INAUGURAL CELEBRATION 2002

The Oscar Wilde Society of America Inaugural Celebration

The foundation of the OWSOA was celebrated with a series of events held in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, on the weekend of St. Patrick's Day 2002.

This inaugural celebration commemorated the 120th anniversary of Oscar Wilde's lovely and memorable visit to the Twin Cities.

OSCAR WILDE SOCIETY OF AMERICA
INAUGURAL CELEBRATION EVENTS

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA

Friday, 15 March - Monday, 1 April: SPECIAL EXHIBIT, "Oscar Wilde in the Twin Cities," University of Minnesota Andersen Library, Tim Johnson, curator.

Sixty-five items from the University of Minnesota Rare Books and Special Collections, including an autograph letter from Wilde to Richard D'Oyly Carte, written 16 March 1882 from the Metropolitan Hotel in St Paul.

Friday, 15 March: 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., ST PATRICK'S DAY CELTIC COLLECTION OPEN HOUSE at the University of St. Thomas
The Center for Irish Studies and the Department of Special Collections annual Open House featuring exhibits of rare Irish books from the 9,000-volume Celtic Collection. A selection of Wildeana was also on display.

A brief program at 3:30 p.m. featured readings and announcements from representative Irish writers.
The Open House took place in the Department of Special Collections, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, University of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul.

Saturday, 16 March: OSCAR WILDE DAY IN SAINT PAUL
(by Proclamation of the Honorable Randy C. Kelly, Mayor of Saint Paul)

• 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., "Oscar Wilde's Visit to the Twin Cities" Poster Exhibit. Archbishop Ireland Room, Saint Paul Hotel

• 10:30 a.m., Ireland Room, gathering of everyone interested in being a part of the Oscar Wilde Society of America Marching Unit for the Saint Patrick's Day Parade through downtown Saint Paul

• 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Saint Patrick's Day Parade

• 2:00 - 5:00 p.m., Meeting of the Oscar Wilde Society of America, Archbishop Ireland Room, Saint Paul Hotel.
  Welcome of the Society

• Remarks by Lionel Johnson, Editor in Chief of the Oscar Wilde Society of America

• "Oscar Wilde: Shame and Beauty," a talk by Professor Andrew Elfenbein of the University of Minnesota

• Theatre reading of Oscar Wilde's "The Selfish Giant" & "The Remarkable Rocket" by The Red Cedar Dramatic Company

Many thanks to everyone who attended

To commemorate the inaugural meeting of the Oscar Wilde Society of America the Ampersand Club of the Twin Cities issued a fine-press reprint of Oscar Wilde's essay, The Beauties of Bookbinding. 

Copies of this beautiful broadside designed by Dennis Ruud & Chip Schilling, printed at Indulgence Press of Minneapolis, are available for purchase. Click here for more details.