The ‘Nam AC-48

Author Talk with Andy Adkins

Wednesday, November 11

7pm

FREE with registration

The Matheson History Museum welcomes author Andy Adkins on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, to share about his book The ‘Nam AC-48.

48 men from Alachua County died during the Vietnam War. The ‘Nam AC-48 is a tribute to these brave men who made the ultimate sacrifice. Andy Adkins, a US Navy and Vietnam War Era veteran, researched multiple archives and spoke with many family members and friends who were kind enough to share precious vignettes of these men’s stories before and during the war. During the presentation, Andy will share some of these heartwarming stories, how this book came about, and why it’s important to help keep these memories alive.

His book will be available for purchase for $15. All of the proceeds go to Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #1092, located in the City of Alachua. It is also available to all veterans as a free e-book on his website – https://www.azadkinsiii.com/index.html.

Adkins Registration

Art from the Archives exhibition

Opens Saturday, November 14

11am-4pm

FREE (no registration required)

In celebration of the Downtown Festival and Art Show, we are excited to welcome visitors to a temporary exhibit at the Museum – “Art from the Archives.” We will have on display throughout the Main Museum Building art that is rarely seen – oil paintings, photographs, and more!

This free exhibition will give visitors a chance to gain a broader understanding of the Matheson’s permanent collection and the Museum’s ongoing work to preserve our collective history.

B-Roll: Life in Front of the Blackboard and Behind the Lens

with Steve Robitaille

Wednesday, November 18

7pm

FREE with registration

The Matheson History Museum welcomes author and filmmaker Dr. Steve Robitaille on Wednesday, November 18 at 7pm to share from his memoir, B-Roll: Life in Front of the Blackboard and Behind the Lens. The evening will also include brief clips of his 50 years of documentary work. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

B-Roll traces how Robitaille’s early childhood fascination with what he refers to as “screenland” influenced his involvement in media education and work as the producer of documentary films on the arts and environment. His subjects include poets Allen Ginsberg, May Sarton and Richard Eberhart. His career has been bookended with river films, his first in 1981, Seven Ways to Kill the Suwannee, and his most recent, the Emmy winning film, Ocklawaha: Tales My Father Told. His nature films include interviews with naturalists and environmental stewards Peter Matthieseen, Archie Carr, Carl Hiaasen, Clyde Butcher, Senator Bob Graham and others.

The memoir is also a mediation on the relationship between the filmmaker and his relationship to the subjects he places before his lens. The memoir is framed by his exchanges with naturalist and Zen teacher, Peter Matthiessen, with whom he developed a close relationship over the span of several films, culminating in their last phone call shortly before Matthiessen’s death in 2014.  As Robitaille explores in the memoir, it was writers such as Matthiessen, Archie Carr, Russel Hoban, May Sarton and Richard Eberhart who became his spiritual guide on a lifelong exploration of the relationship between Zen Buddhism, quantum physics, poetry and spiritual awareness.

Robitaille Registration

Music with the Masters

2nd Annual “Christmas at the Matheson” Concert with Hoggtowne Bronze

Sunday, December 13

4pm

FREE (no registration required)

HOGGTOWNE BRONZE presents their 2nd Annual Christmas at the Matheson concert, “Music with the Masters” on December 13 at 4:00 p.m. Admission is free.

HOGGTOWNE BRONZE is an advanced community ensemble, deftly utilizing English handbells to bring you music ranging from orchestral, to classical rock, and even jazz and blues! You’ll find delight as you relax and watch these expert ringers ply their trade to entertain and dazzle. Join HOGGTOWNE BRONZE as we enjoy timeless classics by the Masters – Handel, Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Brahms, and more!

Yes, You! Memoir Writing Workshop

with Liz Coursen

January 12 – April 27 (second and fourth Tuesday)

10:30am-12:30pm

$225 Members

$250 Non-Members

This is the year!

If you’ve been promising to sit down and write your memoir for longer than you’d care to admit, then 2027 will be the year you do it!

If you’re ready, please join the Matheson History Museum as we welcome Liz Coursen, author of “The Complete Autobiography Workbook,” who will lead an 8-session, 4-month-long memoir writing workshop, starting in January 2027 and continuing through April. The comprehensive and fun workshop will cover all areas of the process, from selecting illustrations to what stories you’ve just got to tell, from designing your book’s cover to what stories you just might want to leave out—our goal is for all participants to complete the workshop with the first draft of their memoir in hand.

The workshop will take place at the Matheson on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, starting on January 12, from 10:30am until 12:30pm.

Only 20 spots available! If you would like to receive the Matheson Member discount but you haven’t joined/renewed for 2027, you can do so here: https://mathesonmuseum.app.neoncrm.com/forms/membership

Each participant will receive a copy of Coursen’s “The Complete Autobiography Workbook,” a 400-page doorstopper that will get you started, keep you going, and carry you over the finish line, as well as a copy of Self-Editing for the Modern Author.

Memoir Workshop Registration

Recordings

1) The Other Book: Part 2 with the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project (2026)

(Recordings by the UF Samuel Proctor Oral History Program)

2) “A Legacy of Excellence: African American Education in Rural Alachua County during Segregation” with E. Stanley Richardson