Archives
The American Presidential Nomination – how complicated could it be?
Feb 13th, 2020 | Dr Matthew Laing
Image above: Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images America is currently in the quadrennial grip of election fever while the Democratic Party conducts its search for its nominee to run against President Donald Trump this November. These presidential ‘primaries’ (as they are more commonly known) are a complex patchwork of mini-elections...
On the Trail of the Shakers in New England
May 15th, 2019 | Dr Matthew Laing
Down the lonely country roads of rural New Hampshire, Massachusetts or Maine are the quaint remnants of a simpler past immortalised in American imagery for generations. Gambrel roofed red barns, simple white-steepled churches, white picket fences, and classically unornamented colonial houses. Though few realise it today, much of this iconic...
Nine Masterpieces in the Northeast, and How they Got There
Dec 14th, 2018 | Dr Matthew Laing
Though far younger than their European contemporaries, the great American art galleries of the Northeast have amassed collections of art that rival anything to be found in the Old World. The American tradition of philanthropic bequests, an insatiable curiosity with the art of the European masters, prescient predictions about the...
Beyond Mount Rushmore: Ten Fascinating Celebrations of the American Presidency
Feb 9th, 2018 | Dr Matthew Laing
In a way that seems completely anathema to Australians, Americans love nothing more than celebrating their political leaders and commemorating their storied lives, on everything from throw pillows to carvings upon mountainsides. The focal point of this adoration has always been the Presidency. It’s a tradition that began with George...
Nine things to do in New York City just off the main trail
Nov 17th, 2017 | Dr Matthew Laing
We all know about the Empire State Building and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but what about the Fraunces Tavern or Sagamore Hill? Academy Travel tour leader Dr Matthew Laing used his comprehensive knowledge of New York’s history, his love of modern art and design and his fondness for a...
