Task One: One of the topics for this week is the influence of Transcendentalist philosophy on Fredrick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park. For an introduction to this school of thought, read this brief post about Transcendentalism and Romanticism.

Task Two: Olmsted vision of the natural world has much in common with the paintings of the Hudson River School.  For an introduction to these important artists, read this post about the Hudson River School Artists.

Task Three: Watch this excerpt from The Olmsted Legacy and this brief documentary on Central Park.

Task Four: Read Fredrick Law Olmsted,  excerpt from Passages in the Life of an Unpractical Man; and Nicholson, “Elegance and Grass Roots.”

Task Five: Respond to this prompt.

Task Six: Watch this segment of “Sunlight and Shadow,” from Ric Burns’ New York: A Documentary Film.

Task Seven: Read the Brooklyn Bridge Dedication Speeches of Franklin Edson (NYC Mayor) and  Seth Low (Brooklyn Mayor);  Hart Crane, “To Brooklyn Bridge;” Vladimir Mayakovsky, “Brooklyn Bridge.”

Task Eight: Respond to this prompt.

Task Nine (optional): Watching this video on the engineering of the Brooklyn Bridge.