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First Saturday Lecture

10/1/2016 | Arrow Rock State Historic Site | Arrow Rock, MO

St. Louis speaker Paula Zalar will present “Ars Moriendi: The Art of Dying.”  This talk and slide presentation traces how Americans have faced death, grieved it and commemorated it from Colonial times until now. Explaining what anthropologists have called the “American dual response” to death – rituals of symbol, and of manner – Zalar relates not just the “what” but the “why” of past practices.

“Understanding items and behavior in context breathes life into history,” Zalar says. “By better understanding the society our ancestors lived in, we shorten the bridge between then and now, and realize how much today has been shaped by yesterdays.”

This free lecture takes place in the site’s visitor center. It is free and open to the public. Please note that this talk will be longer than our usual First Saturday Lectures and will last approximately 90 to 120 minutes.

Lecture time: 10 a.m. - noon

39521 Visitor Center Drive, Arrow Rock, MO | 660-837-3330

Associated activities

  • Interpretive Programs