions
Recorded on March 24, 2025
Amelia Earhart: Flight and Fashion Amelia Earhart was among the most famous pilots of her time, and she remains so in ours. Her record-setting flights encouraged other women to take to the skies, and shined a spotlight on the growing aviation industry. Financing her flights was not easy. With support from George Putnam, her publicist and husband, Earhart made speaking tours, product endorsements and her own line of fashionable clothing, all with an eye toward funding her true passion — the adventure of flying. Join Matt Anderson, Curator of Transportation, and Jeanine Miller, Curator of Domestic Life, for a conversation on Amelia Earhart's groundbreaking aeronautical and commercial achievements. |
Recorded on February 17, 2025
The House by the Side of the Road: The Dr. Sullivan and Richie Jean Jackson Home at Greenfield Village In 2023, The Henry Ford acquired the Jackson Home from the home's owner, Jawana Jackson, daughter of Dr. Sullivan and Mrs. Richie Jean Jackson. In Selma, Alabama, the historic Jackson Home welcomed civil rights leaders, U.S. congressmen, and two Nobel Peace Prize winners, working together to advance American principles and bring liberty, justice, and rights within the reach of all Americans. In this virtual program, Amber Mitchell, Curator of Black History, discusses the significance the Jackson Home played specifically in the Selma Voting Rights Movement, which transformed citizenship rights for all Americans. The Jackson Home is the newest addition to Greenfield Village and will open to the public in 2026. |
Recorded on December 11, 2024
Creating the Hallmark Exhibition In 2022, we debuted a new exhibition, Miniature Moments: A Journey Through Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments, which was a tremendous undertaking accomplished in just over three years in the midst of a pandemic. How did we do it? Join Jeanine Miller, curator of domestic life, and Bradley Hinken, exhibits manager, for a behind-the-scenes virtual program on transforming this "mountain" of nearly 7,000 individual ornaments into an engaging visitor experience. Learn how and why we acquired the collection, what it took to catalog, conserve and photograph thousands of objects and the challenges of planning, organizing and installing an exhibit with so many objects. |
Recorded on November 13, 2024
The History and Chemistry of Glass Candy Canes Inspired by our 20-year celebration of The Henry Ford's Candy Cane collection, this presentation explores the chemistry of glass, colorants used and the history of cane-making specific to the glassmaking process, directly with The Henry Ford's Glass Shop Supervisor, Chris Hofmann. From sourcing materials to batching and melting, patterning to application, the program dives deeper into the world of what makes glass, glass. |
Recorded on September 17, 2024
"To Establish the Rule of Justice": 60 Years of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 2024 marks 60 years since the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In the culmination of decades-long grassroots activism from people of all colors and backgrounds, the act countered the racism of Jim Crow laws. This virtual presentation explores this act that changed the course of America, including its origins and legacy and the call to action that it still has for Americans today. Join Heather Bruegl, Curator of Political and Civic Engagement, and Amber N. Mitchell, Curator of Black History, for this program. |
Recorded on June 25, 2024
Saturday Evening Girls Starting as a club for young women, the Saturday Evening Girls grew to become an established business called Paul Revere Pottery. The pottery helped these women, primarily Italian and Jewish immigrants, adjust to life in the United States. They produced some of the most beautiful examples of art pottery made in America and eventually tried to involve Clara Ford in their venture. Join Curator of Decorative Arts Charles Sable for an insightful look at a little-known aspect of the Arts and Crafts Movement. |
Recorded on May 22, 2024
Exceptional Engines Take a fascinating look at the machines that move us with Curator of Transportation Matt Anderson. Explore some of the more unusual automobile engines in The Henry Ford’s collection, like Franklin’s air-cooled crosshead of 1905 or Chrysler’s experimental gas turbine of 1963. The heart of any car is its engine, and through the evolution of engine design and technology, we discover the importance of how innovation and diversity shape the automotive landscape. |
Recorded on March 28, 2024
Animal Histories and The Henry Ford Curator of Agriculture and the Environment Deb Reid discusses the emerging and thriving field of agriculture history and animal histories. Learn the many ways that animals appear in The Henry Ford historical resources and where members and guests can learn more about animals while visiting Greenfield Village. Through our archival and artifact collections, this program uncovers the history of draft animals and farm stock, including milk cattle and sheep, pigs, chickens and even farm pets. |
Recorded on September 18, 2023
Lillian Schwartz: Art from Technology Uncover the impactful work of Lillian Schwartz with the curator of our exhibition Lillian Schwartz: Whirlwind of Creativity, Kristen Gallerneaux. Lillian is a groundbreaking filmmaker and digital multimedia artist who began working at the intersections of creativity, science, and technology in the 1960s. Learn about her time as a “resident visitor” at Bell Laboratories, where she was inspired by the possibilities of computers and also found ways to push beyond their limitations. |
Recorded on August 24, 2023
The Studio: Behind the Design Discover the intricate details of The Henry Ford’s period clothing studio in this virtual program. With Anne Devlin, senior manager of The Studio Office Operations & Training, learn the process behind the designs and concepts that led to the creation of our beloved seasonal costumes, like the dancing skeletons seen at Hallowe’en and the Holiday Nights mummers. |
Recorded on June 26, 2023
Building a Living History of American Glassmaking With Charles Sable, curator of decorative arts at The Henry Ford, we will trace the history of American glassmaking from the 18th century through the present in Greenfield Village’s Davidson-Gerson Gallery of Glass. All ages will enjoy this immersive gallery experience through our virtual Engaging Experts program. |
Recorded on June 6, 2023
Greenfield Village Ballet: A Historic Renovation From archival photographs to a featured video of the restoration, this behind-the-scenes program digs up details of the 2003 renovation of Greenfield Village. Join Director of Facilities Management Alec Jerome, Construction and Facilities Manager Joe Wolford, Chief Conservator Mary Fahey and Executive Producer & Head of Studio Productions Brian James Egen, who were all part of this historic renovation 20 years ago. |
Recorded on May 11, 2023
The Julia Child Connection: Histories Hidden in Her Kitchen Zoom in and out with curators Kristen Gallerneaux and Katherine White as they use archival photographs of Julia Child’s kitchen as a jumping-off point to explore the histories hinted at within them, from kitchen design to media representations of food culture. |
Recorded on February 8, 2023
The Detectives of The Henry Ford Don your detective hat as you join curatorial assistant Rachel Yerke, Curator of Decorative Arts Charles Sable and Curator of Transportation Matt Anderson in a journey with three fascinating stories: a new mystery to solve, a mystery revealed and a special once-in-100-years discovery. |
Recorded on October 24, 2022
The Weaving Shop: A Behind-the-Scenes Special This Engaging Experts program will touch on the Weaving Shop’s deeply rooted history in Greenfield Village. Together with shop lead Mendy Grenz, we will uncover details of working looms; learn about the sock knitter, which makes its seasonal debut during Holiday Nights; and uncover the behind-the-scenes process to make our limited-edition holiday scarves and hand towels. |
Recorded on September 6, 2022
The Fords’ Vision for Lincoln Motor Company This program focuses on Ford Motor Company’s purchase of Lincoln Motor Company in 1922 and hones in on Edsel Ford’s simple but highly personal vision for the luxury automaker: to make “the best car in the world.” With Matt Anderson, curator of transportation at The Henry Ford, we’ll explore materials in our archival collection looking at Lincoln Motor Company’s first decades. |
Recorded on: August 9, 2022
The Wright Brothers in the Bicycle Business In anticipation of our Twilight Bike Ride event, this program focuses on the ingenuity of the Wright brothers and how their bicycle business enabled them to pursue their flight passions and experiments. With Matt Anderson, curator of transportation at The Henry Ford, we hear stories of the Wright brothers, learn about the 1890s bicycle boom, see how the bicycle influenced the airplane and discover details of where bicycle tech was used on the 1903 Wright Flyer, a replica of which is on display in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. |
Recorded on: July 14, 2022
Businesswomen at Detroit Central Market In honor of Detroit Central Market joining Greenfield Village as our first permanent addition to the village since 2000, this program focuses on female hucksters and market gardeners who made an impression. Led by Deb Reid, curator of agriculture and the environment at The Henry Ford, we learn about causes of food fights like the Cucumber War of 1861, strategies that bound market families together, conflicts that pulled them apart and philanthropy that extended their reach. |
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